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Sentence structure - Zinsstructuur of woordvolgordeNon-finite verbal elements and final positionThere are often more verbal elements in a clause than just the finite verb. These occur at the end of the main clause. It may be a past participle (1 and 2 below), a separable prefix (3) or an infinitive (4). There are often two such elements or more (5 and 6). This is the second element of the verbal bracket.
1. Er is gisteren in onze straat een ernstig ongeluk gebeurd. 2. Op 4 november 2008 heeft Barack Obama de presidentsverkiezingen in de Verenigde Staten gewonnen. 3. De meeste studenten staan ‘s ochtend niet vroeg op. 4. Blijf maar lekker rustig zitten. 5. Wil je vanavond iets met me gaan drinken? 6. Zou je vanavond iets met me willen gaan drinken? The second verbal bracket can consist of more than one verb. There are some rules on their precise order. Click >here for details. Following the second verbal bracket there may one final constituent. This often happens because of the pragmatics of a clause. This constituent is usually a prepositional phrase (either a prepositional object or more likely an adverbial adjunct).
We can think of a main clause as a template with various positions in which we can slot constituents. Not all positions have to be filled, apart from the second position: it is always filled by a finite verb (see >finite verb and first position). At the end there are then two positions that may both remain empty: final position and penultimate position. The penultimate position of the main clause is reserved for the second element of the verbal bracket; the final position is used for pragmatic reasons, for example to highlight a particular constituent.
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