5. Retell the text. An introduction to theoretical grammar

While studying grammar of present day English we distinguish two parts of it: morphology and syntax. Morphology is the part of grammar which treats of the forms of words. It deals with the structure classification and combinability of words. Syntax is a part of language which treats of phrases and sentences. It deals with the structure classification and combinability of phrases and sentences.

Grammar is a part of linguistics which studies the grammatical structure of a language. When we speak of a grammatical structure we mean the whole complex of regularities which regulate the meaning of word-changing and the means of connecting the words into sentences and word combinations.

The purpose of the theoretical grammar is to present a systemic study of the grammatical structure of a language.

Grammar is a part of language while language is a means of forming ideas as reflection of reality and exchanging them in the process of intercourse. Language is social by nature because it is inseparably connected with the people. It grows and develops together with the development of society.

The relations between word building in grammar and lexicology are not quite clear. Three views have been expressed:

1. Word building is a part of lexicology.

2. Word building is partly at least a matter of grammar.

3. Word building is a special sphere intermediate between lexicology and grammar.

The grammatical aspect of word building is that words belonging to a certain part of speech are derived by means of certain morphemes.

Affixes showing to what part of speech the words belong are very few. Among them is the suffix -ity for nouns, for adjectives – -less, -ous, -ly, for verbs – -ize/-ise. But most of word forming affixes are ambiguous. They do not point any definite part of speech, but leave some choice. For nouns and adjectives the same suffixes are used. One and the same prefix can be found in different parts of speech such as ‘independence’, ‘independently’, ‘independent’.

Thus the grammatical aspect of word building in English is rather unimportant, but nevertheless it can be considered one of the phenomena linking grammar with lexicology.