A Workbook to Communicative Grammar of English (28 page)
Read A Workbook to Communicative Grammar of English Online
Authors: Dr. Edward Woods,Rudy Coppieters
Task two **
Complete the following dialogue by adding short affirmations (A) or short denials (D).
Lynn: | Mark, are YOU interested in history? |
Mark: | (D) …………………………………., I think it’s extremely boring. |
Lynn: | You are not being serious. |
Mark: | (D) ………………………… People should be interested in the future, not in the past. |
Lynn: | I hope you understand that SOME people take an interest in the past. |
Mark: | (A) ………………………., it’s just that I’ve always disliked the subject. |
Lynn: | You probably had teachers who insisted on students remembering lots of dates. |
Mark: | (D) ………………………. as a matter of fact. One of them even got the dates wrong himself. |
Lynn: | Well, he can’t have been fully qualified for the job. |
Mark: | (A) ………………………… He told us one day that Napoleon had died in 1812. |
Lynn: | Oh, he should have said 1821, of course. |
Mark: | (A) ……………………….. And he claimed that the Battle of Waterloo had taken place in 1805. |
Lynn: | That was an even more stupid thing to say. |
Mark: | (A) ………………………… So I became convinced that history was a subject for nerds. |
Lynn: | And you didn’t want to become a nerd yourself. |
Mark: | (A) ………………………… That’s why I started reading science fiction novels instead. They are very interesting books indeed. |
Lynn: | (D) ……………………….. Nothing’s more boring than sci-fi. Anyway, librarians will take such unscientific books off the shelves in the years to come. |
Mark: | (D) ……………………… Some of those books are works of literature. You’ve never read Wells, Huxley … Orwell, I suppose. |
Lynn: | (D) ……………………… |
Mark: | Well, there you are! We seem to agree at last. |
Task three **
Complete each of the following sentences by adding another, contrasting idea.
1.
Geoffrey isn’t particularly gifted, but …
2.
I don’t earn a fortune, but …
3.
This country may not be a model democracy, but …
4.
The tropics don’t really appeal to me, but …
5.
Melissa shouldn’t be suspended from school, but …
6.
We couldn’t find the ticket office, but …
7.
I didn’t sell my film script to the national broadcasting company, but …
8.
This article deals not with the collapse of communism, but …
9.
Our secretary DOESN’T speak foreign languages, but …
10.
The suspect DIDN’T plant the bomb, but …
Modifying
14.1. Restrictive and non-restrictive meaning
Modifiers
before or after the noun help to specify the meaning exactly.
There is also a non-restrictive type of modifier, such as a non-defining relative clause.
Sometimes a modifying adjective before a proper noun can be non-restrictive.
Task one **
Modify and make more restrictive the items below by adding one of the phrases here. Each phrase may only be used once.
delayed
;
from Latvia
;
heavy
;
Hungarian
;
local
;
marketing
;
on the hill
;
that went bankrupt
;
who reported the crime
;
for sale
1.
the house
2.
the business
3.
the history society
4.
a visitor
5.
a fall of snow
6.
the manager
7.
the President
8.
the 6.45 train
9.
the woman
10.
the school
Task two **
The noun phrases below could have restrictive (R) or non-restrictive (N-R) modifiers. Show how the meaning would differ in each case.
1.
The large animal parks are now closed.
2.
The old houses in the main square were razed to the ground.
3.
The unreliable train services have upset the travelling public.
4.
The Finnish students enjoyed the course.
5.
The hard-working students were given a week’s break.
6.
The democratically sophisticated voters wanted equality and transparency.
7.
The under-staffed hospitals may get more money.
8.
The French teachers had good exam results.
9.
The poor students had to work during the vacation.
10.
The famous portraits by Reubens attracted a lot of attention.
Task three **
Show how the pairs of phrases may differ in meaning.
1. | Naïve French paintings …… | French naïve paintings …… |
2. | The first sunny day …… | The sunny first day …… |
3. | Their second disastrous game … | Their disastrous second game … |
4. | Classical Greek music …… | Greek Classical music …… |
5. | Her last romantic novel …… | Her romantic last novel …… |
Modifiers after the noun head are called post-modifiers. There are several types of post-modifiers:
•
relative clauses
•
prepositional phrases
•
non-finite clauses equivalent to relative clauses
•
appositive clauses
•
clauses of time, place, manner and reason
•
adverbs
•
adjectives.
In addition two or more modifiers can modify the same noun.
Task one ***
Join the pairs of sentences and define the type of post-modifier.
1.
I’ll always remember that moment. The lawyer realised he’d lost the case.
2.
What you wrote in that article about the new laws offended people. The people had fought hard for changes in the law.
3.
You don’t have to go there. There’s no reason.
4.
We have to do it this way. There is no other way.
5.
It’s next to the old building. They’re going to pull down the old building.
6.
The doctor will have time. He can see you.
7.
I’ll do it some time next week. I’ll be free then.
8.
There is just one reason. He should not be allowed to go.
9.
That’s the best play. If you want to see something good.
10.
That was not the right time. You should not have done it then.
Task two **
Rewrite the relative clauses and rewrite them as other types of post-modifiers.
1.
I shall be detailing the plans in a paper which I’ll distribute next week.
2.
Everyone who worked in that department was angered by the proposal.
3.
The couple who live next door both work in the Social Studies department.
4.
All those who are wary of walking too close to the edge of the cliff should stay near the leader.
5.
Hillary and Tensing were the first men who got to the top of Everest.
6.
I have nothing which I have to do this afternoon.
7.
People in the train that was delayed for three hours were given a full refund for the ticket.
8.
There is no more which anyone can do.
9.
I have nothing which I want to say.
10.
The train which goes to London will leave from platform 4.
Sections 650–653; 440; 459; 522
Modifiers after a determiner but before the noun head are called pre-modifiers.
There are several types of pre-modifiers:
•
adjectives
•
adjective phrases
•
–
ing
participles
•
–
ed
participles
•
nouns.
In addition two or more modifiers can modify the same noun.
Task one **
Underline and identify the type of pre-modifier.
1.
Is that a new car?
2.
It’s better than being an anorexic model.
3.
They were sworn enemies.
4.
It’s in the published text.
5.
There’s still a very long way to go.
6.
That’s an interesting question.
7.
The train company is in great trouble.
8.
It’s a government organisation.
9.
That’s a very exciting idea.
10.
There’s the punishment room.
Task two **
Modify the noun underlined with pre-modifiers based on the information in the sentence. Put hyphens where necessary.
1.
That
house
is Victorian and part of a terrace.
2.
He was wearing a
jersey
that was red and made of lambswool.
3.
He was a
man
who had made himself successful.
4.
The
table
was designed artistically and made of oak.
5.
The
institute
financed itself.
6.
The
television
was very old and only showed films in black and white.
7.
The
car
was an estate with three doors.
8.
The
student
worked hard.
9.
That
rose
flowers early.
10.
The
date
on the credit card shows when it will expire.
Task three ***
Complete the sentences below by putting the modifiers in the correct order before the noun.
1.
We’ve had some …………….. weather this year. (very wet, English, Spring)
2.
He bought a …………….. rug in Switzerland. (oriental, beautiful)
3.
They loved the …………….. beer. (German, strong, wheat)
4.
He had the accident during the …………….. vacation. (university, summer, long)
5.
She admired all the …………….. surfers. (Australian, strong, blond)
6.
The business was a sold to a …………….. company. (textile, very small, French, unknown)
7.
He loved the …………….. hills. (south-facing, Welsh, craggy)
8.
The sheep were lost on the …………….. mountains. (snow-covered, cold)
9.
He’s a …………….. man. (patient, very kind, old)
10.
It tasted like that …………….. wine. (dessert, Hungarian, classic)
Task four **
Underline the pre-modifiers in the text, and classify them as i) adjective; ii) noun; iii) genitive; iv) -
ing
participle; v) -
ed
participle; vi) compound; vii) numeral.
The famous Manchester flat cap, designed to keep off the rain and act as a shield against bailiffs, foremen and wives, is to enjoy a new lease of life as a symbol of the Commonwealth Games.
At the risk of splitting northern opinion between the modernisers who abhor “flat cap syndrome”, and the nostalgics who wallow in it, the headgear will top off the official uniform of thousands of games staff and volunteers.
Made of cotton cloth, dyed a no-nonsense northern black, the squashy symbol defeated the all-conquering baseball cap in a play-off for the games contract. Melding the tested shapes of the Yorkshire pudding beret and Soviet worker’s cap as worn by Lenin, it was launched yesterday in the homely setting of a Manchester Asda supermarket.
“We’re particularly pleased with it as a concept,” said Beth Watson, chief designer for the supermarket chain, which is running-up over 125,000 pieces of uniform as part of its sponsorship for the 11-day event in July and August.
The cap is the nearest thing to a traditional item in the kit for Crew 2002, as the helpers, enablers and greeters will be known. It comes with a snazzy bag, water bottle, poncho and umbrella.
(from
The Guardian
, 6 March 2002)
Sections 685–694; 110–111; 371–372; 461; 595; 659; 747
The main function of a relative clause is to modify a noun or phrase. There are several relative pronouns to choose from. The choice depends on:
•
whether the clause is restrictive or non-restrictive
•
whether the head noun-phrase is personal or non-personal
•
what role the pronoun has in the relative clause.