English Grammar

A University Course

Third Edition

Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Describing Persons, Things and Circumstances (Explanatory material)

  • 11.51.1 Write the symbolic structure for each adjectival group in the examples given.
  • 11.51.1 (2) ! Brain-teaser: When could you answer a question about something by saying ‘It’s early days’? (mainly in spoken English)
  • 11.51.2 Combine each of the suffixes with a noun, verb or other adjective listed here.
  • 11.51.3 Go to the text on page from The Review and say whether the word or words preceding each noun can be analysed as adjectives or if not, as premodifiers.
  • 11.52.1 Say which of the following adjectives take the inflected forms (-er, -est) and which the analytical (more, most).
  • 11.52.2 Say which of the adjectives as used in the following phrases can be graded.
  • 11.52.3 Insert one of the following adverbs as modifier of an adjective in the list.
  • 11.53.1 Insert one of the adjectives listed and a complementiser (that, whether, why, how or to-inf.) to complete each complement clause. (Use the subjunctive where necessary.)
  • 11.53.2 Insert the correct preposition and/or verb form after the adjective.
  • 11.53.2(2) ! Brain-teaser: Why don’t the adverbs barely, hardly and scarcely correspond in meaning to the adjectives bare, hard and scarce? Are they the only ones of this kind?
  • 11.54.1 Which of the following words can function as both adjective and adverb. Give examples: Hard, tough, pretty, clear, fast, slow, quiet, early, late.
  • 11.54.2 Insert the following adverbs of place, time, stance and frequency in all their possible positions in the sentence: For initial position insert 1, medial position 2, end position 3. (NB Medial position is after an auxiliary and before the main verb, except for be.)
  • 11.54.3 Rewrite the following sentences with the necessary inversions.
  • 11.55.1 Complete the sentences with still, yet, not yet, already, no longer.
  • 11.55.2 Insert so before the adverb or adjective; select a suitable adjective or to-inf. clause after as to.
  • 11.55.3 Insert so, as above, but then complete the that-clause after the adverb.
  • 11.55.4 Idiomatic grammatical and lexical expressions with adverbs and adjectives: When would you say each one of these phrases? Match the ‘When’ answers to the phrases.
  • 11.55.4(2) ! Brain-teaser: How is it we can say ‘now then’ to someone? What about ‘every now and then’?