ABSTRACT
This chapter begins an examination of the internal structure of sentences which takes up the remainder of the book. Section 3.1 examines finite and non-finite verbs and auxiliaries, and distinguishes between simple sentences and complex sentences – sentences which contain other sentences. Subordination is the term used for a construction in which a sentence is embedded (or contained) within another sentence. Section 3.2 is an introduction to subordination in English and other languages. Although subordination is common cross-linguistically, not all languages seem to make much use of it. Section 3.3 examines some cross-linguistic variation in clause types, particularly in complex constructions.
