Grammar review

1. Correct the mistakes in the following sentences:

a) The Spanish government has imposed a state of alert in 2003. (Present perfect is not used for definite
time)

b) Pau Gasol has been playing (played) 177 of a possible 192 minutes in his last four games. (Habitual
action up to the present)

c) Mozart has written (wrote) some sonatas for violin and harpsichord. (Mozart died. He wont write any more) d) I have been using (was using) the same software during 2 years. (Repeated action for a long period) e) By the fourth week of the war, the rebels took (had [already] taken) most of the territory. (The action
happened before the fourth week)

f) Ive already bought the tickets. Well leave(are leaving) next Monday. (Fixed arrangements) g) While I am was watching television last night, someone called. (Wrong tense, both actions happened in the
past, the shorter action during the other one)

h) Valuable paintings were stolen from the gallery. (Passive voice be + past participle) i) I found that my drawers were searched. (me suena mejor asi) j) I suddenly noticed that he has suddenly turned blue. (dem anterior y si no and a discutirle a Jon from CIE
que nos deca que a veces es mejor guiarse por intuicin)

k) When I reached her house, she had already left. (one action happened before the other)
2nd option When, she left. (in this case both actions happened at the same time)

2. Analyse the following sentences. 1. [The phone] ['s ringing!] 2.[I] [have] [never] [visited] [England].
S NP S VP AdvP ADV V VP NP NP VP

3. [Last summer], [mother] [gave] [me] [a bicycle]. 4. [She] [seems] [pretty confident]. 5. [They] [thought] [the measures] [unnecessary]. 6. [They] [placed] [the vase] [on the little wooden table]. 7. [They] [advised] [me] [to keep on trying].
S NP S V VP V VP V Od NP PP Cs Adv S NP V VP NP Od PP Co S NP V VP NP Cs AdjP A NP S VP V Oi AdjP Od

V AdvP

V NP

VP

Od. NP

NP

8. [No one] [looks] [happy] [around here]. 9. [I] [can't help] [them] [with their homework].
S NP S VP Cs NP Oi PP A

NP

Od AdjP

AdvP

10. [The committee] [has considered] [the proposal] [inadmissible].

S V Od Co

V NP

VP

Od

NP

AdjP

3. Write sentences for the following clause patterns. 1. (SVO): Many students failed the second grammar exam 2. (SVOA): A few students had passed the first exam easily 3. (SVOC): The Politian has given a speech nervously. 4. (SVOO): The chef is cooking a special dessert for the hotel guests. 5. (SVA): The marathon runners will run across the bridge 6. (SVC): My lemon pie tastes delicious. 4. Bracket the non-essential constituent(s) in each of the following clauses. 1. Many of the houses must have disappeared [since my fathers day]. SV[A-optional] 2. I explained [briefly] to Mrs Davies that there was a power cut. SAVOO [A optional] 3. It seemed a good idea [at the time]. SVC[A optional] 4. The war lasted [more than forty years]. SV[A optional] 5. I felt my face turn red. 6. Somebody snatched my bag [in the park]. SVO [A optional]
A S A V O

7. [Before the fall of the Berlin Wall], [spying] [practically] [dominated] [the political life of that
capital.] SVO [A optional]

8. Ill just put something in the microwave. SVO [A optional] 9. The telephone began to ring [insistently] [at six oclock] [on a cold November day.] SV[A A A opt.] 10. Arsenal became League champions for the fifth time on Monday. SVC [A opt.] 5. Identify the constituent which functions as Direct Object in each of the following clauses, and the class of unit which realises this function.

(1) (2)

NP

Ive lived most of my life in the country.

Od NP

He banged the door shut as he went out.

Od NClause

(3) He pointed out that foreign doctors were not permitted to practise in that country.
Od

(4) The negotiations have achieved very little. ? (5) She lacks discretion. (6) A team of divers have discovered what they believe to be sunken treasure. (7) He considers it unlikely that the money will be refunded
NP Od NClause NP

Od

NClause

(8) One doubts that many will survive the long trek over the mountains. Od.
NC Od

(9) You might ask what is the use of all this.

NP Od

(10) He shovelled a ton of gravel into the back garden. 6. Identify the types of Complement (Subject, Object) in each of the following clauses and state the class of unit which realises each of these. (1) Acting is [not very hard]. The most important things are [to be able to laugh and to cry.]
Cs Cs

(2) They must prove themselves [fit for the task.]

(3)

Co Cs

Spying on firms has become [a multi-million pound industry.]

Co

(4) [What] will they call the baby? (5) Life is [a series of accidents]. Thats [what he thinks.]
Cs Cs

(6) He made his films [accessible to a wide public.]

Co

(7) The weather has turned [unexpectedly cold.]

Cs Cs

(8) Video-games keep them [happy for hours.] (9) She looked [utterly miserable].
Cs

(10) Sweden has made it [illegal for parents to smack their children.]
Co

7. Give the syntactic structure of the Verbal Groups in the sentences below, and analyse them for the tense and ABCD features they contain.
1. Someone should be telling the present administration about Kenya. A+C (modal aux.+ progressive main verb) * 2. Kenya was about to take off economically. A (modal + infinitive) 3. Our population has been greatly increased. B+D (perfect aux + passive aux+ main verb)* 4. That increase should have been expected. A+C (modal aux + progressive aux. + main verb)* 5. It was realised that modern medicine was cutting back the death rate dramatically.
posibilidad en el apunte) Passive be+past partic anterior) progressive be+present part. (no tengo espa Semi-aux

6. But numerous mistakes were being made in the allocation of scarce national resources. C +B (idem 7. Our exports were earning less in real terms than they had been earning a decade ago. 8. Many developing nations are gradually shifting their economic policies towards free enterprise.
C Progressive be + present participle Progressive perfect +progressive B+C

9. We feel that the country has not yet been able to achieve its potential.
+main)

B+ C (perfect + modal

10. But that potential should at least be receiving recognition. A+C (modal + progressive aux.+main)* *las que estn marcadas responden exactamente a alguna de las convinaciones posibles segn mis apuntes.