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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > need help- how do we say it?
need help- how do we say it?
ironik
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need help- how do we say it?
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hello dear colleagues, I �m writing an exam report to my department head and this word is on the tip of my tongue, but I can �t find it I �m stuck.
So the problem is, my students write meaningful sentences but they fail to use these words such as "auxiliary verbs- am, is, was, has or prepositions- to, with, the suffix -ing" or they overuse it.
We use a linguistic term for that, like the words with no meaning. But what was it, please help me!
Thanks a lot. |
23 Mar 2012
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almaz
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Perhaps you mean �ellipsis � for the first and �pleonasm � for the second (I don �t really think so...), but it �s difficult to say unless you give us a couple of examples.
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23 Mar 2012
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ldthemagicman
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Dear Ironik,
I agree with the definitions of Almaz.
In �A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics�, 2008, page 203, Professor David Crystal gives the definition of �Function Word�.
�A term sometimes used in WORD classification for a word whose role is largely or wholly grammatical, e.g. ARTICLES, PRONOUNS, CONJUNCTIONS. Several such terms exist for this notion (e.g. FORM WORD, GRAMMATICAL word, FUNCTOR, EMPTY word); all contrast with the LEXICAL words in a language, which carry the main SEMANTIC content�.
Les |
23 Mar 2012
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ironik
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Thank you very much both of you, you have been very helpful. I think function word for the first and pleonasm for the latter just serves my purposes. :)
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24 Mar 2012
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