Verb Conjugation, Propositions, Advertising, and Syntax

Verb Conjugation: Regular and Irregular Forms

Conjugation refers to all the forms a verb can take, encompassing all tenses and moods.

Regular Verbs

Regular verbs maintain the same root in all forms and use the same endings as their model verb.

Example:

• Singing ........ cant-o ......... cant-é ......... é sing ....

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs do not maintain the same root in all forms and do not use the same endings as their model verb.

Example:

• Be ..... est-o ..... est-uve .... ....... be-é

Propositions and Coordinated Clauses

Coordinated propositions are at the same syntactic level; none depends on the others. They can become independent clauses if the connecting links are removed. Coordinated clauses can be of several types:

• Copulative: Express addition. The main link is "and".
• Distributive: Express choice.
• Disjunctive: Express choice. The main link is "or".
• Explanatory: Express equivalence or equality, using phrases like "i.e." or "that is".
• Adversative: Express opposition, often using "but".
• Consequential: Establish a cause-effect relationship, using words like "so" or "then".

The Language of Advertising

Advertising is a persuasive form of communication designed to inform and convince recipients to act in a certain way. Key features include:

• Originality: To attract attention, the message must be original, employing all available graphic and linguistic resources. The pursuit of originality makes advertising language innovative.

• Brevity: To be effective, the language must hold the receiver's attention without being tiresome. Brevity and conciseness are always required.

• Suggestion: Advertisements do not objectively report on a product's characteristics. Instead, they aim to sell the product by associating it with positive qualities to make it desirable. Images and words are chosen for their ability to suggest values like success, prestige, youth, masculinity, femininity, freedom, art, etc.

Subject and Predicate

The subject is the part of the sentence that performs the verbal action. It agrees with the verb in number and person. It can be identified by asking the verb "who?" or "what?" and can sometimes be omitted.

The predicate is what is said about the subject. To locate it, identify what is *not* the subject. There are two types of predicates:

• Nominal Predicate: Used with linking verbs (be, seem) and always accompanied by an attribute.
• Verbal Predicate: Consists of all other verbs.