PRACTICE MATERIAL.

TOPIC 2

THE MORPHOLOGY OF THE ENGLISH VERB

I. Look at the following lists of adjectives and nouns. Put the corresponding
verb in the space provided.
Adjective Verb Noun Verb
different

differentiate

economy

economize
national

nat
ion
aliz
e

frie
nd

be-
frie
nd

wide
widen

fantasy
fantasize
hard
harden

horror
horrify
modern modernize
memory memorize
deep deepen
 beauty
beautify
intense intensify
sympathy
sympathize
false falsify
apology
apologize
short
shorten

light

lighten/light
fat fatten
glory
glorify
sterile
sterilize

length
lengthen

II. Comment on the spelling, phonological realization, morphological features

and (ir)regularity of the following forms.

Watches: Stem (wear) + present with gender subject; 3rd person (es).
Addition of –e. Regular verb.
Worn: Stem (wear) + past participle form (ed 2). Irregular verb (back vowel
formation)
Rang: Stem (ring) + past simple/participle (ed 1, ed2). Irregular verb (back vowel
formation)
Trafficking: Stem (traffic) + present participle (-ing form). Special doubling  verbs
ending in –c with hard pronunciation double the final –c as a –k. Regular verb
Admitted: Stem (admit) + past simple/participle (ed 1, ed2). Pronunciation as /id/
because the verb ends in /t/ and doubling (c+v+c) ** more rules. Regular verb.
Shown: Stem (show) + past participle (ed 2). Irregular verb (–n suffix in the base)
Hidden: Stem (hide) + past participle (ed 2). Doubling, consonant reduction (hide
hid) and –en suffix form of the base of the past simple. Irregular verb (back vowel
[examen]
formation, vowel shortening).
Travelled: Stem (travel) + past simple/participle (ed 1, ed2). Doubling. Regular verb.
III. Give the past simple and the past participle forms of the following verbs
and state the type of irregularities according to Palmer’s criteria.

Dwell: dwelt, dwelt  devoicing Win: won, won  back vowel

Sweep: swept, swept  Vowel
shortening
Cut: cut, cut  Consonant reduction
Feel: felt, felt  devoicing + vowel
shortening
Send: sent, sent  devoicing + CR
Meet: met, met  vowel shortening +
CR
Beat: beat, beaten  –en suff. + CR
formation
Feed: fed, fed  CR + Vowel
shortening
Buy: bought, bought  idiosyncratic
form
Learn: learnt, learnt  devoicing
Hide: hid, hidden  CR + doubling +
vowel shortening + –en suff.

** Devoicing: voiced to voiceless (verbs ending in –l / –n)

** CR: no suffix –ed (verbs ending in –d/ –t)

IV. Form a verb ending in –en on the basis of these adjectives, if possible.
Light: –en Smooth: NO Sour: NO
Yellow: NO Flat: (t) –en Green: NO
Broad : –en Dim: NO Sweet: –en
Blue: NO Small: –en Thin: NO
Little: NO Fat: (t) –en Damp: –en

TENSE, PHASE AND ASPECT

V. Put the verbs in brackets in these passages into the appropriate form. In
some cases you may need the help of an auxiliary modal verb. Be careful with
the position of adverbs. Read the whole texts before attempting an answer.

A.

- "Do you know that Napoleon got (get) married yesterday?"

- "Really? I hope (hope) it wasn’t (be, not) to that awful girl Josephine. I met (meet)
her two months ago, and she struck (strike) me as the most arrogant woman I have
ever seen (ever, see)".
- "Well, I'm afraid she has become (become) Mrs Bonaparte! After all, known
(know) her for a long time, and even though their temperaments are (be) different, I
think (think) that they will be / are going to be (be) reasonably happy. Anyway, it
was (be) a very splendid wedding, except that Napoleon dropped (drop) the ring as
he was putting (put) it on Josephine's finger. They will go / are going to go (go)
to Elba for their honeymoon tomorrow morning; have you been (you, be) there?"
- "No, but I believe (believe) it's very beautiful at this time of the year; anyway, it's
time Napoleon had (have) a holiday - he has been working (work) too hard
recently".
- "I agree with you. Why does he want (he, want) to invade England next month in
any case? If I were (be) him, I would leave (leave) the English to their fish and
chips".

B.

I have felt / have been feeling (feel) rather poorly lately, so this morning at
nine I went (go) to see my doctor. I found (find) him alone in his waiting-
room, where he .was standing / stood (stand) surveying a pile of well-
thumbed magazines. "All alone?" I said (say). "What have you done (you,
do) with your patients? .............7........ (you, cure) them all?" - "No",
he .........8............ (say). "The reason why people aren’t crowing (not, crowd)
into this room now is that on Wednesdays I don’t begin (not, begin) my
consultations here until half past ten. Such has been (be) my habit for the
last twenty-five years" - "I'm so sorry. I have come (come) too early", I said,
"I'll go away and come back later". - "Oh, no. I prefer (prefer) early patients to
late ones. In the course of my practice I have noticed (notice) that late-
comers aren’t (be) usually not serious cases. Many people come (come) to a
doctor for sympathy, you know (know). They are like a dog that once came
(come) here with a sore paw. I ..................... (bandage) it for him and while
I ..................... (do) this he looked at me with great lonely eyes.
He ..................... (come) back the next day and every day until his paw was
well. I .................... (find) out that his master was dead and a kindly old
couple ..................... (look) after the dog. He ..................... (miss) his master
and ..................... (want) special sympathy. So, although he was well,
he .................... (take) to coming to see me two or three times a week. He is
old now but he ..................... (still, come)".

VI. ESSAY: Comment on the different values of the verb forms in the
preceding texts.

VII. Explain the difference in meaning between the sentences in the following
pairs. Justify it in grammatical terms.

a) My son always plays football on Sundays.

My son is always playing football on Sundays.

b) The unfortunate child was drowning.

The unfortunate child drowned.

c) Who has been drinking my beer?

Who has drunk my beer?

d) He's being very foolish.

 He is very foolish.

e) Jane wears glasses.

Why aren't you wearing your glasses, Jane?

f) She was eating the baby's meal.

She ate the baby's meal.

g) His brother has been blind all his life.

His brother was blind all his life.

h) Now, where have I put my pen?

Now, where did I put my pen?

i) Wait till I have finished.

Wait till I finish.

j) The little girl was jumping when the teacher entered the room.
The little girl jumped when the teacher entered the room.

k) Have you seen Woody Allen’s film?

Did you see Woody Allen’s film?

VIII. Translate the following sentences into English, with special attention to
the verb forms.

1. ¿Has oído lo que le acabo de decir a tu hermana? Le vengo diciendo lo mismo

desde hace una semana.
2. “Aún no ha venido la profesora”, dijo el director.
3. Lleva lloviendo desde el lunes; espero que el fin de semana haga buen tiempo.
4. La camisa que compré la semana pasada ha encogido mucho.
5. Vivo aquí desde que mi madre murió hace 8 años.
6. He encontrado la bufanda que creía haber perdido.
7. Si tuviera dinero, me compraría una casa en el campo.
8. Cuando se jubile el mes que viene, llevará enseñando 50 años en esta escuela.

MOOD AND MODALITY

IX. Comment on the use of the subjunctive in the following sentences.

Suggest a less formal alternative where possible.

1. We suggest that this applicant apply next year.

2. If I were feeling over-tired, I wouldn't go on.
3. I would much rather we stayed at home this evening.
4. Be that as it may, our expenditure is bound to increase.
5. It is highly desirable that every effort be made to reduce expenditure and that
every member of the staff economize wherever possible.
6. The Committee recommends that the annual subscription be increased to three
pounds.
7. Is it not time we set our own house in order?.

X. Translate the following sentences into English. Be careful with the Spanish
subjunctives.

1. Entré sin que nadie me viera  I came in without anyone seeing me / without
being seen / without anybody seeing me
2. Voy a pedirle al pianista que toque una canción para ti  I will / I am going to ask
the pianist to play a song for you
3. El padre de Anne le prohibió que fuera de camping con ese muchacho  Anne’s
father prohibited her to going camping with that guy
4. El policía detuvo al motorista y le dijo que aparcase  the policeman stopped the
biker and told him to park
5. Es preciso que este paquete llegue a su destino antes del viernes  It is
necessary for this package to arrive its destination before Friday
6. ¡Qué raro que decidieran dejarlo todo en manos de su abogado!  It’s weird that
they decided to leave everything on the lawyer’s hands
7. “¡Qué coche tan bonito tienes!” “Ojalá fuera mío.”  what a beautiful car you
have! I wish it were mine.
8. Las instrucciones no eran lo suficientemente claras para que todo el mundo las
entendiera  the instructions weren’t clear enough for everybody to understand
them
9. Estoy a favor de que publiquen el libro  I am in favor of publishing the book
10. Si hablaras inglés, encontrarías trabajo con facilidad  If you would spoke
English, you would find a job easily

XI. Choose the best answers in this dialogue.

- Why didn't you go to work yesterday?

- I (needn't have gone / didn't need to go / mustn't go / couldn't have gone): lack
of obligation, not prohibition

- Actually I thought you always worked on Tuesday evenings?

- I (might / must / would / used to) years ago, but not now, thank goodness.

- In fact at one time I (ought to / had to / must / was to) work two evenings a week.
- That (can't have been / couldn't be / mustn't be / shouldn't have been) very
pleasant.

- Oh it wasn't so bad. I had lots of friends there. We (might have / will have had /
would have / would have had) lots of fun.

- Looking back, I find it odd that I (would enjoy / I would have enjoyed / I should
have enjoyed / ought to have enjoyed) evening work so much.

- But now, am I right? You (may not / mustn't / needn't / used not to) work evenings.

- That's right.

- Of course. You did tell me. I (could remember / may have remembered / should
have remembered / might remember).

XII. Translate these sentences into English, using a modal verb or expression.

1. Debes ir a todas las conferencias. A lo mejor aprendes algo  you should go to

all conferences/lectures. You may learn something
2. ¿Me dejas que te haga una sugerencia?  could/ may/ shall I give you a tip/
suggestion
3. Estábamos allí pero no oímos nada  we were there but didn’t / couldn’t heard
anything
4. ¿Sabes conducir? -No, pero sé montar en bicicleta  you know how to drive? –
no, but I can ride a bike
5. Puede que me escriban pronto  they may write to me
6. Tienes que trabajar más para aprobar el examen  you have/must to work
harder if you want to pass the exam
7. Es posible que lo haya dicho, pero no estoy seguro  it’s posible that I have said
it, but I’m not pretty sure / I may have said it, but…
8. Sabes conducir, pero deberías practicar más  you can drive, but you should
practice more
9. Tal vez no haya llegado todavía  maybe she is not there yet / she may have not
arrive yet
10. Este chico debe hablar portugués bastante bien. Su novia es de Mozambique 
this boy must / have speak portugaise properly good enough. His girlfriend is /
comes from Mozambique.
XIII. ESSAY: Read the following text first to get a sense of what is said. Then
fill in the banks with the appropriate modal verb.

Dr Faustus was sitting quietly in his study one winter evening when there was
a knock at the door. 'May I come in?' said a soft, distinguished voice. Faustus
looked up from his book and saw that the door was ajar: he must have left it open
when he came in. 'I should have made sure it was shut' he grumbled to himself. 'Oh,
all right,' he said moodily, 'come in if you will' 'Thank you, you're too kind,' said the
voice. And a tall stranger, dressed in black, who might have come straight out of a
stage melodrama, stepped into the room.

Faustus looked at him carefully and could scarcely suppress a shiver when
he saw the ice-cold light in the blue eyes which belied the smile on the lips of the
stranger. 'Perhaps I should tell you that I'm here on business,' he said. 'I hope we'll
be able to get it over quickly -I've got to go to another appointment in an hour.' 'Well,'
replied Dr. Faustus calmly, 'I think we won’t probably take as long as that. I've got an
idea I may know what you've come about.' 'Oh good,' replied the tall dark man, 'that
makes things much easier. I don’t have to remind you, then, of the agreement we
made some years ago.' 'No, you don't, ' replied Faustus, 'but I might as well tell you
that I have no intention of keeping my part of the bargain. So you shouldn’t have
come here at all tonight -your journey was quite unnecessary.'

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Faustus knew he should not
have uttered them. The room suddenly felt cold, very cold. ('What's happening?'
thought Faustus in fright. 'The fire might have gone out, but I don't think it has.') At
Faustus's words the stranger's eyes narrowed and his voice took on a hard edge:
'Really?' he said softly but menacingly. 'I'm afraid you must be under some
misapprehension: I have the agreement here, signed in your blood; so you see,
there's no doubt about it –you can’t get out of it.' And he stretched out a bony hand
and took Faustus by the wrist. At the touch of the ice-cold flesh Faustus couldn’t
help crying out with fear. The stranger looked pained: Must you make such a noise?
he said. 'It gets on my nerves so. No, please come along quietly, will you?' 'Keep
away from me! shouted Faustus hysterically; 'you can’t take me yet' 'Oh, can’t I?'
said the stranger. 'No, it's not twelve o'clock yet.'

At that moment the church clock in the square outside began to chime. Faustus
collapsed sobbing on the floor. 'I don't want to go! I don't want to go! he mumbled.
'You should have thought of that before you made the agreement' said the stranger
calmly. And with a terrific pull he lifted Faustus off the floor. Faustus still struggled,
but the stranger was able to get him down the stairs into a big black coach, drawn
by six black horses. Despite the cold, the horses were sweating: they must have
come from somewhere warm -where might it possibly be? And where was the
stranger taking Faustus?
 VOICE

XIV. Use the verbs in the passive in the correct tense to complete the
following passage. Pay attention to the position of adverbs.

Before Victoria, British sovereigns (expect) were expected both to reign and to rule.
But when political parties began to compete under rules as strict as those for cricket,
the sovereign (send off) were sent off the playing field for ever. He could not take
the side of any party lest he (defeat) should be defeated with it. With certain ritual
functions, the sovereign's task was to act as a sort of supreme weapon, never
(used) used but there always as the source of order. He had to represent the
authority he could not command. But, in theory at least, if Parliament had decreed
that he (execute)was going to be executed, he (be bound) would have been
bound constitutionally to sign his own death warrant. King Edward VII (be born)
was born while this odd and excellent system (change) was being changed, and
played the King to the hilt even though his influence (limit) was limited severely. He
(be born) was born to Victoria and Albert on 2 December 1841.

XV. Put the verbs in brackets into an appropriate form of the passive voice
(except for two verbs, which should have a form of the active infinitive).

In the past few years various kinds of nuclear weapons have been produced
(PRODUCE) by many countries. This is a new and terrible development in the
history of man. In the event of any nuclear war, thousands of towns could be
destroyed . (DESTROY), and very few people could be expected to survive
(SURVIVE). When nuclear energy was developed (DEVELOP) earlier in this
century, few people considered its negative potential. They thought it would only be
used (ONLY, USE) for peaceful purposes, not for war. But now these idealistic
people are seeing (SEE) to be (BE) wrong. For in 1945 two atomic bombs were
dropped (DROP) on Japan, and it is possible that atomic weapons will be
employed (EMPLOY) in future wars. At the moment negotiations are being
conducted (CONDUCT) between America and Russia to try and limit the
development of these weapons. These talks are usually held (USUALLY, HOLD) in
a tense atmosphere, but everyone hopes that positive results will be achieved
(ACHIEVE).

XVI. Put the following sentences into the passive voice.

1. People say tortoises live longer than elephants  tortoises are said to live longer
than elephants
2. I should love someone to take me out to dinner.
3. His grandmother brought him up, and he got his education in Paris  he was
brought up by his grandmother and educated in paris
4. One expects you to interest yourself in the job they have offered you (3)  you
are expected to be interested in the job they have offered
5. It must have disappointed him terribly that people told him they didn't want him. (3
PASSIVES)
6. They must have given you the paper they meant for the advanced candidates. (2
PASSIVES)
7. Someone had already promised me a watch for my birthday when they presented
me with one as a prize. (2 PASSIVES)
8. It surprised me to hear somebody has robbed you. (2 PASSIVES)
9. When women have disappointed you as many times as they have him, you can
truly say bad luck has dogged you. (3 PASSIVES)  when you have been
disappointed by women as many times as he has / him, you can truly said that you
have been dogged by bad luck
10. We haven't moved anything since they sent you away to cure you. (3)  nothing
have been moved since they sent you away to care you

XVII. Translate the following sentences into English, using the passive voice.

1. A Samuel Johnson, el gran lexicógrafo inglés, le concedieron una pensión de 300

£ al año en 1762.
2. El partido aplazado se jugará el 16 de enero o el 21 de febrero  the postponed
match will be played in 16th january until 21th february
3. Entraron en mi casa para robar mientras yo estaba de viaje  my house was
burgled when I was away
4. Me han robado la cartera y las llaves  my wallet and my keys was stolen | I was
robbed of my wallet and keys
5. Discutieron durante horas, pero no se llegó a ningún acuerdo  they argued for
hours, and no agreement was achieved/reached/obtained
6. Si cortáramos ese árbol, se podría ver el mar desde la ventana del dormitorio 
if that tree were cut off, the sea could be seen from the bedroom’s window
7. Dicen que es el mejor alcalde que han tenido desde que se fundó la ciudad hace
dos siglos  it is said that he is the best major they have had since city was
founded 2 centuries ago
8. Se les acusó de asesinato, pero no fueron a prisión inmediatamente; el juez les
concedió libertad bajo fianza  they wer accused of murder, but they didn’t go to
prison immediately, they were granted/given/allowed reléase on bay