8
Words and sentences
A few other common verbs link the subject with a noun phrase or an adjective in the same way, notably: bleiben
remain
heißen
be called
scheinen
seem
werden
become
These are COPULAR VERBS (or simply COPULAS – which just means ‘links’). The complement which follows them is called the PREDICATE COMPLEMENT. The structure of sentences with these verbs is as follows:
NP nom
copula
NP nom/ADJ
sein, bleiben, heißen, scheinen and werden are COPULAR VERBS. They are used with a noun phrase or adjective – the PREDICATE COMPLEMENT. The noun phrase following these verbs is in the NOMINATIVE case. Copulas and predicate complements are explained in section 8.10.
1.7 Sentences and clauses It is usual to distinguish between sentences and clauses. A SENTENCE is the longest unit of grammar and, in writing, it ends with a full stop. A sentence may consist of one clause or several clauses. A CLAUSE is a segment of a sentence with a single FINITE VERB (the verb with an ending that agrees with the subject of the clause or sentence, see 1.2). A MAIN CLAUSE can stand on its own and form a sentence. A SUBORDINATE CLAUSE is dependent on a main clause and cannot stand on its own. Some sentences only have one clause, which is always a main clause: Die Prinzessin schlief. An ihrem fünfzehnten Geburtstag traf sie die alte Frau im Turm.
The princess slept. On her fifteenth birthday she met the old woman in the tower.
But many sentences have two, three, or even more clauses, each with its own verb. These are called complex sentences. In German, the clauses are usually separated by commas: Er weiß, dass sie schläft. Als der Prinz kam, teilte sich die Dornenhecke, und er ging in das Schloss, wo Dornröschen lag.
He knows that she is sleeping. When the prince came, the thorny hedge parted and he went into the castle where Sleeping Beauty was lying.
