FSP status of English verbo-nominal structures Be + Prepositional Phrase

Abstract

In the framework of the theory of functional sentence perspective, if a context-dependent subject is further specified, the sentence implements the Quality Scale. Under favourable conditions, however, the occurrence of a context-independent subject in the same kind of structure may lead to a presentational configuration (the Presentation Scale). The present corpus-based paper looks at English sentences featuring verbo-nominal structures with prepositional predications that follow the pattern Be + Prepositional Phrase (such as be at stake, be on the move, be in full swing, be at hand, be in action, be at risk, be in sight) in terms of their presentational potential. Taking into account their syntactic, textual and information structure, the analysis strives to determine whether and under what circumstances the predicates employed in such sentences express existence/appearance on the scene.

Keywords

• fsp
• prepositional
• presentation
• quality
• scale
• verbo-nominal