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Glossary 16.8 Glossary

Cleft sentence.
A construction that splits a sentence to highlight one element.
Complement clause.
A clause completing the meaning of a verb, adjective, or noun.
Coordination.
Joining elements of equal grammatical status.
Ellipsis.
Omission of words recoverable from context.
Existential sentence.
A sentence introducing entities, typically beginning with there.
Extraposition.
Moving a heavy clause to the end, with it as placeholder.
Finite verb.
A verb marked for tense and agreeing with its subject.
Gerund.
The -ing form of a verb functioning nominally.
Infinitive.
The base form of a verb, with or without to.
Nonfinite verb.
A verb form lacking tense marking.
Participle.
A verb form (-ing or -ed) functioning adjectivally or in verb phrases.
Topicalization.
Moving an element to sentence-initial position for emphasis.