Turkish: A Comprehensive Grammar

12
SIMPLE AND COMPLEX SENTENCES
From the structural point of view, sentences are either simple (i.e. contain only a main
clause, as in (1)) or complex (i.e. contain a main clause and one or more subordinate
clauses, as in (2)):
(1) Dün okullar açıldı.
‘The schools opened yesterday.’
(2) Dün [yolda giderken] [yıllardır görmediğim] bir arkadaşıma rastladım.
‘Yesterday, [as I was walking along the street], I ran into a friend [whom I hadn’t
seen for years].’
In this book we indicate subordinate clauses using ‘[]’ (square brackets).
In 12.1 we discuss the main constituents of simple sentences, and in 12.2 we focus on
the agreement between the subject and the predicate. The structure of complex sentences
is summarized in 12.3, and different types of subordinate clauses are discussed in detail
in Chapters 24–7. Sentences can also be classified functionally, as statements,
questions, volitional utterances and exclamations. These are discussed in 12.4.
12.1 CONSTITUENTS OF A SENTENCE: SUBJECT AND
PREDICATE
12.1.1 PREDICATE
The predicate expresses an event, a process or a state in which the subject is involved:
(3) Necla bir hafta içinde projeyi bitirecek.
‘Necla will complete the project within a week.’
(4) Bu çocuk hasta.
‘This child is ill.’
The predicate of a simple sentence, or of the main clause in a complex sentence, is
described as finite. According to the type of predicate they have, sentences in Turkish are
divided into two main groups, verbal sentences and nominal sentences.
12.1.1.1 Verbal sentences
These are sentences whose predicates are finite verbs (8.2 (i)):