CHAPTER 4: SYNTACTIC AND SEMANTIC FEATURES OF ENGLISH
4.1. Syntactic features of English collocations containing the word “FREE”
Syntactic features of English collocations containing the word “FREE” refers to what patterns in a sentence in which the “FREE” is used. The investigation into the data set reveals that there are various patterns with the use of the word “FREE”
in English sentences. Results are described in the following table:
Table 1: Syntactic features of English collocations containing the word “FREE”
No. Pattern Frequency Percentage (%)
1 Free +Noun 63 23.95%
2 Verb +(Object) + Free 23 8.75%
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Free + preposition (to/for/with/of/from) + Noun/Ving
91 34.59%
4 Noun + Free 37 14.07%
5 For +Free 11 4.18%
6 Free + to Verb 38 14.45%
Total 263 100%
Table 4.1 indicates that there are 6 major patterns in which the word “FREE”
is used, including Free + Noun, Verb + (Object) + Free, Free + preposition (to/for/with/of/from) + Noun/Ving, Noun + Free, For +Free, and Free + to Verb, acting as Adjective, Adverb, and Verb.
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1) Free +Noun
Among 263 examples of “FREE” in English sentence, the word “FREE” is used in the pattern “Free + Noun” with 63 times, accounting for 23.95%. The following examples demonstrate the pattern “Free +Noun”
(4.1) Conversely, patter most often occurs in the second, freer part of the area.
(4.2) In contrast, when egalitarian attitudes toward gender roles are dominant, there is a freer exchange of resources that offer decision-making power.
(4.3) My purpose is to explain the net effect of free trade, technological advance, and outsourcing on the overall economic system of the planet.
(4.4) Others say poor nations need to develop free markets in agriculture and strongly discourage government intervention.
(4.5) "It can't be helped It happens to everyone!" said the son, with a bold, free, and easy tone, while in his soul he regarded himself as a worthless scoundrel whose whole life could not atone for his crime.
It is indicated from these examples that, “FREE” is positioned before such nouns as “part of the area”, “exchange of resources”, “trade”, “markets”, and
“tone”, acting as an adjective which provides supplementary meaning to a noun. This is the most second prevalent use of the word “FREE” in English.
2) Verb + (Object) + Free
The second pattern identified in this current study concerning the use of “FREE”
in English is “Verb + (Object) + Free. There are 23 times (8.75%) in which the word
“FREE” is used in this pattern.
For example:
(4.6) I struggled free but she pushed me down.
(4.7) She pulled her arm free and hurried to the house.
(4.8) When Alex lowered her to the ground, she jerked her hand free and marched off to the house.
(4.9) She pulled it free, once again compelled to stare at the name written there.
(4.10) Feel free to get anything you want out of the attic.
In these examples, “FREE” goes after the main verbs “struggled”, “pulled”,
“jerked”, and “fell” sometimes with the objects or not; therefore, it acts as an adverb
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supplementing the meanings of verbs. Furthermore, “FREE” may be positioned after
“to be” and plays as an adjective.
3) Free + preposition (to/for/with/of/from) + Noun/Ving
“FREE” goes before the prepositions “to/for/with/of/from” and a Noun or Ving. Among 263 examples, there are 91sentences, an equivalent to 34.59%. The following examples present the way how “FREE” is used in English sentences with this pattern.
(4.11) The Bank's 3,030 ATMs would continue to be free to everyone.
(4.12) This event is free for all customers who are ranked as Premium class customers of Nike.
(4.13) He's rather free with his wife's money.
(4.14) She's very free with advice but she never seems to act on it herself.
(4.15) Don't her parents mind her making free with their house while they're on holiday?
In such sentences, “FREE” goes before such prepositional phrases “to everyone”, “for all customers”, “with his wife’s money”, “with advice”, and with their house” and plays the roles as an adjective or an adverb. In comparison to other patterns of “FREE” in a sentence, this pattern is used with the highest frequency.
Additionally, another use “FREE” in English sentences is “Free + of + Object”.
The five following examples with the pattern “Free + of + Object” are presented as follows:
(4.16) The area was free of others now, but so many had come and gone from here, he knew it was something special.
(4.17) The roads up here haven't been free of snow all that long.
(4.18) They broke free of the house into the dark night on a side of the house far from the light and merriment of the party.
(4.19) The angry borzois are free of the leash rushed past the horses' feet at the wolf.
(4.20) His feet are free of the stirrup; he offered her a hand, never taking his eyes off Medena.
It is shown in these examples that “FREE” acts as an adjective or adverb in sentences following such “to be” verbs as “was”, “been”, and “are” and verb
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“broke” and goes before “of” prepositional phrases “of others”, “of snow”, “of the house”, “of the leash”, and “of the stirrup”.
Furthermore, FREE is also used in the pattern “Free + from + Noun/V-ing”. It is realized that in 263 examples in the dataset, there are 54 sentences using the word
“FREE” in this pattern. Some examples demonstrating this pattern are as follows:
(4.21) It was largely owing to Consalvi's combined firmness and tact that the Concordat, as ultimately signed, was free from the objectionable clauses on which the First Consul had at first insisted.
(4.22) The light actually emitted laterally is thus the same as would be caused by forces exactly the opposite of these acting on the medium otherwise free from disturbance, and it only remains to see what the effect of such force would be.
(4.23) Cervinus; it has a tall, solid, white, ringlets stem and somewhat thin brown cap, furnished underneath with beautiful rose-coloured gills, which are free from the stem as in the mushroom, and which FIG.
(4.24) Bengal was prosperous and free from external enemies on every quarter.
(4.25) One of the most essential points in a good micrometer is that all the webs shall be so nearly in the same plane as to be well in focus together under the highest powers used, and at the same time absolutely free from “fiddling."
It is identified from the sentences above that when using the pattern “Free + from + Noun/V-ing”, the word “FREE” may take the role as an adjective following
“to be” and going before nouns as in “free from the objectionable clauses”, “free from disturbance”, “are free from the stem”, and “free from external enemies” or as an adverb going before a V-ing as in “absolutely free from " fiddling”.
4) Noun + Free compound adjective
The pattern of “Noun +Free” is another popular pattern with the use of the word
“FREE” in English which formulates a compound adjective. From all sentences in the examined dataset, there are 37 sentences, representing 14.07%, in which free is added on after nouns as a suffix.
There are some examples representing this structure:
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(4.26) It is supposed to be virtually pollution-free and produce both electricity and hydrogen.
(4.27) The returns are not risk-free.
(4.28) Your husband could put the money in a tax-free cash ISA.
(4.29) The superintendent lives here rent-free.
(4.30) Callers easily recognize Vietnam toll-free numbers by their dial-code.
In these above examples, “FREE” is a suffix following such nouns as
“pollution”, “risk”, “tax”, “rent”, and “toll” to create adjectives. This structure is also preferably used in English sentences.
5) For + Free Adverb
It is also addressed by the researcher in this current study that in 263 sentences containing collocations with “FREE”, there are 11 sentences ( 4.18%) in which
“FREE” goes after the preposition “for” and normally placed at the end of sentences.
Some particular examples showing this pattern with the use of “FREE” are as follows:
(4.31) The bank gives a business account for business customers for free.
(4.32) You can access the online database for free.
(4.33) The event tickets are given to students for free.
(4.34) All products arranged in the shelf can be used for free within the bookstore’s premise.
(4.35) They spent weekend days to deliver food for free.
It is identified in these above sentences that “for free” is used to supplement meanings of such verbs as “gives”, “access”, “given”, used”, and “deliver”.
Additionally, although in most sentences “for free” is positioned at the end of the sentence, in the rest sentence “for free” is put at the middle of sentence right after the verb “used”.
6) Free + to Verb
The structure “Free + to Verb” is of the top three frequently used patterns of
“FREE” in English pattern. In the dataset investigated in this current study, the researcher identified 38 sentences (14.45%) in which “FREE” acts as an adjective going before the infinitives. How the word “FREE” is used in this pattern is presented in the following examples:
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(4.36) Though in the new reign he was free to return to the capitals, he still continued to live in the country, remarking that anyone who wanted to see him could come the hundred miles from Moscow to Bald Hills, while he himself needed no one and nothing.
(4.37) No one has ever complained yet of being too much loved; and besides, you are free to throw it up tomorrow.
(4.38) He receives his orders and will marry you or anybody; but you are free to choose.
(4.39) You got someone free to take a look?
(4.40) She pulled it free to see a text from Dusty
In these examples, “FREE” goes before such infinitives as “to return”, “to throw up”, “to choose”, “to take”, and “to see” and functions as an adjective in English sentences.
To sum up, it can be concluded from the investigation into a dataset of 263 sentences that there are six structure patterns in English with the use of “WORD”
with different frequencies, including Free +Noun, Verb + (Object) + Free, Free + preposition (to/for/with/of/from) + Noun/Ving, Noun + Free, For +Free, and Free + to Verb, and Free + preposition (to/for/with/of/from) + Noun/Ving is the most prevalent pattern in this current study with a frequency of 91 times. Additionally, the researcher also found out that the word “FREE” takes the major roles of an adjective, an adverb, and a verb when being used in English sentences.
This study examines not only syntactic features of English collocations containing the word “FREE” but semantic features as well. The next section will describe semantic features of English collocations containing the word “FREE”
identified through the analysis of a corpus of 263 samples.