Sentence

Structure Analysis
Presented by:
Fetrisah@Patricia Sigumani (M20221000988)
Uvarani Ratnam (M20221001403)
Amir Hamdzan Hamzah (M20221001135)

Course:
BIL60404 Grammar in English - Master in Edu. (TESL)
OUR TEAM AMIR
Assalamualaikum!

PATRICIA
Good morning!

UVARANEE
Good day!
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
01
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
Form, meaning & use of
grammar structures
02
ANALYSE ARTICLES
Using a table and highlighters to
mark the changes in tenses

03 04
CHANGES & REASONS PRACTICAL
hy there are changes in tenses APPLICATIONS
Using Bull’s framework and
Suh’s frame elaboration Bridging form, meaning and use
hypothesis
(1) LEARNING
OBJECTIVE
“Students need to
learn to use grammar
structures accurately,
meaningfully and
appropriately”
Apply knowledge of the rules of form, meaning and use when
explaining the ungrammaticality of structures and differences in
meaning between structures. (C3, PLO1)
(2) ANALYSE
ARTICLES
STEP 1: Select two articles based on these criteria:
I. The articles discuss events or topics related to what
happened before, what is happening now, and what is
expected to happen in the future.
II. The articles are from an educational online news
website.
III. The articles are relevant and recent.

STEP 2: Identify Sample Sentences

We locate and identify two sample sentences for each tense:
past, present, and future. We mark the changes in tenses in the
sentences using colours:
i) Past – Grey
ii) Present – Green
iii) Future - Yellow
 Using the Aspect-Time Frame table to show changes in tenses

ASPECT ⬇ TF ➡ Past Present Future

1) Simple Past Simple Present Simple Future Simple
(at that time)

2) Continuous Past Continuous Present Future Continuous

(during that time) Continuous

3) Perfect Past Perfect Present Perfect Future Perfect

(before that time)

4) Perfect Past Perfect Present Perfect Future Perfect

Continuous Continuous Continuous Continuous
(starting before that time
and continuing to that time)
(1)
 Using the Aspect-Time Frame table to show changes in tenses
ASPECT ⬇ TF ➡ Past Present Future
1) Simple S3 (ND-RC); S4 (IC1); S4 S6 (IC1); S6
(at that time)
(IC2); S5; S6 (ND-TC) (IC2); S7
2) Continuous S1; S2
(during that time)

3) Perfect S4 (TC) S3 (IC); S3

(before that time) (DC)
4) Perfect
Continuous
(starting before that time and
continuing to that time)
ND-RC = Non-Defining Relative Clause TC = That Clause ND-TC = Non-Defining That Clause
IC = Independent Clause DC = Dependent Clause
(3) EXPLAIN
REASONS
Step 3: Explain the Reasons for Tense Changes
We provide explanations for why there are
changes in tenses in the selected sentences. We
consider factors such as:
✓ The sequence of events or actions.
✓ The writer's choice to emphasise the past,
present, or future. (eg. due to target reader)
✓ The context in which the events are
discussed.
✓ Any reported speech or indirect speech that
might influence the tense used.
Explanation of Tense Changes:
a. Past Tense: The past tense is used in S3, S4, S5 &
S6 to describe an event that occurred before the
article was written. This tense is suitable for
reporting past events.
b. Present Tense: The present tense is used in S1,
S2, S3, S6 & S7 to state a general fact about the
mushrooms' danger. It remains true over time
and doesn't depend on the timing of the article.
c. Future Tense: Nil
The information in a defining relative clause is essential,
so we can't leave out the relative clause. The information
in a non-defining relative clause is extra information which
isn't essential, so we can leave out the relative clause.
(3) EXPLAIN
CHANGES
Step 4: Explain the Use of Tenses Based on Bull's
Framework and Suh's Frame-Elaboration Hypothesis
We analyse the use of tenses in the articles based on
Bull's framework and Suh's frame-elaboration
hypothesis.
a. Bull's Framework: It focuses on the “analytical,"
"textual," and "interpersonal" functions of
language. Discuss how the tenses used in the
articles fulfill these functions.
b. Suh's Frame-Elaboration Hypothesis: Suh's
hypothesis emphasises how verb tenses can be
used to elaborate or provide additional
information about a specific event or situation.
Analysis Based on Bull's Framework and Suh's Frame-Elaboration Hypothesis:
a. Bull's Framework:
✓ Analytical Function: The tenses convey information about past events,
current facts, and future plans.
✓ Textual Function: They help maintain the article's coherence and
structure.
✓ Interpersonal Function: The use of tenses engages the reader by providing
a clear timeline of events and actions.

b. Suh's Frame-Elaboration Hypothesis:

The tenses are used to elaborate on different aspects of the story. Past tense
elaborates on the incident, present tense elaborates on the danger of the
mushrooms. There is no future tense in the article. If there were one, it could
be used to elaborate on the officials' plans to minimise or prevent such
incidents from happening again.
(2)
 Using the Aspect-Time Frame table to show changes in tenses

ASPECT ⬇ TF ➡ Past Present Future

1) Simple S2; S4 S5 S6
(at that time)

2) Continuous
(during that time)

3) Perfect S3 S1
(before that time)

4) Perfect
Continuous
(starting before that time
and continuing to that time)
(3) EXPLAIN
REASONS
Step 3: Explain the Reasons for Tense Changes
We provide explanations for why there are
changes in tenses in the selected sentences. We
consider factors such as:
✓ The sequence of events or actions.
✓ The writer's choice to emphasise the past,
present, or future.
✓ The context in which the events are
discussed.
✓ Any reported speech or indirect speech that
might influence the tense used.
Explanation of Tense Changes:
a. Past Tense: The past tense is used in S2, S3 & S4 to report
the historic event of India landing a rover on the Moon,
which happened before the article was written.
b. Present Tense: The present tense is used in S1 & S5 to
provide information about the rover's current state and
capabilities. This tense emphasizes the present state of
affairs.
c. Future Tense: The future tense is used in S6 to reveal the
intended function of the rover on the moon surface. It
indicates actions that are expected to happen after the
article's publication.
(3) EXPLAIN
CHANGES
Step 4: Explain the Use of Tenses Based on Bull's
Framework and Suh's Frame-Elaboration Hypothesis
We analyse the use of tenses in the articles based on
Bull's framework and Suh's frame-elaboration
hypothesis.
a. Bull's Framework: It focuses on the “analytical,"
"textual," and "interpersonal" functions of
language. Discuss how the tenses used in the
articles fulfill these functions.
b. Suh's Frame-Elaboration Hypothesis: Suh's
hypothesis emphasises how verb tenses can be
used to elaborate or provide additional
information about a specific event or situation.
Analysis Based on Bull's Framework and Suh's Frame-Elaboration
Hypothesis:
a. Bull's Framework:
✓ Analytical Function: The tenses convey information about past
achievements, current features, and future goals of the mission.
✓ Textual Function: They help structure the article and engage the
reader by presenting a timeline of events.
✓ Interpersonal Function: The choice of tenses maintains the
reader's interest and communicates the significance of the
mission.
b. Suh's Frame-Elaboration Hypothesis:
The tenses are used to elaborate on different aspects of the mission:
past achievements, current status, and future expectations.
(4) PRACTICAL
APPLICATIONS
How to use the theory and knowledge proposed by various
theories on sentence structure analysis to teach students?

Theories are difficult to understand even for teachers.

Logically they are more difficult for English learners
especially ESL learners.

Therefore, we shouldn’t stop at looking the changes in

tenses within a particular article. Instead, we believe that it
would be easier to teach tenses if we can have

Luckily, we’ve discovered a very good website that is

doing just that!

→ https://www.newsinlevels.com/
That is just one example taken from the first sentence and already we can see three different tenses
being used to convey similar meaning. This is the true application of using grammar structures
accurately, meaningfully and appropriately.
THANKS
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