THREE
COORDINATION
3.1 Syndetic vs. Asyndetic Coordination
Before we proceed to discuss the notion of coordination, some comment is in order: the term
coordination is going to be used mainly in relation to what some grammarians call syndetic
coordination, i.e. that type of structure where there are explicit indicators that there are two
more elements linked by coordination. This type is placed in opposition to asyndetic
coordination, where there is no indication other than a comma, that elements are
coordinated. Consider example (1):
(1) He looked at them sadly and reproachfully.
(S-a uitat la ei cu tristee i repro.)
which is an instance of syndetic coordination.
Example (2), on the other hand, is an illustration of the asyndetic type:
(2) He looked at them sadly, reproachfully.
(S-a uitat la ei cu tristee, cu repro.)
Example (1) exhibits coordination by means of AND, which is a coordinating conjunction or a
coordinator. The terms linked by the coordinator are called conjuncts.
We will use the term coordination in reference to the first type mentioned above, where a
coordinator is overtly expressed (i.e. present) in the sentence.
3.2. Coordination & Subordination
By definition, coordination (or conjoining) is a syntactic operation that puts together
constituents of the same rank. Conversely, subordination (or Embedding) is a syntactic
operation that involves rank-shifting, namely one constituent is subordinated to a higher-rank
constituent.
Consider the following examples where one can look at the same situation expressed
differently from a syntactic point of view:
(3) Hit my wife and youll die.
(O loveti pe soia mea i vei muri.)
(4) If you hit my wife, you will die.
(Dac o loveti pe soia mea, vei muri.)
Such examples, that have a lot in common from a semantic point of view, led grammarians to
believe that coordination is the basic structure wherefrom subordination originated. Example
(3) is an instance of coordination where constituents of the same rank are linked by means of
the coordinating conjunction and. In example (4) one can notice a more complex structure,
where the subordinating conjunction if plays a major part. We will come back to example (3)
in a subsequent subsection.
From the previously mentioned examples, we can already make at least two important
remarks:
a) that from a formal point of view, coordination differs from subordination in that it is
realized by means of coordinating conjunctions.
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b) that there might be important semantic similarities related to examples exhibiting
coordinated, respectively subordinated constituents.
However, we need to specify that, from a logical & semantic point of view, a major difference
between coordination and subordination is that the information in subordinate clauses is not
asserted, but presupposed.
Compare:
(5) John came back and gave her a piece of his mind.
(John s-a ntors i i-a spus vreo dou.)
(6) John gave her a piece of his mind after he came back.
(John i-a zis vreo dou dup ce s-a ntors.)
Unlike in the case of (5) where we are dealing with assertion, the subordinate adverbial clause
of time contains a presupposition: We presuppose that the event of Johns coming back
happened.
From a pragmatic point of view it is to be remarked that example (3) will be found more
frequently in instances of dialogue and spoken language as it is obviously characterized by a
rather informal tone.
3.3. Sentence vs. Phrase Coordination
Compare the following sentences:
(7) I saw him yesterday and I had seen him the day before yesterday.
(L-am vzut ieri i l-am vzut i alaltieri.)
(8) I saw him yesterday and the day before yesterday.
(L-am vzut ieri i alaltieri.)
Example (7) is an instance of sentence coordination, the result of which is a COMPOUND
SENTENCE. A compound sentence is to be placed in opposition to a COMPLEX
SENTENCE, where there is a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses, as shown in
(9).
(9) If the authors and publishers of Dick Deadshot and such remarkable works were
suddenly to make a raid on the educated class, were to take down the name of every man,
however distinguished, who was caught at a University Extension lecture, were to
confiscate all our novels and warn us to correct all our lives, we should be seriously
annoyed.
(G.K. Chesterton A Defence of Penny Dreadfuls)
Example (8) exhibits an instance of Phrasal Coordination, where we are dealing with a
compound constituent, yesterday and the day before yesterday.
As one can easily notice, this constituent can be considered to be the result of compressing the
longer and much less economical compound sentence from example (7). This phenomenon of
compression and reduction is called ellipsis.
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Ellipsis can be of two types:
a) the so called forward ellipsis, when it operates on the second conjunct in the structure:
(10) a. John writes poetry and Bill writes prose.
(John scrie poezii i Bill scrie proz.)
b. John writes poetry and Bill prose.
(John scrie poezii i Bill proz.)
In (10a) the second conjunct has been wiped out, or deleted, as can be seen in (10b).
A deletion of the first conjunct would have been impossible in this case:
(10) c. *John poetry and Bill writes prose.
b) backward ellipsis when it operates on the first conjunct in the structure:
(11) a. John loves cigars and Bill hates cigars.
(Lui John i plac trabucurile iar Bill le urte.)
b. John loves and Bill hates cigars.
(Lui John i plac iar Bill urte trabucurile.)
c. *John loves cigars and Bill hates.
Example (11b) predicts the correct deletion of the first conjunct, whereas (11c) shows the
ungrammaticality of a deletion of the first conjunct in this case.
Besides ellipsis, substitution is another reduction operation that can be applied to compound
sentences.
Consider the following:
(12) I was advised to buy a pair of shoes and I bought a pair of shoes.
(Am fost sftuit s cumpr o pereche de pantofi i am cumprat o pereche de pantofi.)
The common element, i.e. the predication buy a pair of shoes, can be reduced by substitution,
as can be seen in
(13) I was advised to buy a pair of shoes and I did so/it.
(Am fost sftuit s mi cumpr o pereche de pantofi i asta am i fcut.)
These two reduction methods can operate within compound sentences due to the fact that
sometimes it is more economical to use a reduced structure, than a longer repetitive one. So,
these syntactical processes, having to do with a change performed in the structure of a
sentence, are in fact motivated by a pragmatic principle, the so-called Principle of Economy,
that favours concision and efficiency in the use of language.
3.4. Coordinating Conjunctions
We can distinguish between three classes of coordinators:
a) Copulative: and / both and /at once and / neither nor / as well as / no less than /
not only but also, etc. We should also mention here rarer copulative coordinators, such
as: alike and / nor nor / nor or :
(14) His job is at once judicial and political
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(Slujba lui este i juridic i politic.)
(15) She went to sleep alike thankless and remorseless.
(A plecat la culcare i nerecunosctoare i lipsit de remucri.)
(16) Nor sun, nor wind will strike to kiss thee.
(Nici soare i nici vnt nu te-or atinge cu vreun srut.)
There are, of course, semantic restrictions on the types of clauses that can be coordinated. For
instance, one cannot couple two sentences with completely different semantic content, as in:
(17) a. *Lions are mammals and Tom bought a car.
b. *I hate plumbers and you learn syntax.
In fact, the expressive function of coordination is, more often than not, to emphasize
(semantic) parallelism or contrast, which is the case with
b) adversative coordinators: but, and
(18) I gave her the money but I didnt feel happy about it.
(I-am dat banii, dar nu am fost mulumit de asta.)
c) disjunctive coordinators: or, either or
(19) She can either have the money or she can have the clothes.
(Poate primi ori banii ori hainele.)
Some of the aforementioned coordinating conjunctions have correlatives (either or, both
and, etc); some of them allow ellipsis of the subject (and, or; sometimes but, too):
(20) a. I may see you tomorrow or (I) may phone later in the day.
(S-ar putea s te vd mine sau s i telefonez mai ncolo.)
b. He went to the safe and (he) took out the money.
(S-a dus la seif i a scos banii.)
c. I gave her the money but (I) didnt feel happy about it.
(I-am dat banii dar nu mi-a convenit de loc.)
In certain cases, the ellipsis of the subject is even required (see e.g. 20 (b)). If the coordinating
conjunction links two subordinate clauses, where the subordinator is repeated, ellipsis of the
subject is no longer accepted:
(21)* I didnt object to his proposal since it was very appropriate and since appealed to me.
Another property some of the coordinators above share is the fact that they can link more than
two clauses:
(22) They both liked Susan and respected her, and cherished her.
(Ei o plceau pe Susan, o respectau i o ndrgeau.)
An important property shared by coordinating conjunctions has to do with the fact that
sometimes, these coordinators can impose a subordinating shade of meaning upon the
conjunctions, like in the example we discussed at the beginning of this section:
(23) a. Hit my wife, and youll die.
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(O loveti pe soia mea i ai s mori.)
In example three one can read a conditional meaning behind the lines. In this case, if we were
to rewrite the example, we could not say something like:
(23) b. *Youll die, and hit my wife.
Whenever the coordinating conjunction adds a subordinating tinge of meaning to the
conjuncts, the order of these conjuncts is fixed.
From this point of view, one can differentiate between
a) a symmetric use of coordinators where the order of the conjuncts is reversible:
(24) a. I like and admire her.
(mi place i o admir.)
b. I admire and like her.
(O admir i mi place.)
b) an asymmetric use of coordinators where the order of the conjuncts is irreversible:
(25) a. I washed and ironed my pants.
(Mi-am splat i clcat pantalonii.)
b.* I ironed and washed my pants.
Lets cast a swift glance at the asymmetric uses some conjunctions may have:
1. asymmetric AND can impose different shades of subordinative meaning within the
compound sentence:
- chronological sequence (temporal implications)
(26) He sliced and fried the potatoes. (First he sliced them and then he fried them)
(A tiat cartofii i i-a prjit.)
- cause-effect relation
(27) He heard an explosion and (therefore) phoned the police.
(A auzit o explozie i a sunat la poliie.)
(28) He didnt pay the rent and he was evicted from their apartment. (<Because he didnt
pay, he was evicted)
(N-a pltit chiria i a fost dat afar din apartament.)
- if-then relation (supported by proper intonation)
(29) Give me the money and youll walk away safely. (If you do that, you will be safe)
(D-mi banii i poi plec nevtmat.)
- concessive meaning (plus suitable intonation)
(30) John worked hard for the exam and he failed (Although he worked hard, he failed).
(John a muncit din greu pentru examen i l-a picat.)
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- while/whereas interpretation
(31) Dr. Smith experiments with guinea pigs and Dr. Brown experiments with humans.
(Doctorul Smith face experiene pe cobai iar doctorul Brown face experiene pe
oameni.)
(While Dr. Smith performs his experiments with guinea pigs, Dr. Brown does it with humans)
2. Asymmetric BUT implies a contrastive effect like in the case of symmetric BUT but
this effect results from an unexpected consequence. Compare
(32) a. Jim is brave but John is a coward. (symmetric use)
(Jim e viteaz dar John e un la.)
b. Jim likes computers but John hates them.
(Lui Jim i plac computerele dar John nu le suport.)
to
(33) Jim is jobless but he is happy. (asymmetric use)
(Jim n-are serviciu dar e fericit.)
3. Asymmetric OR implies again an if-then relationship:
(34) a. You leave my daughter alone, or Ill break your neck.
(Ori mi lai fata n pace, ori i rup gtul.)
b. Stop that noise, or youll be punished.
(ncetezi cu zgomotul, ori vei fi pedepsit.)
This use is to be contrasted with the symmetric use of OR, which is in its turn of two types
exclusive OR
(35) You can eat lobster, or you can eat caviar.
(Poi s mnnci homar sau poi s mnnci caviar.)
inclusive OR
(36) If you have enough money you can eat lobster, or you can have caviar or both.
(Dac ai destui bani poi s mnnci homar sau poi s comanzi caviar sau din
amndou.)
3.5. Verb Agreement with Compound Subjects
We shall discuss verb-agreement with compound subjects depending on the conjunction that
is used:
AND the compound subjects correlated by and are generally used with plural verbs:
(37) a. Semantics and syntax are interrelated.
(Semantica este strns legat de sintax.)
b. Both your fairness and your kind nature have been appreciated.
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(Au fost apreciate att corectitudinea ta ct i buntatea ta.)
When the verb appears before the subject, both plural and singular forms are generally
accepted. The singular form is however restricted to informal speech:
(38) There was/were a man and a woman in the room.
(n camer erau un brbat i o femeie.)
There are cases when the compound subject is not made up of the two semantically distinct
conjunctions any more:
(39) a. The hammer and the sickle was flying from the flagpole.
(Secera i ciocanul fluturau sus pe steag.)
b. Fish and chips is my favorite food.
(Petele cu cartofi prjii este felul meu de mncare preferat.)
In (39) the subject contains two conjuncts that are perceived as one semantic unit, hence the
singular form of the verb.
OR, EITHER OR, NOT (ONLY) BUT ALSO compound subjects are subject to the rule
of agreement by proximity: the verb agrees with the near-most conjunct:
(40) a. Not John, but his two brothers are to blame.
(Nu John este de vin, ci cei doi frai ai lui.)
b. Not Johns brother but he is to blame.
(Nu fratele lui John, ci el este de vin.)
NEITHER NOR compound subjects accept both the singular and the plural form of the
verb since from a syntactical point of view Neither nor resembles either or, but
semantically it is the negative counterpart of both and:
(41) Neither he nor his wife have/has arrived.
(N-au ajuns nici el i nici soia lui.)
3.6. Key Concepts
Coordination is defined in opposition to subordination, as being a syntactic process where
elements of the same rank are conjoined. This section also attempts to draw attention
upon certain points of similarity between coordination and subordination, especially those
related to the asymmetric uses of coordinating conjunctions.
As shown, certain compound sentences can be reformulated as complex ones, namely as a
main clause plus a subordinate one.
Emphasis is also laid on the reductive methods that can be applied to compound sentences or
to compound phrases: ellipsis (or deletion) and substitution.
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Seminar - COORDINATION
Activity 1 Coordination and style - The following two passages are straightforward
descriptive paragraphs taken from narrative works. The first is a vivid description of a
sequence of actions; the second, a static description of a small town in nineteenth-
century Ireland. The student will notice the almost complete absence of subordinate
clauses from both passages. In the first, this adds to the graphic effect of the movement
in the passage. In the second, the comparative looseness of the sentence construction is
admirably suited to the evocative informality of description.
Passage 1:
The black cloud had crossed the sky, a blob of dark against the stars: The night was quiet
again, Tom stopped into the water and felt the bottom drop from under his feet. He threshed
the two strokes across the ditch and pulled himself heavily up the other bank. His clothes hung
to him. He moved and made a slopping noise; his shoes squished. Then he sat down, took off
his shoes and emptied them. He wrung the bottoms of his trousers, took off his coat and
squeezed the water from it.
John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
Reconstruct the paragraph, combining as many of the simple sentences as you feel
reasonable into compound sentences with subordinate clauses. How does the effect of
your passage differ from Steinbecks?
Passage 2:
Castlebar had preserved the appearance of a feudal town. Though the castle had vanished, on
its site fortifications still frowned above steep and narrow streets, the houses were beautiful
and ancient, built, with enormous solidity, of cut gray stone, adorned with cornices, stone-
wreathed windows and carved doorways. In the late eighteenth century a Mall had been added
to the town, with formal walks under rows of trees, but the streets tailed off abruptly into mud
cabins, curlews wheeled and cried in the centre of the town, and the walkers in the Mall had
bare feet.
Cecil Woocham Smith, The Reason Why
Compare the previous two passages with the following in point of complexity of
structure and formality of tone. Note that the more intricate construction of the third
passage is correlated by the author to the difficult journey the character in the passage
has to make:
Passage 3:
The Canon dressed and, waving the remonstrances of his housekeeper aside, left the house.
Before him was a climb that would take at least three hours, over some of the roughest ground
in the country. He walked up to the top of the village street and struck off up a boreen that
went for a bit and then petered out as if discouraged. After that he had to make do with the
narrow rocky footpath when he could see it or stumble a while over the tangled scrub and
sharp stones till he found it again. The unwonted exercise made his heart pound and his head
swim, and his clothes stuck damply to him: darkness fell before he was half-way up and
although he had a torch the way in front was so strange and featureless he thought he should
never arrive at his goal. His feet pained him from continually stubbing against the bits of rock:
in spite of the long dry spell the mountain was soaking, and as the way is with Irish
mountains, the higher he went the wetter it grew, until he found the water gurgling about his
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ankles and seeping over the top of his boots; and more than once he missed his footing and
measured his length on the prickly ground.
Honor Tracy The Straight and Narrow Path
Activity 2 Distinguish between sentence coordination and phrasal coordination; argue
that both are basic, but phrasal coordination may also result from reduction of
coordinated sentences:
1. Bob entered the room and immediately the telephone rang. 2. They are living in Italy or
they are spending a vacation there. 3. Jane might sing but I dont think she will. 4. John is
ready and Mary is ready. 5. John and Mary are ready. 6 John sang and Mary danced. 7. John
and Mary are the newly married couple. 8. Her pet kitten is black and white. 9. Our flag is red,
yellow and blue. 10. His speech was coherent and understood by almost everybody.
Activity 3 Read the following examples and state whether they have undergone ellipsis
or not:
My colleague failed, and I passed, our respective examinations. / Peter and John played
football. / Bob and George are admired by their students. / Peter, but not John, plays football. /
Joan plays many games, and even tennis. / John both composed the music and wrote the
words.
Activity 4 Rewrite the following sentences by using ellipsis:
1. The message was ambiguous and was difficult to comprehend. 2. A burglar must have
broken in and he must have stolen the jewels. 3. Why did you give a gold watch to your
secretary and why did you give a pair of gloves to your wife? 4. Bob may have been listening
to music. 5. Bob seems to be trying hard to get along with Jane and John seems to be trying to
get hard to get along with Susan. 6. Jane forced John to shave himself and Susan forced Bob
to wash himself. 7. Father begged Susan to get married and mother begged Jane to get
married. 8. Bob thought of his girlfriend and Tom dreamed of his girlfriend. 9. Yesterday large
flags were flying and this morning small flags were flying. 10. We can demand payment and
we will demand payment.
Activity 5 Match the following two columns so as to obtain correct elliptical phrases:
this book and Johns
her son and his
your work and the other
her idea and those
that method and others
your proposal or little
many guests or few
much satisfaction and mine
Note that the following idioms are built on the same principle as the phrases above: one way
or another, some reason or another, one or (the) other method.
Activity 6 In certain cases, ellipsis may be a fruitful source of ambiguity, since one may
interpret the compound noun phrase or sentence in question as having undergone
ellipsis or not. Consider the following phrases and find as many possible interpretations
for them as you can:
(a) the old men and women
(b) simple books and magazines for children
(c) George and Jane are separated.
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(d) George and Jane went back to their parents.
Activity 7 Translate the following sentences, using reduced structures:
1. S-a rstit la el i l-a plmuit. 2. Prefer propoziiile de mai jos ori de pe pagina urmtoare. 3.
A citit, interpretat i tradus opera contemporanului sau. 4. i plac i are grij de toate pisicile
vagaboande de lng bloc. 5. ntotdeauna am luptat i voi lupta pentru progres. 6. Dac i
cnd se hotrte s plece n Noua Zeeland este o problema mai veche. 7. Psiholingvistica i
sociolingvistica sunt materii importante. 8. I-a invitat de ziua lui pe gineri i pe nurori.
Activity 8 Some idiomatic phrases are in fact compound phrases, like: salt and pepper,
fish and chips, sweet and sour, Marks and Spencers. Fill the gaps in these sentences with
suitable expressions from the list below:
1. I searched .. for my wallet. 2. Can we discuss the .. of your proposals later
on? 3. Can you show me the to support your argument? 4. Shes a wonderful
storyteller: always the of the party. 5. They get on quite well together, even
though they have their little .. 6.You gain some things and you lose others; its a
case of 7. The police are responsible for maintaining . 8. Ive tidied up
my room and now its 9. It was whether the rescuers would get there in
time. 10 Theyve shared a lot of experiences: theyve been through together. 11.
You cant claim on insurance for , only for damage. 12. I need another 100$ ..
the amount Ive already saved up. 13. Nuclear physicists who are also best-selling writers are
.. 14. A pendulum swings .. 15. He makes a little money out of writing but
teaching is his . . 16. After all their adventures, they reached home.
bread and butter / facts and figures / few and far between / high and low / law and order /
life and soul / over and above / pros and cons / safe and sound / spick and span/ swings and
roundabouts / thick and thin / to and fro / tough and go / ups and downs / wear and tear.
Activity 9 Distinguish between symmetric and asymmetric uses of conjunctions:
1. John smoked cigarettes and Bill smoked a pipe. 2. John lit a cigar and Mary left the room.
3. John went to the cinema and saw a movie. 4. John cooked the steak and he ate it. / John ate
the steak and he cooked it, too. 5. I am a professional man of letters and a typewriter is
essential to my work. 6. That dog is very aggressive and he has never bitten me so far. 7. Lay
a hand on me and youll scream. 8. Love me and Ill marry you. 9. John likes opera but Jim
hates it. 10. John is good-looking but Kim is unattractive. 11. We slept late but we caught the
train. 12. We want to buy a car but we have not enough money. 13. They killed him but he
came back as a ghost. 14 (Either) we are visiting Aunt Susan or were staying home. 15. John
might take them by car, (or) Mary might go with them by bus, or I might order a taxi for them.
16. People envy me for having a cellular phone, or they regard me as eccentric. 17. You must
be kidding or else youre out of your mind. 18. Mary was sound asleep or (at least) she
pretended to be. 19. Let go off me or Ill scream. 20. This is an early Rembrandt or it is an
excellent Rubens. 21. It must be a Rubens or it would be in a museum. 22. I overslept and I
arrived late at my office, and John was no longer there and (so) I had to deal with Mr. Brown
alone.
Activity 10 Insert the appropriate verb form:
a. 1. Cathy and David (have arrived. 2. The bread and the butter (be) both more expensive this
year. 3. The bread and butter (be) scattered on the floor. 4. The green and blue blanket (be)
also to be washed. 5. The red and the blue shirts (be) washed yesterday. 6. My aim and object
(be) to make the theory clear for all. 7. A carriage and a pair (be) standing at the door. 8. His
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friend and legal adviser (be) present at the funeral. 9. My son and heir (be) safe. 10. My son
and daughter (be) twins.
b. 1.There (be) a table and some chairs in the room. 2. There (be) some chairs and a table in
the room. 3. Both the houses and the garden (be) damaged by the fire. 4. Not only the houses
but also the garden (be) damaged by the fire. 5. Not John but his two sons (be) to blame. 6. A
traffic warden or a policeman (be) always on the watch in this street. 7. Either Peter or John
(have) had breakfast already. 8. Either the child or the parents (be) to blame. 9. Neither he nor
his wife (be) here. 10. Neither Isabel nor I (be) timid people.
(Optional Exercises)
Activity 11 Translate the following, making use of the theoretical framework offered
above:
1) 1. Sunt doctori i doctori pe lumea asta. 2. Frate nefrate, tot am s-i cer bani pentru
medicamente. 3. O s stm mpreun, la bine i la ru. 4. Nu-i nici cal, nici mgar. 5. Sper
c scrisoarea mea te gsete bine, sntos. 6. Cum o mai duci? N-am murit nc,
mulumesc de ntrebare. 7. Soul ei e de mult mort i-ngropat. 8. Au venit la mine cu cel
i cu purcel. 9. Interzis consumul de alcool la volan. 10 S-a dus la culcare cu tot cu haine
pe el. 11. Tr, grpi, tot am s termin lucrarea.
2) 1. Nu era nchipuit i nu se credea frumos, dar un instinct de conservare fizic l fcea s-
i umfle bicepii i coul pieptului i s fandeze plastic cu piciorul drept nainte, pentru a
obine maximul de volum al pulpei.
3) Vru s-i ncerce puterea braelor rezemndu-se cu toat greutatea trupului pe speteaza
unui scaun, dar acesta trosni aa de tare, nct spre a evita un accident, Jim renun i se
mulumi s boxeze arcurile desfundate ale canapelei i pernele din pat.
4) Bunica i bunicul au trit fr baie-n cas i a fost bine! Ai venit dvs. mai cu mo!
5) -Ce stai de vorbeti? se scandaliz baba. Cum s-aduc eu stropitoarea n cas?
3 - S mi-o aduci, altfel nu e de trai cu mine!
6) Jim sttu puin s se gndeasc, fiindc nu vedea nc modul de ntrebuinare. S atrne
stropitoarea de cuiul din tavan i apoi s-i dea nclinare deasupra capului, n-avea nici cu
ce-o lega i i era team s nu se surpe cumva tavanul. S toarne ap n lighean, ligheanul
era prea mic.
7) Silivestru rmase i scrbit de platitudinea cugetrilor, dar i mirat de o precocitate pe care
el n-o cunoscuse.
8) Doamna, iu s v declar c n-am venit dect s v cer nvoirea de a ne cstori i de a
pleca apoi unde vom crede de cuviin. Nu numai c nu trebuie s v ngrijorai, dar v cer
permisiunea de a m ocupa eu n chip exclusiv de acest eveniment i favoarea de a nu se
mai vorbi de chestiuni materiale.
(G. Clinescu Cartea Nunii)
Activity 12 Read the following and comment on the conjunctions that link the phrases
below; try to rewrite those phrases:
A pleasant if talkative child / a shabby though comfortable armchair / a simple yet devout
prayer / He looked at me kindly if somewhat sceptically / He drove quickly yet safe / an
intelligent albeit rash leader (albeit rare, formal conjunction) / He spoke firmly albeit
pleasantly.
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