SYNTAX - EXERCISE 4

I. Decide whether these statements are True or False. (15 items/ 3,0 marks)
No Sentences True/
False
1 “The waiter put the soup.” is an ungrammatical sentence because the adjunct (A) True
“on the table” in this sentence is compulsory to make the sentence completed.
2 “I saw the waiting cab on the street corner.” False
The underlined is a verbal by position.
3 “They walked on a wooden bridge.” False
The main verb of the sentence is a mono-transitive verb.
4 “His behavior was not very becoming.” True
The underlined functions as a subjective complement.
5 “Under seventeen requires an accompanying parent.” True
The underlined is a nominal, direct object.
6 An endocentric construction may be substituted for as a whole by one unit; e.g. the True
head noun may stand for the whole noun phrase.
7 “They’re looking for someone with experience for this position.” False
This is a complex sentence.
8 “The master bedroom is on the first floor.” False
This is an intensive clause.
9 “He couldn’t tell if he was right or wrong.” True
The underlined is a nominal clause.
10 “They reported the police what they had witnessed.” True
This is a di-transitive clause.
11 A dependent clause is a group of words containing a subject and a finite verb that
True
cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
12 “There’s another surprising idea to make you happier.” False
This infinitive phrase includes a verb and an adjunct.
13 “That” in a “that clause” functions as a conjunct. True
14 “The door ajar worried the janitor.”
True
The sentence structure is SVO.
15 “Ceilin says people, strong and fit, should try BASE jumping.” True
The underlined in the above sentence functions as post nominal modifier.
II. Complete the sentences using the words given in the box below. Use each word ONCE. There
are some words that you do not need to use. (15 items/ 3,0 marks)
SVOO intransitive adjectival adjunct extraposed
simple adverbial verbal complement prepositional
phrase
object of subjective SVOC conjunctions
direct object
preposition complement
nominal subject conjunct complex complex transitive

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 No Sentences Answers
16 “Your recital was really wonderful.” subjective
Regarding the function, the underlined is a(n) …………. complement

17 “The company sent a thank-you letter to all its customers.” SVOO

The sentence pattern is ………….
18 “She’s the new manager of the team.” prepositional
By form, the underlined is a(n) ……….. phrase

19 “Jimmy doesn’t want to eat much.” adjunct

The underlined functions as a(n)…………...
20 “They reported that several people were arrested.” complex
This is a …………… sentence.
21 “I’ll see you when everything is finished.” adverbial
The position of “when everything is finished” is a(n) …………
22 “Jerry thought the proposal a mistake.” complex transitive
This is a(n) …………. clause.
23 “Most people recognized him as Jim Carter.” object of
By function, the underlined is a(n) ……… preposition

24 “That clause” is ………. when it is put at the end of a sentence and extraposed
functions as a subject.
25 “They believed we were right.” nominal
The underlined is a(n)………. clause.
26 “She wore a dress which had always been her favorite.” subject
“which” functions as a(n) ……….
27 The function of a(n) ………… is to connect a clause or a sentence to conjunct
another.
28 ….…….. are divided into subordinating and co-ordinating ones. conjunctions
29 “Who is leading now?” intransitive
The main verb in this sentence is a(n) ……….. verb.
30 “The motorcycles were stopped by the traffic officer.” verbal
By position, the underlined is a(n) ………….
EXERCISES (4.0 marks)
1. Identify the POSITIONS and FUNCTIONS for the following underlined words/ phrases/ clauses.
(1,0pts)
N SENTENCES POSITIONS FUNCTION
o S
1 The desire to finish his term paper kept nagging at Karl. Aj-al Post N-al
mod

2 The patient lay on the operating table. Av-al A

3 The rancher told his guest a tall tale. N-al IO

4 We’ll gladly refund your money. V-al V

5 In my view, it was a waste of time. Av-al A

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2. Identify the sentence type (Simple/Compound/Complex), dependent clauses
(Aj-al/ N-al/Av-al Clause) (if any) for the following sentence. (1,5pts)
Example: If you're currently in a secondary school you may be interested in getting a job during
your summer break.

Sentence type: complex sentence

Dependent clause(s): “If you're currently in a secondary school”
Sentence structure: SVCA
Sentence 1: After the snow shower had passed, the weary travellers
continued trudging through the deserted landscape.
Sentence type: _______________
Dependent clause(s): _______________
Sentence structure: _______________
Sentence 2: You must return that overdue book to the library tomorrow
morning.
Sentence type: _______________
Dependent clause(s): _______________
Sentence structure: _______________
Sentence 3: Penny considers that such pastimes are puerile, but Jeff
enjoys engaging in them.
Sentence type: _______________
Dependent clause(s): _______________
Sentence structure: _______________
Sentence 4: You can tell me whether the 9:30 train has left yet.
Sentence type: _______________
Dependent clause(s): _______________
Sentence structure: _______________
Sentence 5: The black pen that I accidentally left on the bus yesterday
belonged to my uncle’s sister.
Sentence type: _______________
Dependent clause(s): _______________
Sentence structure: _______________

3. Make a complete syntactic analysis, from sentence to word, of the

following sentences.

Sentence 1: After the snow shower had passed, the weary travellers continued
trudging through the deserted landscape.
Sentence 2: You must return that overdue book to the library tomorrow morning.
Sentence 3: Penny considers that such pastimes are puerile, but Jeff enjoys
engaging in them.
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Sentence 4: You can tell me whether the 9:30 train has left yet.
Sentence 5: The black pen that I accidentally left on the bus yesterday belonged
to my uncle’s sister.

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