Part of
Introducing Chinese Linguistics: A handbook for Chinese language teachers and learnersHang Zhang and Lan Zhang
[Studies in Chinese Language and Discourse 16] 2022
► pp. 179–216
Hang Zhang and Lan Zhang
[Studies in Chinese Language and Discourse 16] 2022
► pp. 179–216
Chapter 6Chinese syntax II
While Chapter 5 looked at the various constituents within Chinese sentences, this chapter examines different sentence structures. It first provides an overview of the types of sentences based on their communicative functions and their internal structures. It then offers a description of special sentence structures in Chinese which demonstrate non-canonical word order, including the serial verb, verb copying, bǎ 把 and the bèi 被 passive constructions. Pedagogical implications are also provided for the bǎ 把 and bèi 被 constructions based on research into the acquisition of the two.
Article outline
- 6.1Sentence types
- 6.1.1Declarative sentences
- 6.1.1.1Subject, predicate, topic and comment
- 6.1.1.2Sentence final particles in declarative sentences
- 6.1.2Interrogative sentences
- 6.1.3Imperative sentences
- 6.1.4Complex and compound sentences
- 6.1.1Declarative sentences
- 6.2Serial verb constructions
- 6.2.1Type one: Simultaneous or consecutive actions
- 6.2.2Type two: Causative construction
- 6.3Verb copying construction
- 6.4The bǎ
把 construction
- 6.4.1Characteristics of the NPs following bǎ 把
- 6.4.2Characteristics of the VPs in the bǎ 把 construction
- 6.4.3Discourse function of the bǎ 把 construction
- 6.5The bèi 被 passive construction
- 6.6Acquisition of the Chinese bǎ
把 and
bèi
被 constructions
- 6.6.1Acquisition of the bǎ 把 construction
- 6.6.2Acquisition of the bèi 被 passive construction
- Exercises
-
Notes -
Further reading
References
Further reading
Chappell, H. & Shi, D.
(2016) Major non-canonical clause types: ba and
bei
. Chapter 15 in Chu-Ren Huang & Dingxu Shi (Eds.) A Reference Grammar of Chinese (pp. 451–483). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 
