A Workbook to Communicative Grammar of English (12 page)
Read A Workbook to Communicative Grammar of English Online
Authors: Dr. Edward Woods,Rudy Coppieters
4.
All the letters (be delivered) __________________ by the end of this week.
5.
Robin (jump) ___________________, but Alice tried to stop him, so he didn’t.
6.
Indiana Jones’s best partner had died and (never see) __________________ those he cherished dearly.
7.
Richard (come) __________________ but he fell asleep while Clare was taking a shower.
8.
It had been a dreadful experience, which __________________ haunt the victims for the rest of their lives.
9.
By the time you (read) _________________ this sentence, someone (die) _______________ somewhere.
10.
The little boy looked as though he (cry) __________________, but when I picked him up he smiled at me.
11.
The disgruntled lawyer wrote a vicious letter, which he (regret) __________________ for the rest of his life.
12.
We (just leave) __________________ the building when it began to rain.
At least 26 common meanings can be expressed through tense and aspect. They relate to:
•
time
: (a) present – (b) past – (c) future
•
type of ‘happening’
: (1) single event – (2) state – (3) habit – (4) temporary state or event – (5) temporary habit
•
a variety of other factors
such as definiteness, anteriority, anticipation, etc.
Task one **
Identify the (non-modal) finite verb phrases in the following text, specifying
(a) | which combination of tense and aspect category they exemplify |
(b) | which of the 26 meanings listed in |
Example:
Despite the recession, Americans
have been spending
lots of money
.
⇒
(a) present perfect progressive
(b) 6 (
=
temporary habit up to present time)
C
HINESE
E
XPORTS
During holidays or on weekends, the Lo Wu border crossing between Hong Kong and the mainland Chinese city of Shenzen resembles a churning ocean, with stranded travellers milling together in queues that stretch to the horizon. Hong Kong officials are hoping the lines will soon grow even longer. Beginning this week, the border will stay open another half hour, until midnight each night. “We’re getting complaints,” says a senior Hong Kong security official. “The guards are saying they don’t even have time to eat their meals.” (…)
For years Beijing imposed strict restrictions on travel outside its borders. Into the early 1970s, until the Cultural Revolution ended, China was virtually sealed off from the rest of the world. (…) But as levels of affluence have risen – especially in the south, where GDP levels more than doubled between 1993 and 1998 – ordinary Chinese can now afford overseas trips, at the moment the country itself is seeking a greater role in the world. Having effectively abandoned its communist identity, Beijing is encouraging its newly affluent citizens to travel abroad. (…)
Asian countries have long seen China’s 1.4 billion people as a major potential source of tourist revenues. Now they are expected to pick up the slack from more traditional moneymakers. In the last two months, Japanese tourists have virtually stopped travelling outside their country. European and American arrivals are down by almost half in some places. At the same time, in Hong Kong the number of arrivals from China has risen more than 25 per cent. That represents more than chump change: mainland Chinese spend only slightly less per day ($625) than their American counterparts ($680).
(from
Newsweek
, 10 December 2001, pp. 42–43)
Task two ***
Complete the sentences in the following extracts, using the most appropriate combination of tense, aspect and voice (active vs passive).
1.
“When (you tell) _______________________ Mike you (leave) _________________ him?” Philippa asked.
“Next week,” I said. “When he (get) _________________ back from Yorkshire. You can keep it dark till then.”
“You (bet) _________________,” she said. “By the way, there (be) _________________ one of your Gilda Brent’s films on tomorrow, two p.m., you (be) _________________ at work, so (you want) _________________________ me to video it for you?”
(adapted from Barbara Vine,
The Brimstone Wedding
, p. 209)
2.
Acid rain, one of the greatest pollution scourges of the last decade, (rapidly reduce) ______________________ across Britain and Europe, a new official report (reveal) _________________. It (conclude) _________________ that the acidity of rainfall in Britain (cut) _________________ in half over the past 15 years and that acidified lakes in Scandinavia (begin) _________________ to recover in what (promise) _________________ to be one of the most remarkable environmental success stories on record.
(from
The Independent
, 30 December 2001)
3.
Why (the natives of the Amazon Rainforest live) ____________________________________ so long? The entire world (discover) _________________ the life extending and healing power of the Rainforest. Find out how you can too.
For thousands of years, the natives of the South American Rainforests (traditionally rely) ____________________________ on flowers, leaves, stems, barks and roots of various plant species. Many of these botanicals (use) _________________ to maintain and optimize health. (…)
“After a few months on the Amazon Rainforest herbs I (start) _________________ to feel the vitality of the Rainforest working in my body. I (not be) _____________________ sick since, not even a sniffle in well over a year. I (be) _________________ a believer.” (K.C.)
(adapted from
www.rainforest.amazon.net
)
4.
I (be) ________________ born in 1948 to parents who (be) _________________ absolutely devoted to each other. My sister, Janet, (be) _________________ two, and three more siblings (follow) _________________ me in quick succession – the last arriving just in time to be held by my father before he (pass) _________________ away. (…)
My father (be) _________________ a successful and talented musician, but he (spend) _________________ as much as he (earn) _________________, so as a family we (be) _________________ totally unprepared for his death. It (be) _________________ a non-stop struggle for my mother, who (love) _________________ him so very much that, to this day, no other man (ever feature) _________________ in her life. (…)
The loss of my father, coupled with the problems I (experience) _________________ at school, (turn) _________________ me into somewhat
of a rebel. I couldn’t understand why I (struggle) _________________ to read and write, while it (appear) _________________ to come naturally to everybody else. (…)
(from
Woman’s Weekly
, 23 October 2001, p. 12)
5.
The golden age of ocean travel is back and a cruise (constitute) _________________ a great holiday by itself. For those who (already travel) _________________ extensively it (be) _________________ a novel and exciting experience.
Our staff (recognize) _________________ that cruise travel management (require) _________________ exceptional product knowledge. Our cruise manager Alison S. (be) _________________ in the travel industry for 15 years and cruising (be) ________________ her special interest. Please email Alison and she (put) _________________ together something that you (never forget) _________________.
We (list) _________________ a small sample of the products available through
CRUISE TRAVELLER
. Please do not hesitate to let us know what your experience of cruises (be) _________________ . This way we can ensure that we (provide) _________________ our clients with the best products.
(adapted from
www.sydneyexpresstravel.com.au
)
Task three ***
Rewrite the following text, turning the dialogue into
indirect speech
as in the following exchange:
Ronald: | “How long have you been working on this building site?” |
Chris: | “Well, I started here two years ago but with some luck, I hope I’ll be able to move to another job in a couple of months.” |
Ronald asked Chris how long he had been working on that building site. Chris replied that he had started there two years before but that, with some luck, he hoped he would be able to move to another job a few months later
.
Vivien: | Pearl, you are a social worker running a project for single mothers. Is it possible for them to keep their babies? |
Pearl: | Well, in some parts of my country these women are still experiencing problems. The family often can’t feed an extra mouth, but I have found that if the woman and her baby get some support they are accepted into the family. |
Vivien: | What if they are not? |
Pearl: | The less fortunate women are told that there are support services at several refuges. Over two hundred single mothers have passed through them since 1998 and most are coping quite well on their own now. |
Vivien: | I imagine that in spite of all your efforts you don’t always reach those who need to be helped most. |
Pearl: | Oh, you’re absolutely right. I know dozens of women who have given up their babies but I feel sure their numbers will keep going down, as they have over the past few years. |
Adjectives
Here are four features of adjectives:
(i) | Most adjectives can be used attributively (before nouns) and predicatively (as complements of linking verbs) |
(ii) | Most adjectives can be modified by degree adverbs |
(iii) | Most adjectives have comparative and superlative forms |
(iv) | Many adjectives are derived from nouns and can be recognized by their endings. |
Task one **
Some of the adjectives in the following texts are used attributively, some are used predicatively. Arrange them in three groups according to whether they are normally used
(a) | attributively only |
(b) | predicatively only |
(c) | both attributively and predicatively. |
1.
It is quite obvious, according to the medical profession, that vegetable oil should be one of the chief ingredients of a healthy diet.
2.
Most people would consider Brian extremely lazy, but I think that’s sheer nonsense. The main thing about him is that he is a little clumsy at times and he is afraid to make an utter fool of himself.
3.
Tomorrow will be a mainly bright day, with skies over Scotland becoming cloudier in the afternoon and perhaps the odd shower mixed in towards late evening.
4.
Sandra had been feeling really ill for a week or so. Being a mere child, the girl feared she might be suffering from a deadly disease, but in the
end she made a complete recovery and now she is alive and kicking again.
5.
I thought Linda had already fallen asleep but in fact she was still wide awake, trying to come to terms with the shocking events of the day. The live pictures on TV had made it abundantly clear to her that the heinous crimes perpetrated by evil minds should not go unpunished.
Task two *
Underline in the above texts any degree adverbs premodifying an attributive or a predicative adjective.
Task three ***
State the difference in meaning between the two versions of the following sentences, using synonymous expressions or paraphrases.
1.
Social workers had to counsel
(a) | the concerned parents |
(b) | the parents concerned. |
2.
I want you to meet
(a) | the present members of the board |
(b) | the members of the board present. |
3.
The bathroom is
(a) | five square metres |
(b) | five metres square. |
4.
Several mathematicians offered to deal with
(a) | the involved calculations |
(b) | the calculations involved. |
5. | (a) | Everything is still in its proper place. |
(b) | Some Londoners do not live in London proper. |
Task four ***
Determine whether the -
ing
and -
ed
forms in the following sentences are (a) adjectives or (b) participles, justifying your decision.
Examples:
We were very
pleased
to be invited by the Lord Mayor
.
⇒ (participial) adjective, cf premodifying degree adverb
Although
admired
by many, the author does not give interviews
.
⇒ (past) participle, cf the by-agent (= signals the passive).
1.
I don’t want you
worrying
about me all the time.
