Communicative Acts of Promise in English Prose

In this article the communicative acts of promise are considered in the works of the American author Elizabeth Gilbert "Eat, Pray, Love" and The Signature of All Things. The relevance of the study of speech units, especially communicative acts of promise, is preconditioned by the prevalence of dialogical speech in the sphere of modern communication. In this study, attempts were made to identify and streamline the main distinguishing features of communicative acts in English, to consider their semantics in a communicative situation and pragmatic forms of use. It was concluded that in most cases the type of promise depends upon numerous pragmatic factors that can affect the choice of the means of expression of the promise by the interlocutors. The essence of the promise was disclosed as such (bearing in mind both the fact of the obligation itself and the assurance of the speaker in the speech). Under this condition, the addressee is aware of the importance of the promise, as well as a high degree of responsibility for their actions.