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Gramática Generativa Práctica
Gramática Generativa Práctica
We are not much worse in America than people anywhere, but we are not
much better either, and our shared national moral life, and therefore the
destinies of countless others affected by our choices, hangs perpetually in a
kind of uneasy balance, slanted toward violence but checked by decency.
3. Provide the argument structure and the theta-grid of each of the predicates
in the following sentences:
It is quite unlikely that her husband will ever accept her terms because he is
rather envious of her success.
Hand your papers to the captain immediately!
Indisputably, the only unanswerable proof of the fact that the food was
unwholesome had been withdrawn.
4. Provide the argument structure and the theta-grid of each of the predicates
in the following sentence:
It was unexpectedly interesting to watch him write all those letters to
his friends.
5. What type (and subtype) of modality does each of the following sentences
express?
A. I will not be buried in this cemetery.
B. Keep an eye on him, will you?
C. He will leave his socks lying around all over the place, and it drives me mad.
D. You will probably already be a member of the government.
6. Which PREPOSITIONS in the following sentences are transitive and which are
intransitive?
A. Try that hat on for size.
TP: IP:
B. Lets talk about something else.
IP:
TP:
TP:
TP:
F. She shut the door after him in despair and lay down on the couch. TP:
IP:
7. Analyse the syntactic structure of the following sentence and provide its tree
diagram:
Sally never wanted to ask that stupid gardener to help us find the way.
4. Recast the following sentences using inversion. Keep the meaning of the
original sentences.
a) Despite her anxiety, Gillian managed to persuade her clients to moderate
their demands.
5. Recast the cleft sentences that you can identify in the following list into
acceptable pseudo-cleft sentences:
a) It is probable that the tourists may visit the art gallery this afternoon.
b) It must have been Pete that persuaded them to make amends.
c) It was coming closer and closer to a point that was directly above his head.
d) It was so windy that we had to stop next to the wall and wait.
e) It was a quarter to eleven when she finally rang her sister up.
a) The feature checking theory allows us to deal with the problem of how to
ensure that
I - complements carry semantic features which are compatible with
those of the head.
II - specifiers carry the appropriate features for a given type of
complement.
III - specifiers and complements carry the appropriate features for a given
type of head.
IV - complements carry the appropriate features for a given type of
derivation.
5. Recast the cleft sentences that you can identify in the following list into
acceptable pseudo-cleft sentences:
a) It is a decision that should be pondered upon before it is carried out.
b) It was very unusual that they should have chosen to read a letter right then.
c) It was still drizzling when we ran into Margarets daughter.
d) It was making the beds and doing the washing-up that she hated most.
e) It was freezing so hard that she didnt dare to walk out of the room.
1. Provide an example for each of the following statements which you consider
to be Descriptively Adequate for the English language:
A. The categorial identity of a word is based upon morphosyntactic evidence.
B. Infinitive particles take only uninflected base form of verbs as complement.
C. Non-finite clauses can have an overt subject.
D. Some intransitive prepositions permit an accusative pronoun as
complement.
E. Reciprocals must be c-commanded by an appropriate antecedent.
F. Polarity expressions are inherently restricted to occurring in non-assertive
contexts.
2. Provide the argument structure and the theta-grid of each of the predicates
in the following sentence:
It might be utterly horrifying to even attempt to see the birds we caught rip
each others flesh to death.
5. Recast the cleft sentences that you can identify into acceptable pseudo-cleft
sentences:
a) It was quite surprising that they should have chosen to say those words in
front of Mr. Jarret.
b) It was answering the phone and dealing with stubborn customers that she
hated most.
c) It may have been he that left the letters outside the box.
d) It was raining so hard that we didnt dare to drive to the next town.
e) It was freezing when we bumped into Josephs fiance.
f) It is a project that should be analysed very carefully before it is carried out.
4. Provide the argument structure and the theta-grid of each of the predicates
in the following sentence:
It was useless to expect the girl wed saved to do us such a favour, because
she had noticed that we were eager to take her home
5. Analyse the syntactic structure of the following sentences (provide their tree
diagrams):
a) Sally had always wanted the old lady to ask that stupid gardener to bring us
some flowers every morning.
b) Obviously, they considered it inappropriate to accept our offering right then.
3. Provide the argument structure and the -grid of each of the predicates in
the following sentence:
It was pointless to expect the woman wed met at the cemetery to do
us such a favour.
5. Provide two different paraphrases of the following statement: She plays the
harpsichord expressing:
- absence of obligation in the past
- negative logical necessity in the present continuous progressive
form
3. Provide the argument structure and the -grid of each of the predicates in
the following sentence:
The girl Id sent my regards to didnt notice that we were eager to
take the baby home.
1. Read the following sentence carefully and analyse the argument structure of
each of the predicates it contains:
Fiona may have found it impossible to expect Albert to bring her the parcel in
such a bad weather.
3. Provide:
a) 2 sentences exemplifying 2 different uses of the Simple Present tense,
conveying different aspectual meaning in each case.
b) 2 sentences exemplifying 2 different uses of the Present Continuous
Progressive tense, conveying different aspectual meaning in each case.
c) 1 sentence including a Reduced Noun Clause functioning as complement to a
transitive verb.
a) Presumably, the strict headmistress would have liked the teachers to have
all helped her design the annual syllabus with a higher degree of committment.
b) Who do you expect to call you?
c) Who do you expect to call?
3. Analyse the argument structure and the -grid of each of the predicates in
sentence (a) above.
4.
(1) Analyse the morphological structure of the underlined words
indicating: a) Processes of word formation; b) Category of stems and derived
words; c) Function of affixes.
(2) Identify the category of the words in bold. Provide
morphosyntactic evidence:
It was unthinkable for the two tired bricklayers to finish their work on time.
3. Analyse the argument structure and the -grid of each of the predicates in
sentence (a) above.
4.
(1) Analyse the morphological structure of the underlined words
indicating: a) Processes of word formation; b) Category of stems and derived
words; c) Function of affixes.
(2) Identify the category of the words in bold. Provide
morphosyntactic evidence:
It is unbelievable that the involved landlady could have taken a siesta after she
received such a shock.
1. Account for the difference in meaning of the modal auxiliaries in each of the
following pairs. State the type and subtype of modality expressed in all cases.
(1)
a. The back door must be locked so that burglars dont get in.
b. The back door must be locked because I cant open it.
(2)
a. Jill and Tom may not see each other any longer because Jills father
doesnt consider Tom reliable.
b. Jill and Tom may not see each other any longer because they
havent been seen together lately.
(3)
a. Should you make contact with the editor, tell him the documents
have already been sent.
b. Should we make contact with the editor if we want the paper
published?
2. Provide:
I. Two sentences in the Present Continuous Progressive form, expressing a
different aspectual value in each case.
II. Two examples of inversion triggered by negative or restrictive adverbial
expressions.
III. An example of a Reduced Adverbial Clause of Time.
3. Recast the cleft sentences you can identify in the following list into
acceptable pseudo-cleft sentences:
Its no use that we should try to wake him up.
It was still very early in the morning when I was informed about the accident.
It was not until I opened the door that I realised my house had been broken
into.
Although fear will paralyse them if they act impetously, they should try to
confirm our suspicion that the old lady sitting on the blue couch would
invariably communicate what Harris had expected to hear since he learnt that
the authorities had found the methodology we were fond of completely
inadequate.
The editors would have both liked me to allow them to publish some portions of
these sad Memoirs during my lifetime, but I prefer to speak from the depths of
my tomb. The voices of my narrative will appear in every human soul.
a. The editors would have both liked me to allow them to publish some portions
of these sad Memoirs during my lifetime. (45 marks)
b. What will those ambitious politicians try to do for money? (15 marks)
(a) analyse the argument structure of each of the predicates it contains. (20
marks)
(b) analyse their syntactic configuration by means of an X-bar theory tree
diagram. (40 and 12 marks)
(c) analyse the underlined words indicating: i) Morphological structure; ii)
Processes of word formation; iii) Category of stems and derived words. (4
marks)
Fred does not expect the girls from the pub to have all remained at the lab in
order to show him the results of their latest research.
What do you want Alice to tell me?
2. Read the following statements carefully. Say whether they are TRUE or
FALSE. Correct the ones which you find to be FALSE. Justify all your choices by
means of EXAMPLES. (24 marks)
a) Although Mary had told the women to relax, she panicked at the thought
that they would both be wondering what would happen when they came to the
barred room they had been sent to.
b) Throughout this, Vargas, our beloved leader, brilliantly adopted a policy of
watchful waiting, which he executed by bravely standing by the fireplace where
cedar logs burnt.
3. Provide:
a) Analyse the argument structure and theta roles of the predicates underlined
in the following paragraph, stating verb types in each case.
While Aesop worked indoors, Master Yehudi and I spent our days in the fields. In
a fit of optimism after his arrival, he'd announced to us at dinner that he
wouldn't be planting any crops that year. There was a general rejoicing over
this new policy. The tide had turned after my breakthrough and Master Yehudi
was so confident that he would let the farm go to hell.
II. Analyse the syntactic structure of the following sentences by means of X-bar
theory tree diagrams.
a) By that time, the furious union leaders will have all urged the authorities to
take measures to persuade the hungry people to come to an agreement.
b) Do you wish your parents to lend you their car to go to the party?
III. Account for the (un)grammaticality of the following sentence in terms of Ccommand. If the sentence is ungrammatical, provide a grammatical
counterpart:
I.
II.
III.
2. State whether the verbs underlined are one, two or three-place predicates.
Specify which verb types they belong to. (24 marks)
After long hours of suffering, the ropes that held me were loosened, and I was
allowed to sit. I felt that my senses were leaving me. I heard the judges say
that I would die; these were the last sounds to reach my ears, and then the
voices disappeared. I saw the black clothes of the officials. The white lips of the
judges moved they were of course ordering the executioner the details of my
death and I trembled because I could hear nothing.
I. Trying to understand her reasons for leaving him, I could only gather some
sentences to persuade my disappointed brother to forget her.
II. Which boy did they all expect to ask them to dance?
1. Analyse the syntactic structure of the following sentence by means of an Xbar theory tree diagram:
2. Analyse the aspectual value of the verbs underlined in the sentence above.
3. Identify and describe all the instances of modal meaning in the following
paragraph. State the type and subtype of modality expressed in each case.
3.
Diagnosed early enough for treatment to take effect,
measles is not a dangerous illness.
4.
Hardly had the two strangers arrived when the majority of
the guests departed.
5.
unnerving.
6.
Not wanting to get sunburnt, the shade of the parasol
looked like an oasis to me.
7.
It was not until I opened the window that I realised my flat
had been broken into.
Sally would not have liked the old lady to persuade that quarrelsome gardener
to take the blooming roses into a separate flower bed.
Read the following paragraph taken from Ayn Rands novel Atlas Shrugged,
and:
a. Identify the aspectual value of each of the expressions containing an
underlined verb. (28 marks)
b. Find and describe any instance of modality in the text. (12 marks)
c. Identify: (1) a Contact Declarative Noun Clause; (2) a Free Relative/Adverbial
Clause of Time; (3) a Root Interrogative Clause; (4) a Defining Relative Clause;
and (5) a Pseudo-Cleft Sentence. (30 marks)
d. Represent the syntax of the sentence in italics by means of an x-bar theory
tree diagram. (30 marks)
I wish I could tell you what I feel when I see the face of the woman who has
always inspired me to make even greater efforts. But you cant have turned up
here to hear that. Thats not what youve come here for.
She said: I came here to ask you a question: when you told those
reporters that you had gone to New York to witness the farce, which farce were
you talking about?
He laughed aloud, like a man who seldom finds a chance to enjoy the
unexpected.
Thats what I like about you, Dagny. There are seven million people in
New York, at present. Out of seven million people, you are the only one to
whom it could have occurred that I was talking about the Vail divorce scandal.
I expected that the trainees would behave as if they were at the lab
helping us with our latest research.
2. Provide the argument structure and the -grid of the underlined predicates
in the following sentences:
When Cornelia appeared between the hanging clothes and looked down at me
with a cruel smirk on her face, I wanted to slap her as I had the first day I had
come to work at the house.
3. Indicate whether the following statements are true or false (account for your
choice in each case by means of an example or a tree diagram):
A. ECM subjects always have nominative case features.
B. Floating quantifiers must remain stranded in the specifier position
of the VP where they have originated.
C. Suitable antecedents must always be c-commanded by reciprocal
or reflexive pronouns.
From the moment our daughter emerged, we didnt have to pretend she was
Mrs McNeils niece. She was a kinder, softer, feminized version almost
entirely of me, and I was not going to give her up. Good Lord. Where Karens
genes may have been put, we shouldnt wonder. Karen went through the birth
with just a flicker of higher brain function, which we must all have secretly been
prying for. And {although Mrs McNeil still thought of how she would handle her
new motherhood, she had almost completely forgotten Karen the moment
she pressed her nose against the glass wall of the nursery window}. Before we
realised, she was hugging the baby tight in her arms and wouldnt let go of her.
3. Identify the cleft sentence/s and recast them into acceptable pseudo-cleft
ones if possible.
a. It was I, for some reason, who felt differently about him.
b. It is no wonder that the editors should have rejected her manuscript.
c. It must have been while we were playing in the attic that Cornelia hid my
comb.
d. It was a trick of the devil, or something Catholic I did not understand.
Ive never cared about audiences, van Ruijven announced, but I should be
pleased to be in the painting. I will play the lute. After a pause, he added, I
want her in it too. I did not have to look at him to know he had gestured at me.
While van Ruijvens wife remained oblivious, my master noted everything.
(When I served him, he searched my face as if he were looking for the answer
to how a simple maid could cause so much trouble.) He did not want me to
speak. I wondered why they had asked me upstairs at all when they were so
afraid of what I might say. Catharina, you must not get yourself into a state,
he whispered to me. Van Ruijven will take the painting away as soon as it
dries, and you can put it from your mind.
3. Identify the cleft sentence/s and recast them into acceptable pseudo-cleft
ones if possible.
1. It was their limousine that Miss Brown had rented in order to drive her to the
Cathedral.
2. It was picking up her masters things and putting them back in place that
annoyed Catharina most.
3. It was widely known that Catharina used salt too sparingly.
4. I though it must have been Catharina who wanted many children, not her
husband.
It was useless to expect Melpomenus Jones, who would never lie, to find the
courage to tell his guests to let him go.
3. Indicate whether the following statements are true or false (account for your
choice in each case by means of an example or a tree diagram).
The veterans were always coming out with funny anecdotes about characters
theyd met on trips to White Mansion; but they hardly ever mentioned students
who, right up until just before wed arrived, must have been their friends.
Another thing I noticed and I could see it tied in was the big hush that would
descend around certain veterans when they went off on courses which even
we knew had to do with becoming carers. [After they had been away for a
couple of days, when they finally arrived at the Cottages, we remained silent
because we all knew they would not utter a word about it even if we tried to
persuade them to share their secret with us]. I suppose they might have talked
to their closest friends for it was quite unlikely that they could put up with such
heavy weight on their shoulders for long. Now, how long could we wait until
someone eventually told us when we should pack our stuff to leave the
Cottages for good?
a. If Kath had known what would happen to them at the Cottages, she would
have objected to it from the start.
b. The veterans hardly ever mentioned students who must have been their
friends.
c. They would not utter a word about the courses even if we tried to
persuade them to do so.
d. We felt supported at the Cottages; life was extremely hard there, though.
3. Identify the cleft sentence/s and recast them into acceptable pseudo-cleft
ones if possible.
a. It was quite unlikely that they could put up with such heavy weight on their
shoulders.
b. It was the big hush that descended around the veterans that struck us as
unusual.
c. It wasnt long before we were told to pack our stuff and leave.
d. It was a secret that they wouldnt share with us.
e. It might have been their closest friends that they talked to.
Between Regent Street and New Bond Street is a little region that is curiously
quiet. It does not seem as if anything is being sold in this part of the world.
Whatever the season, no Sales are held there.
3. Indicate whether the following statements are true or false (15 marks):
(account for your choice in each case by means of an example, or a tree
diagram)
a. Which suit did the tailor persuade the old woman to wear on that special
occasion? (20 marks)
b. The creative dress makers may all have wanted their customers to wear the
best clothes to go to such posh party. (25 marks)
3. Identify the cleft sentence/s and recast them into acceptable pseudo-cleft
ones if possible. (6 marks)
a. It was Gatsby who, for some reason, felt differently about people.
b. It is no wonder that Gatsby would be unjustly accused of being a politician
because of his reserved nature.
c. It must have been while they were talking in the pub that Gatsby became
aware of how important his fathers advice would be all throughout his life.
d. It was a trick of the devil, or something that Gatsby did not understand.
Indicate whether the following statements are true or false (account for your
choice in each case by means of an example or a tree diagram)
Non-finite clauses always have covert PRO subjects.
1-
a)
Identify the aspectual value of the expressions containing a verb in
italics.
b)
c)
Identify three different subordinate clauses. Specify their types and
syntactic distribution.
d)
Represent the syntax of the bracketed sentences by means of x-bar
theory tree diagrams.
MONEY MATTERS
{How much money does anyone need when they feel they can go through life
with a spring in their step?}
How had could it be to live on your wits in London for the day? Hermione Eyre
left home one sunny morning without a care in the world-or a penny in her
purse
I step out of the front door into a bright morning. I ve left my cash, credit card,
wallet and phone on my bed and emptied my pockets of loose money. All I have
is a warm scarf snd a springy step. Im oof to try my luck on the streets of
London for a day. On this fine morning, I feel that I must entrust myself to the
charity of those who live in this city. {I hope that they will show sympathy for a
person who doesnt have the looks of a beggar}, but who is one in fact. First
objective: I have to get some breakfast. I trot into my local caf, which I
probably visit every other morning. Its a fashionable little place specializing in
high quality pastry. They cant welcome a scrounger like myself, I think. Yet, I
decide to go in and see what happens.
2-
a)
If they hadnt recognized Hermione, they would have sent her off the
local caf.
b)
The very moment Hermione left home without a penny in her purse, she
realized that what awaited her wouldnt be any easy.
c)
Hermione knew little how unfriendly people could turn out to be when
they encounter a scrounger.
d)
The people in the local caf will not let anybody leave without paying
under any circumstances.
3Say whether the following statements are true or false. Justify your
answers in every case by means of an example or a tree diagram.
a)
Defining and non-defining Relative clauses merge as adjuncts to NP and
DP respectively.
b)
c)
d)
4Identify the cleft sentence/s and recast them into acceptable pseudo-cleft
ones if possible.
a)
It was Miss Eyre that left her home one morning without a penny to try
her luck.
b)
c)
d)
e)
It wasnt because she didnt have any financial problems that she
decided to live as a derelict for one day.
f)