Lesson 3. Sentences and Phrases. Sentences. Phrases. Lesson 3. A group of words is a sentence when it contains a VERB and makes COMPLETE sense.

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1 Lesson 3 Sentences Lesson 3 Sentences and Phrases A group of words is a sentence when it contains a VERB and makes COMPLETE sense. 1. Tommy has a bike. (statement) (bike = bicycle or motorbike or motorcycle) 2. Where are you going? (question) 3. Open the door. (command). So a sentence can do any one of these three things: Phrases 1. Make a statement to tell us something. 2. Ask a question. 3. Give a command. A phrase is formed with TWO or MORE words. It doesn t have a VERB and cannot make complete sense. adv. adv. adv. adj. adj. n. adj. n. very fast quite heavy an old man dark clouds 30 adv. phr. adj. phr. n. phr. n. phr.

2 Lesson 3 A phrase is also a group of words beginning with a preposition followed by a (pro)noun. prep. into the house prep. pron. (obj.) for them n. (obj.) prep. n. (obj.) at nine o clock prep. n. (obj.) on the table To sum up: A VERB forms a sentence; i.e. a sentence must have a VERB. Two or more words form a phrase, and a phrase does NOT have a VERB. Prepositional Phrases (Please refer to page 55 for details.) A preposition stands before a noun to form a PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE. Like a transitive verb, the preposition governs or takes the noun as its object. Examples: 1. I paid a visit to a friend (from Canada). 2. Many people are fond (of tea). v. prep. prep. prep. n. (obj.) n. (obj.) n. (obj.) 3. The dog jumped (upon the table). n. adj. 31

3 Lesson 3 In 1 The preposition from shows the relation between the nouns friend and Canada, so the prepositional phrase from Canada qualifies the noun friend. (Please see page 56.) In 2 Of tea modifies the adjective fond. (Please see page 57.) In 3 Upon the table modifies the verb jumped. (Please see page 57.) 32

4 Some frequently used prepositions: Lesson 3 On on Monday (Tuesday, Wednesday Sunday) on March 30 th (date) on your left/right (at your back/front) on the eve of peace on the eve of victory. December 24 on Christmas Eve December 25 on Christmas Day December 31 on New Year s Eve January 1 on New Year s Day Some idiomatic expressions with On : on business, pleasure, holiday, vacation on sale, cf. for sale on purpose on the whole On used together with an adjective: on Monday morning/ afternoon/ evening/ night on a cold morning/ afternoon/ evening/ night (Please see the Note on page 109.) (NOT in a cold morning) Or with a prepositional phrase: (of June 12) (Please see Adjective Phrases on page 56.) on the morning/ afternoon/ evening/ night of June 12 (NOT in the morning of June 12) 33

5 Lesson 3 A. Now please replace the words in italics with a suitable expression. 1. Joe was a naughty boy who always did something wrong with intention ( ). 2. Mary hurried to Paris to handle some business ( ). 3. The shop opened yesterday and had lots of goods to sell ( ). 4. Your essay had some grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, but generally speaking ( ) it still deserved a passing mark. In in a minute, in a moment in a few minutes ( in a few moments/ hours/ days/ months/ years) in this week (month, year) David got married in June. (in July, August, September ) in this century, in 1999, in recent years in future (in the future) in the past in the end He had a long vacation in summer. (in autumn, spring, winter) in the hot season, in the rainy season Some idiomatic expressions with In : in love in a hurry (= in haste) in danger, in debt, in difficulties in short, in brief, in a word in trouble 34

6 Lesson 3 B. Now please replace the words in italics with a suitable expression. 1. John and Mary were no longer to like each other ( ). They were separated. 2. The boy broke the window again and was not knowing ( ) to explain what to do. 3. As John freely spent his money, he now found himself owing money ( ). 4. Joe was lazy, stupid, and never listened to other s advice or accepted other s help; to express briefly ( ), he was quite useless. 5. The doctor got an emergent call and went to the caller s home quickly ( ). At People go to work at 8:30 in the morning. (time) at this time at the beginning at first, at last at the end of June at Easter (festival), at Chinese New Year (festival) at Christmas (festival) cf. on Christmas day at a small village or town She was born at my town in Florida. at a small spot Note: Lily works in this restaurant. (a long stay). She dined at another restaurant yesterday. (a short stay) Dr. Reagan s patient is in the hospital. His visitors are at the hospital now waiting to see him. Many students at the zoo enjoyed seeing animals in the zoo. 35

7 Lesson 3 We send parcels at the post office. I am going to have a meeting at her office. I am waiting for him at the station. Some idiomatic expressions with At : at dinner, at table, at breakfast, etc. at will (= as one wishes) at a loss (= not knowing what to do; selling products for less money) at work, at play at war, at peace C. Please replace the words in italics with a suitable expression. 1. The son was unable ( ) to tell where the money had gone. 2. After you have paid a sum of money, you can eat what you want ( ). 3. The two countries are still fighting ( ) now. 4. The couple had an argument while they were eating ( ). 5. We were happy when we saw the children were playing ( ). 36

8 With, By With is used with the tools, and by the agents. The hunter killed the tiger with a shot. The merchant was stabbed by a robber. In, within In means at the end of ; within means before the end of. It is two o clock now, and I will return in an hour. (= will return after 3 o clock) It is two o clock now, and I will return within an hour. (= will return before 3 o clock) Between, among Between is used with two persons/things; among with more than two. I sit between my brother and my sister. John is the tallest boy among the class. Beside, besides Beside means at the side of, while besides means in addition to. David slept beside a big tree. Lesson 3 Besides John, Mary and Nancy were present too, so there were three people in all. D. Please fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions: 1. To catch the plane, I hurried to the airport an hour. 2. A silly quarrel existed two friends. 3. He cut down a big tree an axe. 4. a Toyota, he has a Ford, so he owns two cars now. 5. The president encouraged cooperation the departments. 6. The child was saved a doctor. 7. He traveled eight miles two hours. 8. Come and sit me. 37

9 Lesson 3 Over / under Over The spider is vertically over the head. The bridge is vertically over the river. Under The mouse is vertically under the chair. The travelers are walking vertically under the sun. Above/below Above The bees are above the head. Below The cockroaches are below the chair. Note: Over is the opposite of under. Above is the opposite of below. literary / old-fashioned On is the opposite of underneath / beneath. A layer of dust is on the paint. The paint is underneath / beneath a layer of dust. Underneath, beneath and under can be interchangeable in most cases. The key is put under / underneath / beneath the door mat. The cat is sleeping under / underneath / beneath the chair. 38

10 Lesson 3 Very often nouns, adjectives and verbs are paired with prepositions. Noun The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Macau has a reputation for Portuguese food. Diligence is a key to success. Adjective Man is different from animals. France is famous for her perfumes. Children are fond of sweets. Verb Every man wishes for distinction. Lazy people generally do not succeed in life. When things go wrong, people should hope for the best. Sometimes different prepositions of a noun, an adjective or a verb are followed by different kinds of objects. Noun: He takes no interest in politics. ( in something - liking) What you say has no interest to me. ( to a person - attracting) 39

11 Lesson 3 Adjective: The boy is now free from danger. He is free with his money. The goods were passed free of duty. Verb: He agreed to my proposal. ( to something) He agreed with me on that question. ( with a person) They could not agree among themselves. ( Among is used for more than two people.) Sentence Writing A key opens the door. i) Since we have learned the use of adjectives in lesson one, we may find some ADJECTIVES to qualify the noun key and door : adj. n. adj. n. A golden key opens every door. (A proverb) ii) In this lesson, we have learned the use of a prepositional phrase after a noun, and now we may add such a phrase after each noun of the following sentence: adj. n. adj. n. A golden key from a person opens every door to fame and power. (Money can bring a person reputation and authority.) 40

12 Lesson 3 To be on my own My graduation day happens to fall on my birthday, the day that I have to give a serious thought to my future. The word independence comes to my mind first. My family s responsibilities to me have come to an end, and I should not come up with any excuse to go on enjoying their resources that they come by in no easy way. Now that I have come of age, my ambition will be wearing thin if I don t learn to take care of myself. My parents always suggest that I, as their favorite daughter, stay with them all the time so that they can show n. their love and concern for me. But I think otherwise. I adj. am only concerned about losing myself in their foolish fondness that way. So conflict develops. To solve the situation, I convince them that I have found myself but will still keep them company as much as possible after my adj. independence. But at this moment I am more concerned with my career. In fact their loving concern about their child should not go against my deep concerns over my future. Of course, I need both love and independence. However, too much or too little of either won t make me prosper. To be on my own, I have to shed the protection and indulgence of the family and to learn the ways of facing this harsh and cruel world adj. that I am concerned with. Fine feathers don t make fine birds. I just don t want to grow tran. v. old and have nothing to show for it. This concerns me most. Remarks: n. n. Please put the underlined collocations into your memory bank. n. concern for = a feeling of caring about someone (line 11) adj. be concerned about / for = be worried about (line 12) n. concern about / over / at = a feeling of worry about something (line 17) adj. be concerned with = be involved in (line 21) 41

13 Lesson 4 Lesson 4 Adverbs Adverbs do NOT modify Nouns / Pronouns. This is the work of adjectives. Adverbs modify ALL OTHER parts of speech, even an adverb itself To modify another adverb: Great men are not always wise. The little boy speaks quite clearly. 2. To modify an adjective: Today is unusually hot for Spring. I am so glad to meet you. 3. To modify a preposition: He was sitting almost outside the door. He arrived long before the time. 4. To modify a subordinating conjunction: A man is truly happy only when he is in sound health. He has been ill ever since he left us. 5. To modify a whole sentence: So what are you going to do? ( So is a sentence adverb here.) (Please see page 174.) Luckily he escaped unhurt. ( Luckily is a sentence adverb here.) 6. To modify a verb: We once met her. The people criticize the government strongly.

14 Lesson 4 Adverb's best friend is VERB. Here we focus on their close relation. An adverb tells us how, where or when an action happens. We say the adverb modifies the verb. Adverbs are often formed by adding + ly to an adjective (adjective + ly). v. N. (complement) The boy is a quick runner. subj. adj. V The boy runs quickly. subj. adv. The old gentleman was a slow walker. adj. n. The old gentleman walked slowly. v. adv. The little boy s behavior was bad. n. adj. The little boy behaved badly. v. adv. Note: When the adjective ends in y, the y is changed into ily to form an adverb. The bird sang a merry song. adj. n. The bird sang merrily. v. adv. 43

15 Lesson 4 But there are some adverbs that are NOT formed like this. Here are some examples: John is a hard worker. adj. n. John works hard. v. adv. This is a fast train. adj. n. This train goes very fast. v. adv. The little girl s behavior was good. n. adj. The little girl behaved well. v. adv. Adverbs modifying verbs are classified into 3 main types: manner, place and time. s 44

16 Lesson 4 1. Adverbs of Manner Some adverbs tell us HOW an action is done. v. adv. The old gentleman walked slowly. (How did he walk?) v. adv. The little boy ran quickly. (How did he run?) v. adv. The woodcutter sat sadly beside the river. (How did he sit?) 2. Adverbs of Place. A few adverbs tell us WHERE an action happens. v. adv. I sat there. (Where did I sit?) v. adv. He sleeps here. (Where does he sleep?) 3. Adverbs of Time The following adverbs tell us WHEN an action is done. v. adv. The woodcutter lost his axe yesterday. (When did he lose it?). v. adv. We must come to school tomorrow. (When must we come to school?) Note: An adverb phrase acts exactly the same as an adverb to modify a verb. An adverb phrase is formed with two or more words, or a preposition + noun. (Please see P.31.) E.g. The best fish swim very relaxedly near the bottom all the time. manner place time 45

17 Lesson 4 A. Please underline the adverbs in the following sentences. Example: You ll do this exercise carefully, won t you?. 1. Come here. (1 adverb) 2. Why did you go there? (1 adverb) 3. I did the work yesterday. You didn t do it well; you must do it carefully now. (4 adverbs) 4. The girl shouted suddenly, The car is here. (2 adverbs) 5. The teacher spoke clearly, and we understood her easily. (2 adverbs) 6. George worked hard and did the exercise well today. (3 adverbs) 7. The child opened the door of the cage, and the bird flew out. (1 adverb) 8. He didn t know the bird would fly away. (1 adverb) 9. You came here late today; you must come early tomorrow. (5 adverbs) Note: We have learned that a noun or an adjective acts as a complement of BE. However, adverbs of PLACE or TIME can also be the complements of BE because these adverbs do not have corresponding adjectives. Examples: I am here. She is there. (Adverb of place) It is now or never. (Adverb of time) 46

18 Lesson 4 B. Fill in each of the following blanks with a suitable adverb in the box and say whether the adverb shows the manner, or place, or time of the action. brightly early fast hard here merrily quietly slowly tomorrow yesterday well Example: The boy wrote quickly (manner). 1. You are arriving too ( ).You are the first one turning up. 2. I will do the work ( ). 3. Open the door ( ). Your mother is sleeping. 4. Come ( ). I want to speak to you. 5. I talked to Jane ( ). 6. Carmen drove the car ( ) along the wide road but ( ) in the crowded streets. 7. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining ( ), the birds were singing ( ) and children were playing in the field. 8. Mary is an amateur singer; I didn t know she sang so ( ). 9. Learning English is hard work, but I want to learn it, so I will work ( ) on it. When these three kinds of adverbs come together, their order runs like this: Manner Place Time (How?) (Where?) (When?) 47

19 Lesson 4 C. Please arrange the following adverbs / adverb phrases (preposition + noun) in this way. Example 1: The boys studied quietly here yesterday. (single adverbs) manner place time Example 2: You are working without a break on this job at the moment. (adv. phrases) manner place time 1. John drove his new car. (this morning, on the freeway, with care) Please pay this bill. (quickly, now) 3. He spoke to me. (yesterday, in haste, at school) 4. Mary had a cup of tea. (in this restaurant, with me) 5. My brother lived. (in this house, last year, with me) 6. The old man sat. (in an armchair, quietly) 7. He has worked. (for 20 years, in this company) 8. The only way to learn a language is to practice it. (all the time, with patience, at any place) 9. High positions go. (in every profession, with good English, at all times) 10. Very few sentences come out. (on a piece of paper, right, during the first writing) 48

20 Lesson 4 When a sentence is long, an adverb / adverb phrase of time is often put at the beginning of the sentence: Last time we had a long discussion on clean air in our city. At five in the evening I received an urgent call from my son. When a sentence has a verb of movement, the adverb / adverb phrase of place is often put right after it: I drove my friend home in a hurry last night. My sister flew to Tokyo by JAL last week.. D. Please arrange the adverbs / adverb phrases in the ways shown above. 1. I need to prepare breakfast for all the members of my family. (in the kitchen, at seven in the morning) 2. Then I walked. (with my neighbors, to the supermarket) 3. I drove (to the dentist, in the afternoon) to have my teeth examined. 4. I went to wait for my son s school bus. (at the corner of the next street, at 3:30 in the late afternoon) 5. The man forgot his wallet and ran back. (in a state of panic, to the shop) 6. Come! (at once, here) 7. The boy went (to his room, a moment ago) to fetch his books. 8. John returned. (with his friends, to the hotel, at midnight) 9. The climbers climbed up. (in the morning, to the top of the hill) 10. Go (now, to the movies) to see if tickets are still available. 49

21 Lesson 4 USAGE Adverb Adjective Adverb Adjective Adverb Adjective Adverb Adjective adv. A second interview will be arranged pretty soon. (very) v. The Christmas tree was prettily decorated. (beautifully) n. Considering her old age, Mary is still a pretty woman. (beautiful) v. v. Easy come, easy go. (without difficulty) v. Our breakfast was easily prepared. (without difficulty) n. The teacher asked me an easy question. (without difficulty) adj. At peak hours the traffic is dead slow. (very) adj. The speaker is deadly serious. (very) n. My telephone went dead. (not working) v. She came late. (not on time) v. I have been feeling ill lately. (recently) n. The harvest was rather late this year. (behind time) Adverbs match Verbs Speak + clearly / loudly / frankly / softly / privately / publicly Change + greatly / completely / dramatically / radically / significantly Listen + attentively / carefully / closely / hard / intently / politely Suggest + politely / respectfully / seriously / strongly / tactfully / tentatively Adverbs match Adjectives Extremely / fabulously / highly / pretty / the most Especially / highly / particularly / perfectly / very Fairly / painfully / pretty / rather / very / dead Extremely / fabulously / prohibitively / very / the most successful suitable slow expensive

22 Comparison of Adverbs Lesson 4 One-syllable adverbs take er + than to form the Comparative, and est the Superlative. Positive Comparative Superlative fast hard soon long faster harder sooner longer fastest hardest soonest longest E.g. Joe ran fast. (Positive) John ran faster than Joe. (Comparative) Jack ran fastest of all. (Superlative) Note: This brand of batteries lasts long. This brand of batteries lasts longer than other brands. This brand of batteries lasts longest. adj. n. v. This is the fastest train that runs fastest of all vehicles. The superlative degree of an adjective needs 'the', but the superlative degree of an adverb does not. More and most are required for adverbs ending with ly to form the Comparative and Superlative degrees. adv. quickly skillfully carefully Exception: early, earlier, earliest more quickly more skillfully more carefully most quickly most skillfully most carefully Some common adverbs form their Comparative and Superlative Degrees IRREGULARLY: badly far little much well worse farther less more better worst farthest least most best Note: Some adverbs such as now, then, there, once, away, etc do NOT have comparison. 51

23 Lesson 4 Sentence Writing Lessons Review: In lesson one we study NOUNS and ADJECTIVES: a golden key ( a and golden adjectives. key noun.) every door ( every adjective. door noun.) In lesson two we learn how to use a VERB to form a sentence with nouns: A golden key opens every door. 52 In lesson three we learn that a PREPOSITION follows a verb, a noun and an adjective: With little effort a golden key opens every door to fame available for a few. The preposition with is paired with the VERB open. opens every door with little effort The preposition to is paired with the NOUN door. door to fame The preposition for is paired with the ADJECTIVE available. available for a few In lesson four we learn that an ADVERB modifies a preposition, a verb and an adjective: Just with little effort, a golden key opens up every door to fame only available for a few. The adverb just modifies the preposition with. The adverb up modifies the verb opens. The adverb only modifies the adjective available. Comprehension Now we should have the basic knowledge to tell what part of speech each word is in a sentence. Just with little effort, a golden key opens up adv prep adj noun adj adj noun verb adv every door to fame only available for a few. adj noun prep noun adv adj prep adj pron

24 Lesson 4 A Poor Husband John was a henpecked husband, whose harsh-spoken wife always bullied him, so the timid-spoken John did not dare to assert himself before her At last, John went to a cemetery one day. He sat down before a grave, crying loudly, pounding his fists forcefully on the ground and complaining bitterly, Why you died so early? Why didn t you take her away with you? Why? Why? Sure, the loss of the dearest hurts most, but time will gradually ease the pains, a passing watchman gently consoled John. The dearest? John wept more loudly, I didn t know the guy. Then why a lot of tears? He was my wife s ex-husband! A week after, John s request produced an effect. His wife died in a traffic accident. A funeral service took place in a small church. When the pallbearers carried the coffin out, they accidentally ran into a tree, rocking the coffin violently. Then a faint moan came out from the coffin, and they found the woman was still alive. She lived on for another year until one day heart failure suddenly took away her life. A service was again held in the same church, after which the pallbearers were again carrying the coffin out clumsily. As they were walking, the husband broke out sharply, Watch out for that damn tree! 53

25 Lesson 4 Remarks: Please try to get familiar with the underlined collocations. The writer has made the best use of adverbs in this passage: always bullied, crying loudly, pounding his fists forcefully, complaining bitterly, died so early, hurts most, gradually ease, gently consoled, wept loudly, accidentally ran, rocking the coffin violently, still alive, suddenly took away, again held, carrying the coffin out clumsily, broke out sharply. If all the adverbs are taken away, the passage will look dull and lifeless. A henpecked (adj) husband (line 1) = a husband who is afraid to disagree with his wife Harsh-spoken (adj) (line 2) = speaking in a cruel or strict way Bullied (T) (line 2) = threatened To assert himself (a fixed expression) (line 3) = to have his own way Cemetery (n) (line 5) [C] = a piece of land for burying dead people Pounding (I/T) (line 7) = hitting Bitterly (adv) (line 8) = unhappily: bitterly disappointed/ regretted Consoled (T) (line 12) = made someone feel better, comforted I console myself with the thought that no one was injured in the accident. Ran into (phrasal verb) (T) (line 18) = hit someone or something Faint (adj) (line 18) = difficult to hear, see, smell, etc. Moan (n) (line 18) [C] = a long low sound expressing pain: faint/ soft/ deep/ low/ moan; let out/ give/ make/ hear/ have a moan Pallbearer (n) (line 24) [C] = someone who walks beside a coffin or carries it Clumsily (adv) (line 25) = moving in an awkward way and tending to break things 54 Broke out sharply (line 26) = called out loudly and suddenly

26 Lesson 5 Prepositional Phrases Lesson 5 Prepositions take a noun or pronoun to form a phrase (a group of words without a verb). Examples: at my house; in your school; with you. Here are some more examples: Preposition in over through to round into toward + noun / pronoun your pocket the wall us him the house the garden the door They are called prepositional phrases. Note: After a preposition, the pronoun is always the object pronoun. 55

27 Lesson 5 He came with them. He will sit between you and me. This letter was written by him. He bought the house from us. Prepositions take a noun / pronoun as its object. Prepositional phrases are usually used as: 1. an adjective phrase; 2. an adverb phrase. 1. Adjective Phrases These phrases do the work of an adjective: they describe (qualify) a noun. Here are some examples: A dirty boy opened the door. adj. n. A boy with a dirty face opened the door. n. adj. phrase I like a quiet seat in the train. adj. n. I like a seat in the corner. n. adj. phrase Any word/words that add more information to a noun will be an adjective/adjective phrase. Adjective phrases are placed after a noun/pronoun or a linking verb: The children of the village go to this school. (After a noun) Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead. (After a pronoun) One today is worth two tomorrows. (After a linking verb) She looks like an angel. (After a linking verb) 56

28 Lesson 5 A. 2. Adverb Phrases These phrases often do the work of an adverb: they tell how, where or when an ACTION was done. We call them adverb phrases. subj. v. The soldiers fought bravely (adverb of manner). subj. v. The soldiers fought with great bravery (adverb phrase of manner). She sat there (adverb of place). She sat in the corner (adverb phrase of place). He came yesterday (adverb of time). He came at four o clock (adverb phrase of time). Here is a special point to remember: Besides following a VERB, an adverb phrase can also stand at the head of a sentence. v. At four o clock he came. i.e. When a prepositional phrase is placed at the head of a sentence, it usually functions as an adverb phrase to modify the finite verb. B. The following phrases are also adverb phrases because they add more information to an adjective as an adverb does. They go only after the adjective that they modify. Your manner was extremely foolish. adv. adj. Your manner was foolish in the extreme. adj. adv. phrase This information is useful to us. adj. adv. phrase Your name is high on the list because you are important. adj. adv. phrase 57

29 Lesson 5 Adverb phrase or adjective phrase? Sometimes the same group of words may be an adverb phrase or an adjective phrase. It all depends on the work it is doing. Look at these phrases: subj. v. The view through the open window is very pretty. This is an adjective phrase because it qualifies the noun view. subj. v. The bird flew through the open window. This is an adverb phrase because it modifies the verb flew. It tells where it flew. subj. The class in the room is learning English. The phrase qualifies the noun class, so it is an adjective phrase. v. We dance in the room. The phrase modifies the verb dance, so it is an adverb phrase. subj. The bell at eleven o clock tells us that the lesson is finished. This is an adjective phrase. It qualifies the noun bell. v. The bell rings at eleven o clock to tell us that the lesson is finished. This is an adverb phrase. It modifies the verb rings. 58

30 Lesson 5 A. In the following sentences, please tell which are adjective phrases and which are adverb phrases. Put round brackets ( ) to enclose each adjective phrase and show with an arrow the noun it qualifies. Underline each adverb phrase and show with an arrow the verb it modifies. n. Examples: The teacher (of the class) explained the lesson. (adjective phrase) The boys stood round the room. (adverb phrase) 1. The driver of the car went fast. 2. She drove down the main road. 3. My mother cut the cake with a knife. 4. The cake was made by my brother. 5. It was baked in a big oven. 6. It was a cake with pink icing. 7. The boy at the next desk borrowed my pencil. 8. The son of the king is called the Crown Prince. 9. The cat jumped through the window. 10. The lesson finishes at four o clock. v. More about adverb phrases and adjective phrases: n. 1. The key opens the door (with a wooden knob). (with = having) tr. v. 2. The key opens the door with little effort. (with = by using) In sentence 1, with a wooden knob is an adjective phrase, qualifying the noun door in a good sense. But the sentence will carry an absurd sense, if the same phrase goes to modify the verb opens, or to qualify the noun key. In sentence 2, with little effort is an adverb phrase, modifying the transitive verb opens in a logical way. If with little effort qualifies the noun door or key, the construction will not make sense either. 59

31 Lesson 5 To combine the two sentences into one, we can shift the adverb phrase with little effort from the last place to the head of the sentence. And this will avoid confusing the phrase with the adjective phrase with a wooden knob : With little effort the key opens the door with a wooden knob. adv. phr. Now try to understand the differences among the next three sentences: 1. I saw a naughty boy with a dirty hand. (adj. phr.) tran. v. tran. v. n. n. 2. I touched the vase with a dirty hand. (adv. phr.) 3. The beggar touched the naughty boy with a dirty hand. tran. v. adj. phr. In sentence 1, it makes sense for with a dirty hand to qualify the noun boy. In sentence 2, it also makes sense for with a dirty hand to modify the verb touched. In sentence 3, with a dirty hand can be taken to qualify boy or to modify touched. It can mean either the boy had a dirty hand, or (the beggar) touched (the naughty boy) with a dirty hand. This is a bad sentence because its meaning is confusing. n. The beggar touched the naughty boy with a dirty hand.. 60

32 Lesson 5 B. Examples: Please underline the prepositional phrase and say which word it qualifies. Please point out which one is a bad sentence. The car overtakes the bus with many passengers. Answer: With many passengers qualifies the noun bus. It is an adjective phrase. The chairman bought a house in a hurry. Answer: In a hurry modifies the verb bought. It is an adverb phrase. The car overtakes the bus at full speed. Answer: At full speed may qualify the noun bus, but it may also modify the verb overtakes. Therefore, this is a bad sentence. 1. The chairman bought a house on a hilltop. 2. The chairman bought a house on his birthday. 3. The chairman bought a house under a company s name. 4. I called the man in uniform. 5. I called the man in the morning. 6. I called the man with a throaty voice. 7. David helped a woman with much money. 8. David saw a woman in red. 9. David saw a woman at 7 o clock. 61

33 Lesson 5 A further Understanding of Prepositions (Please see pp ) Some verbs, adjectives and nouns are paired with a specific preposition to deliver a special meaning. Here are some examples showing the use of prepositions. 1. Nouns noun phrase adj. phr. (object of have ) - have faith in God (The noun faith is paired with in.) - lose faith in the government s promises. - keep faith with the children (a fixed expression = keep a promise to) 2. Adjectives adjective phrase adv. phr. (qualifying man ) - Man is sick of housework. (sick is paired with of.) (= bored with) - The new sailor felt sick on the ship. (The noun ship is paired with on.) - When Joe had to leave his grilfriend behind, he was sick at heart. (This fixed expression means upset or unhappy.) - The boy is good at mathematics. (good is paired with at.) (= skilful at) - The meat is still good in the fridge. (The noun fridge is paired with in.) - Though he is not smart, he is good at heart. (This fixed expression means kind.) 3. Verbs adv. phr. (modifying die ) - die of a disease (die of cancer, die of AIDS ) - die in his sleep (The noun sleep is paired with in.) - die for the country (a fixed expression) 62 - wait for me (wait is paired with for.) - wait at the bus station (The noun station is paired with at.) - wait on table(s) / at table(s) (This fixed expression means to serve.) U.S. U.K.

34 SUMMARY The Two Uses of the Prepositional Phrases (Preposition + Noun): (1) as an adjective phrase to qualify a noun: (After a noun) n. The man from the North Pole is my friend. (After a linking verb) n. My friend is from the North Pole. (2) (i) as an adverb phrase to modify a verb: (At the beginning of a sentence) v. From the North Pole my friend arrived yesterday. (After a verb) v. My friend arrived from the North Pole. (ii) as an adverb phrase to modify an adjective: (After an adjective) adj. The new North Pole is different from the old North Pole. Lesson 5 sentence WRITING A phrase should come close to the word it qualifies. The following ambiguous sentence can be rewritten to show what the writer really means Mary called John with a throaty voice. 1. Mary with a throaty voice called John. ( With a throaty voice is an adjective phrase qualifying Mary - Mary had a throaty voice. With here is taken to mean having.) 2. With a throaty voice Mary called John. (The beginning of a sentence is the position for an adverb phrase to modify the VERB. With here is taken to mean by using.) 3. Mary called John, who has a throaty voice. (Using an adjective clause to qualify John here is better than using an adjective phrase, so as to avoid confusion.) (Please refer to Lesson 12.) 63

35 Lesson 5 Taste 5 In The room is designed tastefully, the taste here refers to decoration, clothing, furnishings and so on that win people s admiration. It doesn t mean the feeling we get when we put something in our mouth. However, we usually say that a person has good taste if the style of his clothing, furniture and so on is elegant, having matching colors and designs that attract people in general. If we say he doesn t have taste, we mean the opposite. The noun taste has two adjectives: tasty and tasteful. Tasty refers to the sensation we get when we put something in our mouth. A tasty meal tasted delicious. 10 Tasteful refers to attractive patterns and designs. The beautifully decorated room is really tasteful. 15 On the other hand we say things being in good taste or being in bad taste, and this means the same as designed tastefully or not tastefully. Yet the phrase in bad taste is more frequently used to describe rude words and bad manners in an awkward situation. For instance, when a man says in front of a girl, I don t like girls who are not pretty, this man shows no respect for others. Such pointed remarks are in bad taste. But if a girl cannot choose between what is attractive and unattractive in the matters of clothes, designs and so on, we say she lacks taste, and her poor inborn ability should not be blamed. However, if a man speaks or acts in bad taste, he should be accused of that because a man should have the ability to speak politely or act properly toward others. The following summary lists the expressions we have just learned: v. She dresses tastefully. (adverb) v. She dresses in good taste. (adverb phrase) n. She has taste in her dress. (adjective phrase) subj. Her dress is in good taste. (adjective phrase) n. Her dress is tasteful. (adjective) 64

36 Lesson 5 v. Her dress is designed tastefully. (adverb) v. Her dress is designed in good taste. (adverb phrase) obj. Her dress lacks taste. (noun) n. She lacks taste in her dress. (adjective phrase) Remarks: Clothing (n) (line 1) [U] = a group of clothes including hats and gloves: wear a piece/an item/article of light/heavy/outdoor/sports/protective clothing; clothing business/company/shop Furnishings (n) (line 2) [plural] = furniture in a room including curtains, carpets, pictures and so on for decoration. Elegant (adj) (line 4) = very beautiful and graceful: an elegant woman/ handwriting Sensation (n) (line 7) [U] = the ability to feel: produce/feel/have/experience/enjoy// strange/curious/delicious/pleasant/choking/tingling sensation He felt a tingling sensation (uncomfortable feeling) down his side. Many people enjoy the delicious sensation of eating. Delicious (adj) (line 8) = very pleasant to taste: be/look/smell/taste/sound delicious This dish tastes really/absolutely/quite/rather delicious. The recipe sounds delicious. Awkward (adj) (line 13) = making you feel embarrassed: be/seem/become/feel/look// extremely/rather awkward They felt awkward about leaving early. (about something) She is awkward with people she doesn t know. (with people) Pointed (adj) (line 15) (before noun) = showing annoyance/disapproval: pointed comment/look/remark It is useful to understand the functions of all the expressions in the two summaries. (Please see pages ) 65