Download CHAPTER 7 - Analyzing English Grammar

Supplemental Exercises, Chapter 7
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CHAPTER 7 - PHRASES - SUPPLEMENTAL EXERCISES
Binary Nature of Language
We have been using simple examples to illustrate the two-part nature of English sentences. If you
have ever had difficulty in recognizing the subject of a complicated sentence, the kind of personal
pronoun substitution we have used above can help you. We suggest here two other tools that can
help verify your intuition of what constitutes the subject of a sentence.
a.
b.
Tag question test. The tag question comes at the end of a statement and seeks the
listener’s agreement with the statement. (Arnold is Rollerblading./Arnold is
Rollerblading, isn’t he?) As Exercise 1.1 showed, speakers of English have a tacit
knowledge of how to form tag questions. Because forming the tag requires that the entire
subject be replaced by a pronoun, speakers also have a tacit knowledge of subjects.
Therefore, creating a tag question with a suspect sentence can verify your identification of
the subject.
Yes/no question test. Speakers of English also have a tacit knowledge of how to turn a
statement into a question (Arnold is Rollerblading./Is Arnold Rollerblading?) In creating
the question, the speaker moves a modal, an inflected auxiliary verb, or be around the
subject. A comparison of the two versions shows what constitutes the subject.
1.
The next car that I buy must be fuel-efficient.
2.
The best car for me would be one with an EPA estimate of at least 45 miles to the gallon.
3.
The EPA's combined fuel economy formula is based on 55 percent of city driving miles
per gallon and 45 percent of highway miles per gallon.
4.
Buying a car that is listed as fuel efficient does not guarantee that the car will deliver the
mpg listed on the sticker.
5.
Failing to pay attention to recommended careful driving habits can decrease the fuel
efficiency of a car by 20 percent.
6.
Accelerating a little more slowly can improve fuel efficiency.
7.
Removing the foot from the accelerator a little sooner before a stop sign will also help.
8.
Running the air conditioning increases the work that the engine has to do and lowers the
fuel efficiency of a car.
Supplemental Exercises, Chapter 7
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Sentence Constituents
Divide each of the following sentences into its subject and predicate. Label its sentence
constituents: NP, MVP, ADJP, ADVP. Remember that an adverb phrase may have been moved
away from its normal position at the end of the sentence. If it has, move it to the end before trying
to analyze the phrase structure of the sentence.
1.
Gilroy, California, calls itself “The Garlic Capital of the World.”
2.
Every July Gilroy holds a 3-day Garlic Festival.
3.
Organizers expect more than 250,000 people for the festival this year.
4.
A newly-crowned Miss Gilroy Garlic will reign at this year’s festival.
5.
The festival committee has ordered two tons of garlic from local farms.
6.
Not all people are delighted with the garlic ice cream.
7.
In earlier years, festival sponsor Listerine provided free Cool Mint Pocket Packs to
attendees.
8.
This year, it is BYOBM (Bring Your Own Breath Mints).
Main Verb Phrase Constituents
Referring as necessary to Figure 7.6 of AEG6, convert each of the following into a sentence by
converting the abstract representation of its verb phrase into an actual verb phrase.
1.
Our plane + present + be + at the gate.
2.
The crew + past + arrive + some time ago.
3.
They + present + should + HAVE + {-en} + load + the luggage by now.
4.
They + present + HAVE + {-en} + have + time enough to be ready to go.
5.
Nothing + present + BE + {-ing} + happen + right now.
6.
The passengers + present + HAVE + {-en} + BE + {-ing} wait + for a long time.
Supplemental Exercises, Chapter 7
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7.
Something unusual + present + must + HAVE + {-en} + BE + {-ing} + keep + the plane
here.
8.
Perhaps we + present + will + be + {-ing} + leave + soon.
Main Verb Phrase Morphemes
Analyze the main verb phrases in the sentences below, and write out the words and morphemes
you have identified. If there is a modal, consider it to be in the present tense.
1.
Everyone is enjoying the performance of Aida tonight.
2.
Several fans were standing outside the stage door in order to catch a glimpse of the tenor
before the opera.
3.
However, he had arrived at the theater before then.
4.
The fans should have taken their seats.
5.
Most of the audience had been sitting in the auditorium for some time already.
6.
The soprano should be singing especially well.
7.
She has sung the role of Aida many times.
8.
We may want to see the opera again next week.
Constructing the Main Verb Phrase
After you feel you understand the examples in Exercise 7.6, try reversing the process. Below, you
are given a chart indicating which elements of the auxiliary are to be part of the main verb phrase.
Write the appropriate form of the verb sleep in the space that follows.
Supplemental Exercises, Chapter 7
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TENSE
MODAL
HAVE + {-en}
BE + {-ing}
=
___________
—
—
—
=
___________
1.
John
past
2.
John
present must
—
—
=
___________
3.
John
past
HAVE + {-en}
—
=
___________
4.
John
present may
___
BE + {-ing}
=
___________
5.
John
present will
HAVE + {-en}
—
=
___________
6.
John
present —
—
BE + {-ing}
=
___________
7.
John
present might
HAVE + {-en}
BE + {-ing}
=
___________
8.
John
past
HAVE + {-en}
BE + {-ing}
=
___________
—
—
Identifying Verb Forms
Identify by name the form of each of the italicized main verb phrases in the following sentences.
Break each into its underlying structure.
1.
A huge rabbit from Austria recently invaded Italy.
2.
A Viennese art group has erected a giant pink bunny on an Italian mountainside.
3.
The 200 foot long rabbit has been lying on Mt. Colletto Fava in Northern Italy for several
months.
4.
Dozens of women must have contributed to the knitting of the giant rabbit.
5.
It will be lying on its back there for the next 20 years.
6.
The art group is allowing people to clamber up the rabbit’s 20-foot sides.
7.
People can also lie on its big pink stomach when they are feeling tired of climbing.
8.
It is pretty in pink today, but it will not be very attractive by 2025.
Supplemental Exercises, Chapter 7
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Distinguishing Between Different Uses of Have and Be
In each of the following sentences, draw a line under the subject and circle the main verb phrase.
Then break each main verb phrase into its underlying structure and indicate whether have and/or
be are auxiliary verbs or main verbs. Ignore the rest of the predicate.
1.
The National Zoo is hoping to reopen its Panda House soon; they will be ready for huge
crowds.
2.
Zoo keepers had closed the house to the public just before their mother panda gave birth
in July.
3.
The public has been able to see just the father panda, who has been spending time outside
in his yard.
4.
The mother has only occasionally appeared in her yard, and visitors have not yet seen the
baby. (Remember that only occasionally and not yet are modifiers; they are not part of
the main verb phrase.)
5.
When the Panda House reopens, zoo officials will be giving out timed admission tickets.
6.
Officials are expecting that the male baby cub will have a name by then.
7.
Visitors to the zoo’s web site have been submitting names for the Panda since his birth.
8.
So far, they have sent in close to 150,000 names, but the zoo is being quiet about its
choice.
Supplemental Exercises, Chapter 7
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REVIEW EXERCISES
Sentence Constituents
The ability to identify sentence constituents remains important throughout the remainder of the
text, as we analyze ever more complex sentences and attempt to see how these can be reduced to
simple patterns based on the four phrase types studied in Chapter 6. Divide each of the following
sentences into its subject and predicate. Then label its sentence constituents: NP, MVP, ADJP,
ADVP.
1.
Americans have taken chicken wings to their hearts.
2.
Wing Nights at chain restaurants like KFC and Domino’s have sent chicken wing prices
sky-high.
3.
Wingnuts is the first California restaurant to specialize in chicken wings.
4.
Wing Dings are popular fund-raisers throughout the United States.
5.
The Jacksonville, Florida, Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Wing Ding Chicken
Wing Cook-Off this year.
6.
At a Wing Ding in Miami, one man ate124 buffalo chicken wings in 12 minutes.
7.
He was10 chicken wings shy of the chicken-wing-eating world record.
8.
The Placer County, California, Wing Ding features a world famous chicken-bone-throwing
contest.
Main Verb Phrase
Break each of the italicized main verb phrases in the following sentences into its underlying
structure. Then give the name of the verb form. Notice that the main verb is always last in the
Main Verb Phrase.
1.
Several students have been studying together for the math final.
2.
They may be feeling fairly confident that they will pass easily.
Supplemental Exercises, Chapter 7
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3.
In fact, Lauren is probably already waiting outside the classroom.
4.
Ted might have been studying alone for the exam.
5.
He had not had time to study until yesterday.
6.
No one has seen him since yesterday morning.
7.
Bob should have been mastering addition and subtraction while he was dreaming of
becoming a high school math teacher.
8.
He thought he had understood everything until he began to study