A Workbook to Communicative Grammar of English (17 page)
Read A Workbook to Communicative Grammar of English Online
Authors: Dr. Edward Woods,Rudy Coppieters
6.
You can get a beer at the pub
when you turn
the corner.
7.
Hurricane Hugo caused extensive damage
in all the countries of
Central America.
8.
There was a strong police presence
in every single
place.
9.
Some of the terrorists
have left
the country already.
10.
Susan will
have left
home for good next week.
Task two **
Complete the following sentences, using one of the prepositions listed below:
along | amid | behind | below | beneath | beyond |
into | on top of | out of | over | past | under |
1.
Don’t criticize the PM: his behaviour was ________ reproach.
2.
It is morally indefensible to drive ________ the influence.
3.
Whoever was ________ the bombing should get a life sentence.
4.
Sadly, education in some developing countries is still ________ standard.
5.
I looked up all the unfamiliar words ________ curiosity.
6.
Susan’s silly remarks made me fly ________ a temper.
7.
We should aim for some uniformity and therefore work ________ the same lines.
8.
Ms Owen may be ________ her prime but she is still very attractive.
9.
After all his recent successes Basil felt ________ the world.
10.
Essential duties were neglected ________ all the confusion.
11.
Some people were so angry that they lost control ________ their feelings.
12.
Tristan considered such a menial job ________ his dignity.
Task three ***
Replace the verb and its object by an alternative verb followed by a prepositional adverb.
Example:
The strikers
left the workplace
.
⇒
The strikers
walked out
.
1.
We all
entered the house
.
2.
Our yacht
crossed the lake
.
3.
The truck
left the car park
.
4.
A stranger
approached me
all of a sudden.
5.
Several people
left their flats
to live somewhere else.
6.
We
continued our cycle tour
.
7.
Richard
paid a casual visit
this afternoon.
8.
The couple
ended their relationship
after ten years of marriage.
Distance can be expressed by noun phrases of measure such as
a foot
and
a long way
. These phrases can modify a verb of motion (He ran
several kilometres
) or precede and modify an adverbial of place (they live
a long way away
).
Task **
Complete the following sentences by adding the most appropriate noun phrase:
about two hundred yards from here | a few hundred yards |
a hundred feet above our heads | five thousand feet below |
just inches from my head | miles away |
six hundred miles | thousands of miles |
thousands of miles away | two inches |
1.
My parents live near Manchester and my sisters in Canada, which is __________________.
2.
Most aeroplanes can fly __________________ without needing to refuel.
3.
The newsagent’s is further down the road, _______________.
4.
From the summit of Mont Blanc, I gazed into the valley _________________.
5.
Last summer I cycled __________________ in ten days.
6.
I had been walking uphill only ______________ when I was already out of breath.
7.
Two bullets perforated the windscreen of my car, _____________.
8.
A kite was flying ________________.
9.
The explosion at the steel works could be heard ______________.
10.
Water levels have dropped ________________ since it stopped raining.
7.14. Manner, means and instrument
Adverbials of manner, means and instrument specify how an action is performed or how an event takes place. They usually have end-position, but in passive sentences mid-position is also possible: The point was put
well
./The point was
well
put.
•
Manner
is expressed by adverbs, adverb phrases or prepositional phrases: (to speak)
(very) confidently, in a confident manner/way, with confidence
. Manner is sometimes combined with comparison: (to play
) like/as an actor/as if one were an actor
•
Means
is typically expressed by a phrase introduced by the preposition
by
:
by car, by the gate
•
Instrument
is typically expressed by a phrase introduced by the preposition
with
or
without
:
with a key
/
without (using) a key
.
Task one **
Identify the adverbials of manner and means in the following texts, classifying them on the basis of grammatical structure.
1.
Drive extremely carefully when the roads are icy. Avoid sudden actions as these could cause a skid. You should
•
Drive at a slow speed in as high a gear as possible; accelerate and brake very gently
•
Drive particularly slowly on bends where skids are more likely. Brake progressively on the straight before you reach a bend. Having slowed down, steer smoothly round the bend, avoiding sudden actions
•
Check your grip on the road surface when there is snow or ice by choosing a safe place to brake gently. If the steering feels unresponsive this may indicate ice and your vehicle losing its grip on the road. When travelling on ice, tyres make virtually no noise.
(from
The Highway Code
, §206)
2.
Unlike the man before her she moves like a soldier, at a fast cat-like crouch, weaving and ducking and using the river bed for cover.
(from Michael Palin,
Full Circle
, p. 293)
Task two **
Complete the following sentences by adding an adverbial of manner, means or instrument on the basis of the noun phrase in brackets. In some cases two or three different forms are acceptable.
1.
The trade unions protested against the government’s measures. (vigour)
2.
The new proposal was received. (enthusiasm).
3.
The losing team fought back. (courage)
4.
The local tribes were treated. (cruelty and injustice)
5.
I was dressing the patient’s wounds. (a qualified nurse)
6.
Mr Pym was behaving towards the new trainee. (a sixteen-year-old)
7.
The front gate was locked, so I tried to get in. (the backdoor)
8.
Fortunately, we were able to communicate. (mobile phone)
9.
The employers sought to win over the workers. (a pay rise)
10.
Why don’t we resolve the problem? (a change of tactics)
11.
The burglars knocked the night porter unconscious. (a baseball bat)
12.
We cannot reduce the flood risk. (proper sea defences)
Task three **
Fill the gaps in the following sentences, adding the most appropriate of the adverbials listed below:
as if it were your last day on earth | by a perilously slim extending ladder |
by road or by rail | by sounding your horn |
by the path we always used | by the use of symbols |
clearly and accurately | like an Arctic explorer |
so slowly | using an old-fashioned fountain pen |
with a crowbar | with a little piece of rope for support |
with fond approval | with great difficulty |
1.
Susan had been writing a letter, _______________.
2.
I only managed to get leave of absence _______________.
3.
We got down to the beach _______________.
4.
Time passes _______________ when you are waiting.
5.
The burglar forced open the greenhouse _______________.
6.
Jonathan’s bride watched over him _______________.
7.
You can travel on public transport between cities ____________.
8.
When morning came, I was dressed _______________ and still shivering.
9.
Live each day _______________.
10.
Do not scare animals _______________.
11.
We boarded the plane _______________, _______________.
12.
This vast amount of detail can only be conveyed _______________ _______________.
Task one **
Complete the paragraph below by putting in the appropriate preposition.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes is described ………..(1)……….. the Guinness Book of Records as “the world’s greatest living explorer”. Born ………..(2)……….. 1944 and educated ………..(3)……….. Eton, he served ………..(4)……….. the SAS ………..(5)……….. embarking ………..(6)……….. a series ………..(7)……….. record-breaking Arctic, Antarctic and desert explorations. ………..(8)……….. 1979 and 1982 he and fellow explorer Charles Burton became the first men to reach both Poles and circumnavigate the Earth ………..(9)……….. its polar axis. ………..(10)……….. 1986 he broke the record ………..(11)……….. getting ………..(12)……….. the North Pole unsupported. ………..(13)……….. 1993 he achieved the first unsupported crossing ………..(14)……….. the Antarctic, the longest such polar journey ………..(15)……….. history, 1,345 miles. A year ago he attempted the first unassisted polar trek ………..(16)……….. the North Pole,
abandoned when his sledge slid ………..(17)……….. the Arctic Ocean. Frostbite cost him a thumb and the tops of four fingers. Sir Ranulph’s adventures have raised more than £6 million ………..(18)……….. charity. After writing several books ………..(19)……….. them, he has now published his first thriller. ………..(20)……….. his wife ………..(21)……….. 31 years, Virginia, he runs a Somerset farm ………..(22)……….. 100 sheep and 200 Aberdeen Angus cattle. ………..(23)……….. there, this flamboyant hero told us ………..(24)……….. his own special hero.
(from
SAGA Magazine
, February 2002, p. 45)
Task two **
In the sentences below state whether the words underlined are
prepositions
(P) or
prepositional adverbs
(PA).
1.
These are the books I paid
for
. Not those.
2.
We’ll walk
down
.
3.
It was a very steep hill and we had to climb
up
. There was no other way.
4.
Don’t stand too
near
!
5.
Should I put more salt
in
?
6.
I looked
up
and there he was.
7.
Which shop did you go
into
?
8.
I don’t know what he’s looking
for
.
9.
It didn’t look a very interesting town. We just drove
through
.
10.
He’s not someone I’d work
with
.
Time adverbials in end-position tend to occur in the order duration + frequency + time–when:
– I used to swim
for an hour or so every day when I was a child
.
When various semantic types of adverbials occur in end-position, the normal order is manner/means/instrument + place + time:
– I was walking
quietly across the lawn that evening
.
When two time or two place adverbials occur together, the more specific one tends to come first.
However, long adverbials of any type often come at the very end of the sentence.
Task **
Arrange the adverbials in brackets in the most appropriate order.
1.
Some scientists believe that palm trees will be growing (in fifty years; in Iceland).
2.
We moved together (at the front of the building; into the small colonial room).
3.
Laura was sitting (in an armchair; with a magazine in her lap).
4.
I found this (among the boulders; by the tower).
5.
I tapped (at ten past four; on Stella’s door).
6.
The couple had travelled (on the Transsiberian Express; eastward).
