Terminology Choose the correct term out of the given options in these statements about English grammar: 1. Very is an adverb/adverbial but it cannot function as an adverb/adverbial. 2. The present and past tenses are finite/infinitive/definite forms. 3. Look out! is an intransitive/imperative/interrogative. 4. Me is the object/objective first person singular pronoun. 5. Look up is a phrasal verb/verb phrase. 6. If I were is an example of the subject/subjective/subjunctive. A1 A number of other pedagogic rules are discussed throughout the book. Here is one that is not: Unless is the negative of if. Is this true? Start by considering the following pair of sentences: 1. We ll come if it doesn t rain. 2. We ll come unless it rains. Can you see a slight difference in meaning? What if the weather is windy? Will they come? Now consider these two sentences: 3. If it hadn t been raining we would have come. 4. Unless it had been raining we would have come. Can you make any sense of 4? B1 Many words which we typically associate with one word class can belong to others, even those from closed classes. Think of examples where these words (with their typical word class in brackets) are used differently: go (verb), make (verb), must (auxiliary), if (conjunction) Check a dictionary if you do not know. C1 Look at these concordance lines and identify the word class of down: 1. They edged their way gingerly down the mud track. 2. Both will keep down our costs 3. We can cut down on paper production 4. 100 yards down the road there was an overturned lorry. 5. Please make sure that you write down your registration number. 6. The next day I felt it down my leg 7. The market was down 4.2% for the day. A2 Everyone knows that the plural of mouse is irregular: mice. But how do you feel about the following sentence? Fill in the gap with the plural of mouse: We ve ordered ten thousand computer. Look at the following nouns modified by of phrases. Which do you think can be turned into genitives? 1. the sister of the man 2. the edge of the desk 3. the leaves of the flower 4. the lights of the city 5. the sleeves of the dress
6. the sound of the traffic 7. the wheels of the car B2 Try to work out the meaning/reference of one (or its related form, one s) in the sentences below: 1. Wealth was the most obvious sign of one s success. 2. She bought me a ticket but I already had one. 3. We need a new washing-machine. What s wrong with the old one? 4. I don t believe you for one moment. C2 Work out whether room is a count or non-count noun in the following concordance lines: 1. [He] rushed into the room with great excitement 2. The course has room for 20 students 3. That man s recorded everything that was said in this room. 4. A conservatory will [ ] provide a room with a difference. 5. I haven t put that on because I haven t got room. A3 Look at the two underlined prepositional phrases in these sentences and identify which is an ordinary postmodifier and which is a complement of the noun: 1. There was a lot of surprise in the company at her resignation. 2. We have great respect for her for her dedication. 3. Anger at the defeat among the fans led to calls for the manager s resignation. B3 Distinguish between direct, coreferential and indirect anaphora in the use of the in the sentences below: 1. Nowadays if you take a holiday on a cruise-liner you are unlikely to be invited to dinner by the captain. 2. Suddenly we were surrounded by monkeys and one of the creatures stole my phone. 3. We ve only got an apple or an orange; which would you prefer? I ll have the apple. C3 Distinguish the uses of that in these concordance lines; you have not have met all of these uses yet: 1. It s been like that every day. 2. I wasn t expecting you d be that busy 3. We can now see how far that view was optimistic. 4. I can t get permission for all the photos that I want. 5. Did you know that they use 30% less wood pulp?
A4 Here is another preposition by used with different meanings. Match the sentences on the left to the meaning on the right: 1. He was standing by the door. a. method 2. By now they should have arrived. b. agent of an action 3. They were welcomed by the Vice-President. c. time (up to a point) 4. We ll be travelling by bus. d. position (next to) 5. She passed her exams by sheer hard work. e. means of transport B4 Look at these concordance lines for thankfully and decide which types of adverb it represents: 1. I put my candle down [ ] and dropped thankfully onto the bed. 2. let us not revive a distinction which has thankfully been eliminated. 3. Thankfully fashions have changed somewhat now. 4. The guests left the table thankfully and hurried into the conservatory. 5. He burnt both retinas in his eyes but was thankfully treated by a doctor in time. C4 Here are some more adjectives from the study by Hilpert. Which form of comparison should they take, according to the rule : phrasal or inflectional? What do your intuitions say? able, angry, black, friendly, right, stable, vague, worthy A5 Some verb forms can be ambiguous: they can be derived from two completely different verbs. Describe the two possibilities in these cases (check the reference section if you are not sure): found, lay, lie, saw B5 Identify the time reference of the following sentences containing the present simple (underlined): 1. Most people in Hong Kong live in flats. 2. The film revolves around three bachelors who decide to look for love 3. The meeting starts at 10. 4. and Bolt crosses the line in first place. 5. I drive to work. C5 Identify the word class of warning in the concordance lines below: 1. I ought to start this note with a health warning 2. It is unrealistic to believe that warning labels will do anything 3. Aid agencies are warning of a severe shortage of food 4. The warning came from the all-party Defence Select Committee 5. With me that rings a warning bell 6. did the driver have no advance warning that the signal was against him? 7. Most took their leaflets warning of the danger of the occult.
A6 Here is one more incorrect verb phrase. Explain why it is incorrect using the principles of verb phrase construction: It is being finding. B6 Explain the meaning of would in these sentences: 1. Would you like me to shorten the sides? 2. At weekends we would drive into town to have a good time. 3. We d beat them easily with our best players. 4. He said he would come. 5. I would have appreciated some warning. C6 Identify the verb pattern of feel in these concordance lines: 1. It is these generations who feel the need to belong 2. I just feel very tired 3. And I feel it s getting really thin. 4. That bit doesn t feel so bad. 5. I feel awfully depressed. 6. readers [ ] may feel that the book doesn t go far enough. A7 Repeat Activity A7.3 with He knew. B7 Try particle movement with the underlined words to see if they are phrasal verbs: 1. We passed on the information to the police. 2. I ll pass on dessert I m on a diet. 3. Please get off the table. 4. Take off your jacket. 5. The plane took off 40 minutes late. C7 Look at the verbs in the following sets of concordance lines. Identify where they are transitive or intransitive and decide whether this indicates an ergative relationship or not: A 1. The proportion of out-of-wedlock births has increased so much 2. As the speed is increased, the damping becomes less 3. The sniping had increased and a mortar attack seemed to be under way. 4. A try by Bentley increased the visitors lead. 5. [their] numbers increased greatly during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. B 1. the ground beneath me shook 2. Alexander shook his head. 3. His voice shook, but not with anger. 4. We did not speak, just shook hands and set off C 1. Suddenly he stopped everything 2. Once on deck he stopped to admire Ellen
3. They were only caught after being stopped for a burglary they didn t commit. 4. The cart stopped beside an old cottage 5. In the end he stopped talking and watched her. A8 Distinguish between objects and subject predicatives in the following sentences: 1. I feel a proper fool. 2. Just feel the softness of this material. 3. The committee feels more time for consideration is needed. 4. You look a mess. B8 Work out what verb patterns the following verbs can be used in: grow, decide, turn Write out examples of the most common ones. C8 Analyses the verb pattern of get in these concordance lines: 1. and we ll get them an appointment 2. If I didn t get it done within the next fortnight, it would close up. 3. But I was certainly hoping that they [ ] might get a better response. 4. Well, you re going to get bigger I m afraid. 5. We all get an extra hour in bed tomorrow morning. 6. She s desperate to get away. A9 Say whether these newspaper headlines are major or minor sentences: 1. Jobless asylum seeker handed 2m home 2. The monster returns 3. Blackmail trial told of mystery pregnancy 4. Pictures tell story of modern China B9 Look at these imperatives and identify their function: 1. Be quiet! 2. Help yourself to some cake. 3. Pour me a glass of wine, will you? 4. Take the day off. A10 Distinguish between nominal and adverbial clauses in these sentences: 1. Tell me why you did it. 2. When you leave, put the light out. 3. When she left, I m not sure. 4. This will be useful wherever you go.
B10 In these interrogatives (see B9) and relatives, say whether who can be replaced by whom and vice versa: 1. Whom did you say is waiting for me? 2. There are many people who believe in ghosts. 3. Do not ask for whom the bell tolls. 4. He is someone who we can trust. A11 Explain the grammatical function of subject-auxiliary inversion in the following sentences: 1. No sooner had we started out than it began to rain. 2. Had I been weak I might have given in. 3. So exhausted were we that we could hardly stand. 4. So what did we do wrong? B11 Explain the different uses of it in these sentences (see also A11): 1. It was a good idea to stay at home. 2. It s been snowing in the mountains. 3. It s a spectacular sight, the Taj Mahal. 4. It s the humidity I can t stand rather than the heat. 5. I hate it when someone s phone goes off during a performance. A12 Look at the following email message. Identify cases of ellipsis and break it into sentences: have lost your number off my phone sorry cannot make it tonight have children with me an extra day B12 Turn these interrogatives into indirect questions using the prompt: 1. Is she okay? They re asking 2. Can I have the car tonight? I wonder 3. Who have you invited? They want to know