A Workbook to Communicative Grammar of English (13 page)
Read A Workbook to Communicative Grammar of English Online
Authors: Dr. Edward Woods,Rudy Coppieters
2.
We were rather
amused
to hear that Ms Upstart had been demoted.
3.
I shall always be grateful to my truly
devoted
parents.
4.
The story of the Holy Grail is still
fascinating
people all over the world.
5.
I was terrified to go there and also very
ashamed
of myself.
6.
The Little Mermaid
turned out to be quite a
moving
film.
7.
The signals coming from Brussels are
encouraging
.
8.
If you’re that
worried
about your health, go and see a doctor.
9.
You will be
astonished
by the detail and depth of our reports
describing
access to the site.
10.
The purchase of new computer hardware is always a
daunting
task, with so many guides and experts
bewildering
us with technical jargon.
11.
I was
informed
of Ms Dando’s murder by my mother, and was absolutely
flabbergasted
as to why such a thing could happen.
12.
The Education Secretary became
incensed
when he read the
scathing
criticism
voiced
by a number of headmasters in
The Times
.
Task five **
Restore the following extract to its original form by filling the blanks with one of the adjectives listed below. Each adjective should be used only once.
dressed | former | oily | plastic | prickly | rear | sharp |
spongy | squeaky | sure | towering | useful | wiry | working |
A
LASKA
: O
IL
’
S
G
ROUND
Z
ERO
If you want somebody to fly you over the ____________ peaks of the Brooks Range and drop you onto the ____________ tundra of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Dirk Nickisch is your man. Dirk is a ____________ rodeo rider and crop-duster, a ____________ fellow with ____________ eyes and ____________ whiskers whom some in his home state of North Dakota have likened to a coyote. He meets clients at a gravel airstrip in a Gwich’in Indian village just south of the range. ____________ in ____________ pants and a baseball cap, he kicks the tires on his 1952 single-prop de Havilland Beaver, shoulders the ____________ rudder back and forth to be ____________ it’s still in ____________ order and tells you, if you ask him, that he reckons his Pratt & Whitney engine has been overhauled “a few times”. He doesn’t have much time for people who stand around asking questions without making themselves ____________, however. So he rolls four ____________ barrels of fuel under the plane and puts you to work with a hose and a ____________ hand pump.
(from
Newsweek
, 13 August 2001, p. 38)
Most adverbs in English are derived from adjectives by the addition of -
ly
, but there are some which do not end in -
ly
. These words can be used both as adjectives and adverbs.
An adjective is used after verbs of the senses. Here we consider the adjective to be a complement, not an adverbial.
The difference between an adverb form and an adjective form does not always involve a difference in meaning. The form without -
ly
tends to be more informal and is especially common in comparative and superlative constructions.
Task one **
Complete the following sentences, using an
adjective
OR a
corresponding adverb ending in -
ly
related to the noun or verb in brackets.
1.
Stung by so much criticism, the PM reacted very (anger) _______________.
2.
After the confrontation the headmaster felt extremely (anger) _______________.
3.
Most of the young recruits looked very (courage) ____________.
4.
The two frail women had behaved (courage) _____________.
5.
It all sounds (marvel) ___________________, doesn’t it?
6.
This (marvel) ___________________ executed story captures the spirit of the series perfectly.
7.
It was a (delicacy) ______________________ creamy soup.
8.
The local food tastes (delicacy) ______________________.
9.
That type of weakness is considered (fate) _______________ by most neutral observers.
10.
Two firefighters were (fate) _______________ injured in the explosion.
11.
Later that afternoon the sky turned (haze) ________________.
12.
The victim remembered the events only (haze) ________________.
Task two **
Add the most appropriate of the adverbs listed below, using the base form OR the form ending in -
ly
. Each form should be used only once.
bare(ly) | close(ly) | direct(ly) | hard(ly) | high(ly) |
late(ly) | loud(ly) and clear(ly) | right(ly) | short(ly) | strong(ly) |
1.
Does this train go to London ______________ or via Canterbury?
2.
The Queen praised _____________ what had already been achieved.
3.
With your help, one day I might come _______________ to being ‘perfect’.
4.
The landscape was stripped _______________ after the civil war.
5.
Professor Appleby’s untimely death cut _______________ his brilliant career.
6.
There have been more and more signs of unrest _______________.
7.
Due to fog I could _______________ make out the contours of the ferry.
8.
Mrs Curry is in her late eighties and still going ___________.
9.
Regular troops were involved ______________ in the attack.
10.
Captain Cook, I have received your message _________________.
11.
I’m not in town now but I will be ______________.
12.
The eagle was flying _________________ over the mountains.
13.
Having worked _____________ all his life, the builder decided to retire at last.
14.
There is no question: the chairman expressed himself ____________________.
15.
We are already behind schedule, so we will arrive ___________.
16.
The two brothers __________________ resembled each other.
17.
The two rapists have ________________ been punished for what they did.
18.
The football fans are so disciplined that there is ____________ any need for a police presence.
19.
The redecorated rooms smelled ________________ of paint.
20.
The Internet Keyword brings you _______________ back here.
Some adjectives can be heads of noun phrases and have generic reference:
•
adjectives denoting a class of people
, including some nationality adjectives (plural):
the English
•
adjectives denoting an abstract quality (singular)
:
the symbolical
Task one *
Use adjectives acting as heads of noun phrases to refer to the following classes of people.
1.
people who are out of work:
2.
people who have a physical handicap:
3.
people who are well-off:
4.
people who have great faith in God:
5.
people who are victims of oppression:
6.
people who have nowhere to live:
7.
inhabitants of Great Britain:
8.
inhabitants of Wales:
9.
inhabitants of Ireland:
10.
inhabitants of Spain:
11.
inhabitants of France:
12.
inhabitants of the Netherlands:
Task two ***
Complete the following sentences, using adjectives acting as heads of noun phrases to refer to the abstract qualities referred to by the phrases in brackets.
1.
Some people believe in ________________________.
(= things that are impossible to explain by natural causes)
2.
Why do some politicians keep stating ________________________?
(= things that are already clear to everyone)
3.
The name of Samuel Beckett is associated with the theatre of ___________________.
(= things that do not make sense at all)
4.
Police officers and firefighters did ______________________.
(= succeed in doing what an ordinary person cannot achieve)
5.
This type of extreme behaviour borders on __________________.
(= typical of people who belong in a mental hospital)
6.
Leave everything to me – I’ll do ____________________.
(= whatever is required under the circumstances)
7.
_____________________ has captivated me over __________________ as long as I can recall.
(= things that endure for ever vs things that do not)
8.
On 11 September 2001 _________________________ happened.
(= something that nobody can accept or even imagine)
Adjectives can have different types of complement, such as
• | I feel very sorry |
• | Everybody’s pleased |
• | I’m glad |
Task one **
Complete the following sentences, adding the appropriate prepositions.
1.
Most of Europe is still dependent _______ oil from the Middle East.
2.
More and more women are financially independent _______ their husbands.
3.
The starving stowaway was impatient _______ his first meal in five days.
4.
Teachers are very impatient _______ students who don’t understand the basics of mathematics.
5.
Kenneth has been deeply involved _______ a younger colleague for some time.
6.
Several companies are involved _______ producing the Airbus.
7.
Even in the face of adversity most of the aid workers remained true _______ their ideals.
8.
What you were saying about Germany is also true _______ Austria.
9.
General Swordfish was furious _______ his chief-of-staff because of his improper behaviour.
10.
Karen was furious _______ being told she might be sacked.
11.
Some emancipated men are still not very keen _______ cooking.
12.
People eager _______ a quick cure are likely to be disappointed.
Task two **
Expand each of the following sentences by adding an introductory clause such as
I am/was
+
adjective
or
it is/was
+
adjective
, using an adjective related to the noun or verb in brackets. In some cases both patterns are possible, as in
The watch continued to work without any problems. (amaze) | ||
⇒ | (a) | I was amazed |
(b) | It was amazing |
1.
So many people are using drugs these days. (shock)
2.
The government should form a Royal Commission. (essence)
3.
You are offering me this unique opportunity. (gratitude)
4.
I had helped in the attempt to fight poverty. (pride)
5.
We have not learned any lessons from this bloody conflict. (shame)
6.
Titanic
beat
Star Wars
at the box office. (outrage)
7.
The scheme will be very successful. (confidence)
8.
Mr Welsh offers useful advice on how to deal with the war on drugs. (no surprise)
9.
Peter tried to deny the gravity of the problem. (alarm)
10.
I was watching another movie altogether. (convince)
11.
We should move forward in positive and productive ways. (evidence)
12.
I will begin to get some real answers at last. (hope)
