4. SYNTAX
4.3. Sentence Construction
Here we will discuss the different types of sentence constructions:
copular, verbal, negation, interrogatives, imperatives, anaphora,
reflexives, reciprocals, equatives, comparison, superlatives, and
coordination.
4.3.1. Copular Sentences
The verb haonaa hona: ‘to be’ is employed in copular sentences. The
copula may take a predicate noun, predicate adjective, participle, or
a predicate adverb as a complement.
Predicate noun
- vah vakIla hO.
vah vaki:l h ́.
he lawyer is
He is a lawyer.
Predicate adjective
- sauYamaa laMbaI hO.
sušma: lambi: h ́.
Sushma tall is
Sushma is tall.
Predicate adverbial (participle)
- maaohna KD,a hO.
mohan khara: h ́.
Mohan stand is
Mohan is standing.
Predicate adverbial
- ]sakI Aavaaja, maIzI hO.
uski: a:va:z mi:thi: h ́.
his/her voice sweet is
His/her voice is sweet.
The unmarked order of constituents in the examples given above is
subject - complement - copula.