PRACTICE SECTION

SVOO  SVOA
Supply a prepositional phrase which could replace the indirect object in
each of the following sentences: ex. John bought Mary a cake. → John bought a
cake for Mary.

1. May I ask you a great favour?

May I ask a great favour from you?
2. Listen! I’m going to play you a new record.
Listen! I’m going to play a new record for you!
3. Can I play you a game of chess?
Can I play a game of chess with you?
4. I can change you a check if you like.
I can change the check for you if you like.
5. Will you choose me an interesting book?
Will you choose an interesting book for me?
6. We wish all our friends a very happy new year.
We wish a very happy new year to all our friends.
6. I have left you some soup on the stove.
I have left some soup on the stove for you.
8. An uncle of mine left me a thousand pounds.
An uncle of mine left a thousand pounds to me.
9. Would you throw me that rubber, please?
Would you throw the rubber to me, please?
10. Would you mind bringing me a towel?
Would you mind bringing a towel to me?

Rephrase the sentences so that O affected becomes S affected: ex. The

student received the book → The book was received by the student.

1. Terrorists blew up the dam. The dam was blown up by the terrorists.
2. I’ve broken my glasses. My sunglasses have been broken (by me).
3. The frost has killed my roses. My roses have been killed by the frost.
4. Someone has moved that picture. The picture was moved by someone.
5. A visitor rang the bell. The ball was rung by a visitor.
6. We rolled the car down the hill. The car was rolled down the hill by us.
7. The doctor set my broken arm easily. My broken arm was set easily by the
doctor.
8. The guard shut the gate quickly. The gate was shut quickly by the guard.
9. The driver stopped the train. The train was stopped by the driver.
10. I can’t turn this screw. The screw can’t be turns (by me).

Rephrase each of the following sentences in two ways, beginning it with the
words underlined: ex. I have never seen such a beautiful girl → Never have I seen
such a beautiful girl.

1. We have never heard a more distinguished performance.

Never have we heard a more distinguished performance.
Never has a more distinguished performance been heard.
2. We seldom receive such generous praise.
Seldom do we receive such a generous praise.
Seldom such a generous praise is received.
3. This nation scarcely ever in the past faced so great a danger.
Scarcely ever in the past did this nation face so great danger.
Scarcely ever in the past so great a danger was faced by the nation.
4. We were never before asked to make a sacrifice of this magnitude.
Never before were we asked to make a sacrifice of this magnitude.
Never before a sacrifice of this magnitude was asked asked from us.
5. There is rarely an opportunity for us to serve the community in this way.
Rarely is there an opportunity for us to serve the community in this way.
Rarely do we have an opportunity to serve the community in this way.
6. We shall only then begin to realize the appalling danger before us.
Only then shall we begin to realize the appalling danger.
Only then, shall the appalling danger begin to be realized before us.

Describe the syntax of the indirect questions – that is, specify the type of
question (WH or yes–no) and whether the word order is direct or indirect.

Try to decide which indirect question constructions

(a) you have heard used in speech or seen in writing;
(b) you would accept in a piece of written work (say, from a
someone learning English as a second language);
(c) you would use in formal writing (say, an essay or a job application).

1. I wondered when the plane would leave. WH question/ indirect/ embedded

question/ a.
2. They were trying to decide where the best place was to go on holiday. WH
question/ indirect/ b.
3. We still have the problem of how we are to fund the extra resources. WH
question/ direct. C.

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4. John asked me whether I was ready yet. Yes-No question/ indirect/ a.
5. Mary told him how brave he was. WH question/ indirect/ a.
6. I can’t remember now what was the reason for it. WH question/ indirect/ Yes-
No question, embedded (Do you remember…)/ a.
7. If they got a carpet, they had to decide where was the best place to put it. WH
question/ direct/ b.
8. No one is sure how long are the passages leading off from this centre. WH
question/ direct/ a.
9. But the thought did cross my mind as to what is the rate of burglary per hour in
Edinburgh. Yes-No question & WH question/ direct/ c.
10. The question arises as to what language should they be literate in. WH
question/ direct/ c.
11. The problem still remains of what is the resource-holding body.WH question/
direct/ c.
12. You were shouting at me about why had I not done something. WH question/
direct/ a.
13. We would like them to share what are their forecasts. WH question/ indirect/ c.
14. The real issue is whether this institution is governed dictatorially from the top
or do we have a democratic college. Yes-No question/ direct/ b.
15. In the diagram on the next page I have tried to represent my own personal
opinion about whether these verbs can take a human subject and if so do they
necessarily require an object which is either water or another liquid. Yes-No
question/ direct/ b.
Indicate, by Od, Oi, Cs or Co whether the parts underlined in the sentences below
are the direct object (Od), the indirect object (Oi), the subject complement (Cs) or
the object complement (Co):

1. Will someone get a doctor, quickly! Od

2. George and Paul both became famous doctors. Cs
3. Do you call yourself a doctor? Co

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 4. May I call you Jenny? Co
5. May I cal you a taxi or something? Oi, Od
6. Call me anything you like. Od
7. It’s so cold. I can’t get warm. Cs, Cs
8. I can’t get my hands warm. Oi, Co
9. Keep quiet. Keep those children quiet. Cs, Co
10. Can’t you give them something to keep them quiet? Oi, Od, Oi
11. The young man was slowly going mad. Cs
12. His mother-in-law was driving him mad. Oi, Co
13. The driver turned the corner too quickly. Od
14. The weather is turning warmer. Cs
15. The hot weather turned all the milk sour.Od, Co
16. The young man grew very depressed. Cs
17. He grew his hair long. Oi, Co
18. He had made a great mistake. Od
19. His in-laws had simply made him their servant. Oi, Od
20. His wife sometimes made him curry. Od, Co
21. But this only made him more miserable. Od, Co
22. Show me your passport. Show me. Oi, Od, Od
23. Did you see anyone? Did you say anything? Od, Od
24. I didn’t tell anybody anything. Od, Oi

Indicate, by a, b, c, etc., to which of the following clause types the sentences

belong:
a. S V intensive Cs
b. S V intensive A place
c. S V intransitive
d. S V monotransitive Od
e. S V complex trans. Od Co
f. S V complex trans. Od A place
g. S V ditransitive Oi Od

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Example: George’s father greeted the headmaster. (SVO)

1. George’s father greeted the headmaster. (SVO)

2. The headmaster put George into the second class. (SVOdA)
3. That made Stanley angry. (SVOdCo)
4. His annoyance did not last. (SV)
5. He was really a lawyer. (SVOd)
6. But he proved himself a great soldier. (SVOiOd)
7. The manager is not in. (SVA)
8. May I offer you a cup of coffee? (SVOiOd)
9. After the war, M. gave him back his saddle-bags. (SVOiOd)
10. He threw himself from the horse. (SVOiA)
11. I remember the reasonableness of my father’s argument.
(SVOiOd)
12. The parson’s cat is an abominable animal. (SVCs)
13. We are in a bit of a mess. (SVA)
14. I have always lived in the country. (SVA)
15. Could you call me a porter, please? (SVOd)
16. Do you call yourself a porter? (SVOiOd)

17. Finding peace and quiet has become very difficult. (SVCs)
18. Every increase in knowledge augments our capacity for evil.
(SVOiOd)
19. The police laid the bodies by the side of the road. (SVOdA)
20. You must keep calm. (SVCs)

Underline any sentence modifiers in the following sentences: ex. Amazingly, the
money held out until the end of the month.

1. Amazingly, the money held out until the end of the month.
2. The twins look amazingly alike.
3. Well, I plan to stay, myself.

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4. Myself, I plan to stay well.
5. Strangely, he seemed to look right through me.
6. I thought he looked at me strangely.
7. Without a doubt our team will win the league championship.
8. We will no doubt win the league championship.
9. I told my friend I was not interested in her scheme.
10. I told you, my friend, that I am not interested. (NOT SURE ABOUT “I told
you..”)

Pick out the subordinate or dependent clause in each of the sentences below. Label
the constituent parts, both of the main clause and of the subordinate clause, and
indicate the relationship between the two clauses, thus:
S V O S V O
/You / must add / the raisins / after [ you/’ve poured / the syrup / over
A
the crumps ] (A)
S V c O V A
1. I don’t believe that [those bookshelves are popular anywhere yet.] O

O S V V A
2. [What that advertisement says] is not true. S

O S V S A V
3. [What that advertisement says], I simply don’t believe. O

S V O A SV O
4. [I’ll believe it] when I see the results. O

V S O A S V O
5. Can you tell us [when we shall see the results?] A

S V V O V A
6. I was saying [could you come next Saturday?] O

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 S V S V O A
7. I guess [I’ve eaten chicken six or seven times.] O

S V O C A S V O
8. You didn’t leave the tap open [after you shut off the water supply.] A

A S V S V A
9. [Where the plane crashed], the snow is still falling heavily. S

A S V V A V
10. [Where the plane crashed] is still not known. A