A sentence is either nominal or it is verbal. A nominal sentence is one in which the subject is the topic, and a verbal sentence is one in which the subject is the subject of a verb. Consider the following.
لون هذه الزبرجدة زرقة
The colour of this corundum is blue
In this example, the subject is “the colour of this corundum” and it is not the subject of any verb. Hence the sentence is nominal. And the comment happens to be the word “blue”. Consider another example below.
الماس يلمع برْقا
The diamond sparkles like lightning
Here, too, “the diamond” is the subject and it is not the subject of any verb. Hence this sentence is also nominal. And the comment happens to be the embedded verbal sentence “sparkles like lightning”. One should not confuse the subject of this sentence as being the subject of the verb in the embedded sentence. The subject of that verb is the pronoun within it referring to “the diamond” – remember that the subject of a verb does not precede the verb.
Now consider an example of a verbal sentence, as in the one below.
تحمرّ اليواقيت
The rubies are turning a deep red
Here the subject is the word “rubies” and it is the subject of the verb “turning red”. Hence the sentence is verbal. In fact, we can generalize this to say that any sentence that begins with a verb will definitely be verbal. And finally, consider another example of a verbal sentence.
الزُمُرُّدَ أحب
I only like emeralds
Notice that the subject of this sentence is the word “I” and that it is the subject of the verb “like”. Hence this sentence is verbal. The fact that the word “emeralds” precedes the verb is irrelevant because it is not the subject of the sentence.
Exercise: determine whether each of the following sentences is nominal or verbal.
1. إياك نعبد وإياك نستعين
2. فاقْصُصْ القصصَ
3. عندهم قاصراتُ الطرْفِ
4. هو يحيي ويُميت
5. فالسابقَ انصِبْه بفعل أُضمر
Nominal Sentences
Definitions | |
مبتدأ | topic (the subject of a nominal sentence) |
خبر | comment (the predicate of a nominal sentence) |
Both the topic and comment are nominative. The agent that renders the topic nominative is not explicit; rather, it is the very fact that it is the topic. And the agent that renders the comment nominative is the topic.
The Topic
The topic of a sentence may be a single word, or it may be a phrase of undetermined length. But it cannot be a complete sentence. It is true, however, that when the topic of a sentence is a phrase, that phrase may itself contain embedded sentences. Consider the examples below.
Topic Type | Translation | Example |
word | The pearl is a type of gem | اللؤلؤ جوهرة |
phrase | Polishing the diamond is mandatory | صقال الماس واجب |
phrase with an embedded sentence | The sapphire which I lost yesterday is valuable | الصفير الذي فقدته أمس قيّم |
Moreover, the topic of a sentence cannot be one of the following two things.
· a prepositional phrase
· an adverbial phrase
When these entities appear to be the topic of a sentence, they are in fact the comment and the order of the sentence has been inverted. Consider the following.
عندي التوباز
I have topaz
In the example above, the phrase “I have” must be considered the comment of the sentence even though it is lexically first. This is simply because it is an adverbial phrase.
The Comment
The comment of a sentence may be a single word, a phrase, or an entire sentence. When it is an entire sentence, that sentence will have its own structure and all the rules currently under discussion will apply to it as well. The embedded sentence must be treated as a brand new sentence with its own internal rules, grammatical positions, and so forth. Consider the examples below.
Comment Type | Translation | Example |
word | Coral is red | المرجان حمرة |
phrase | Amethyst is the most dazzling precious metal | الجَمَشْت أبهر الجواهر |
verbal sentence | The necklace was studded with gold | العِقد رُصّع بالذهب |
nominal sentence | The necklace, its gems are precious | العقد جواهره تفيسة |
There are two special cases.
· the comment is a prepositional phrase
· or it is an adverbial phrase
If one of these two things is ready to become the comment, we will need to assume a hidden verb to which these phrases will connect. That hidden verb, along with these phrases, would then become an entire (embedded) sentence and then the comment for the greater sentence. Consider the topaz example from the previous section:
عندي التوباز
I have topaz
The phrase عندي is an adverbial phrase. As such, it will need to connect to an appropriate verb before it can be considered the comment. The verb of choice is usually the generic “استقر”. The grammatical interpretation of the above sentence would then be as follows.
التوباز [يستقر] عندي
Topaz is [situated] with me
Notice that these types of phrases – prepositional and adverbial – can neither be the topic of a sentence, nor can they directly be the comment.
Exercise: determine the type of construction (whether word, phrase, or sentence) for the topic and comment in each of the following. If the sentence contains embedded nominal sentences, analyze those as well (you may ignore verbal sentences).
1. جَرَحاتُ اللسانِ لها التِيامُ ولا يلتام ما جرَح اللسانُ
2. ميلادُنا أقدمُ من ميلادِك
3. فيهن قاصراتُ الطرفِ لم يطمثهن إنسٌ قبلهم ولا جانٌ
4. أنت حلٌّ بهذا البلدِ
5. اولئك في جنّاتِ النعيمِ
6. وضعُ الشيءِ خارجَ مَظانّه بحيث لا يوجد بسهلةٍ ظلمٌ
*Gender and Plurality Correspondence
If the comment of a sentence is a description of the topic, it will have to correspond in gender and plurality. The comment describes the topic when it is, for example, an adjective or an embedded verbal sentence. Gender and plurality correspondence is a complicated issue which cannot be taken up here. But it is important to remember that the rules for these two grammar concepts will apply to the topic and comment relationship. Consider the following, paying attention to correspondence.
Translation | Example |
“Unique” and “special” are synonyms | فريدة ونفيسة مترادفتان |
We are waiting/expecting | نحن نتربّص |
If, however, the comment is not describing the topic, it will match in plurality but not necessarily in gender. The comment does not describe the topic when, for example, it is a gerund or static noun. Consider the following examples.
Translation | Example |
The she-camel is an animal | الناقة حيوان |
Famine and drought are problems | المجاعة والجفاف مشاكل |
The gobbling (of a turkey) is a funny sound | الجعجعة صوت مضحك |
This religion is thee advice | الدين النصيحة |
Notice how the topics and comments in the above examples match in plurality, but not necessarily in gender. Where they do match in gender, it is simply out of coincidence.
There is one blip, however, in gender/plurality correspondence. Arabs have been known to bring a participle as the topic of a sentence, and a comment which mismatches that participle in plurality. An example is below.
ألامعة الدُرّتان
Are the two pearls shinning?
The topic, لامعة, is an active participle and the comment, درتان, does not match it in plurality. In this rare situation, the topic of the sentence is considered both the topic as well as a participle which takes a subject. And the comment is considered both the comment as well as the subject of the participle. This is done in order to justify the mismatch in plurality; topic and comment must match in plurality, but participles and their subjects do not.
Definitions | |
شبه فعلٍ سد مسد المبتدأ | a verb-like agent which stands in the place of the topic |
فاعل سد مسد الخبر | the subject of such an agent which stands in the place of the comment |
*Multiple Comments
A single topic may have multiple comments. Consider the example below.
الجواهر معدودة مكتمل تعدادها لا يرجع إليها
The gems are enumerated, their enumeration complete, not to be revisited
**Definiteness
The topic of a sentence is typically definite. This is because using indefinite words or phrases does not usually convey useful information. Consider the sentence “a man is standing.” The speaker has conveyed no benefit to the listener by saying this – so what if a man is standing? Hence the topic will usually be definite. Some examples of sentences with definite topics follow.
Translation | Example |
The orphan is in the orphanage | اليتيم في الميتم |
This mule is hardworking | هذا البغل يعمل |
The vegetables of Spring are ripe | خضراوات الربيع ينيع |
It is the embellishment of the promise | هو تحسين اليمين |
There are certain situations, however, in which it does make sense to render the topic indefinite. These situations do not need to be listed since one’s judgement will be sufficient to decide when the time comes. But some of the more popular situations have been mentioned below as a helpful guide.
Situation when the topic may be indefinite | Example | |
1 | the comment is a prepositional phrase or adverbial phrase appearing before the topic | في البيتِ برغوثٌ (There’s a bug in the house) |
2 | the sentence is interrogative | وهل جُدْجُدٌ فيه؟ (And is there a grasshopper in it?) |
3 | the sentence is negative | ما صُرْصورٌ فيه (There’s no cockroach in it) |
4 | the topic is indefinite, yet somewhat specific (either by adjectives, being possessive, or etc) | عنكبوتٌ كبيرٌ راعني (A big spider scared me) |
5 | it is a supplication or prayer | سلامٌ عليك (Peace be with you) |
6 | the indefiniteness is used for rhetorical benefit | شرٌ أهرّ ذا نابٍ (A great evil made the K9 bark) |
7 | the topic has the واو الحال before it | دخلت البيتَ وحيةٌ فيه (I entered the house while there was a serpent within it) |
8 | the لام of emphasis is attached to the topic | لتِمْساحٌ وُجِد في الحيّ (A crocodile was discovered in the neighbourhood) |
There is no restriction of definiteness or indefiniteness with respect to the comment of a sentence. However, comments are usually indefinite in practice. When they do become definite, a pronoun is optionally placed between the two parts of the sentence.
Definitions | |
ضمير الفصل | an unattached pronoun optionally placed between the subject and predicate of a sentence when both are definite |
Consider the example below where both topic and comment are definite.
السابقون السابقون
The foremost will be the foremost
In such cases, we have the option of leaving the sentence as is. However, we may opt to add a pronoun between the topic and comment to separate the two. The pronoun will be unattached and its gender and plurality will depend on the sentential topic. The benefit of using this pronoun is twofold: firstly, it helps separate the major components of the sentence thereby allowing for better understanding and less confusion. And secondly, it puts emphasis on the topic. Consider the examples below.
Translation | Example |
They are the truly fearful | اولئك هم المتقون |
This is the very assured truth | هذا لهو حقّ اليقين |
It was the boat itself that became the anchor | كانت السفينةُ هي المِرساةَ |
**Ordering of the Topic and Comment
The natural ordering in a nominal sentence is for the topic to be first and the comment to be second. But this structure may be inverted to achieve rhetorical benefit. There are a few situations in which inverting the structure is prohibited, and there are others in which inverting the structure actually becomes mandatory.
Situations when the structure cannot be inverted | Example | |
1 | inverting the structure would cause confusion as to which is the topic and which is the comment | أبطأ السلاحف أثقل السلاحف (The slowest tortoise is the heaviest one) |
2 | the topic is prefixed with the لام الابتداء | لمثوبة من عند الله خير (The reward from God is better) |
3 | the topic requires the head of the sentence, as is the case with interrogative nouns | من هو؟ (Who is he?) |
Situations when the structure must be inverted | Example | |
1 | the topic is purely indefinite and the comment is a prepositional or adverbial phrase | عندي أصحاب (I have friends with me) |
2 | the topic has a pronoun that refers to the comment (or part of it) | حولَ البِركة رقوقها (Around the pond are its frogs) |
3 | the predicate requires the head of the sentence | أين الخُفّاش؟ (Where are the bats?) |
**Omitting Parts of a Sentence
The topic and comment of a sentence may be omitted when the intended meaning is clear without them. Omitting parts of a sentence like this is considered quite eloquent. For example, when one asks “What is the sign of a good day?” an apt reply would be:
ضُحى الشمس
The (presence of) the sun’s rays [is a sign of a good day]
Here the comment was completely omitted. Similarly, in the following sentence, the topic is completely omitted. When one asks “What is this a picture of?” an apt reply may be:
صبّ لمعان الشمس بين شعب الأدواح بغابة خضراء
[This is] the sun’s sheen pouring through the branches of gigantic trees in a green forest
And finally, entire sentences may be omitted from speech. For example, when children are playing hide-and-seek on a boat, the seeker may eloquently say:
المتخفَّون بالجؤجؤ فانا واجدهم، والمتخفون بالكوثل
Those of you that hide near the bow, I will find you.
And those of you that hide near the stern, [I will find you.]
There are, in fact, instances where omitting either the topic or comment is mandatory. However, those situations are very advanced and their practical applications are highly limited. Hence they will not be discussed here.
