HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY MID-TERM TEST ON THEORETICAL ENGLISH

SYNTAX
FOR ENGLISH MAJORS
Time allowance: 90 minutes – Test number 02

Index Detached
Full name: Trần Trà My Date of exam………….………. number number
Date of birth: 23/08/2000 Examiner 1:……………………
Group: K25A02 Examiner 2: …………………

Detached number
Score (in number): ……………............. Scorer 1: ………………………
Score (in letter): ..................................... Scorer 2: ……………………...

I. An adjective phrase in English might take different syntactic functions in sentences. Prove
with examples as illustration.
1. Attributive (Pre-modifying nouns): a red wooden box
2. Predicative: She is afraid of spiders
3. Post-modifier: It is a black wooden box
4. Head of a noun phase: The elderly man was confused and disoriented

II, Structurally, a finite clause and a non-finite clause differ in some ways. Prove with
examples as illustration.
Finite clauses must contain a verb which shows tense. They can be main clauses or subordinate
clauses
Ex: I went to school yesterday
Non-finite clauses contain a verb which does not show tense. We usually use non-finite verbs
only in subordinate clauses. We usually understand the time referred to from the context of the
main clause. We often use a non-finite clause when the subject is the same as the subject in the
main clause
Ex: Parts of Pangea drifted across the Earth, gradually breaking into smaller continents
III, Basic noun phrases and complex noun phrases differ in some ways. Prove with examples
as illustration.

Basic noun phrases consist of pronouns, numerals or nouns with articles (indefinite, definite or
zero) or nouns with other closed-system items that occur before the noun head including pre-
determiners, determiners and post-determiners.
Ex: The girl is so adorable

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Complex noun phrases contain three components: pre-modification, head noun and post-
modification
Ex: The girl carrying all the books is an honour student

IV, Fill each gap with one of the following terms.

Intensive extensive stative dynamic intransitive mono-transitive di-transitive complex-transitive
1, If Od is present in a clause, V is either mono-transtive or di-transitive or complex-transitive
2, If Oi is present, V is di-transitive and if Co is present, V is complex-transitive
3, In S+V+A, if A is realized by at this moment , V is not intensive
4, In a sentence with the structure S+V+x, if x is a noun that must be plural when S is plural, then
V is intensive
5, In the structure S+V+x, if both S and x are plural nouns, V may be either intensive or
extensive, and if S is plural and x is a singular noun, then V is usually extensive

V. Circle the answer (A, B, C or D) that best completes the sentence.

1. He found all his best ........................ stolen.
A furnitures B furniture’s pieces C pieces of furniture D piece of furnitures
2. I think that by the time you come she…………… .
A will leave B left C will have left D leaves
3. We need better traffic rules, and………wouldn’t be so many accidents
A then it B then they C then D then there
4.You think that Tom was at the library last night but you…….wrong: he was with me.
A could be B can be C might be D are
5.We’ll move to another room although there could be some problems .....................that.”
A to do B we do C for us doing D in doing
6. .................. the phone rang later that night did Anna remember the appointment.
A No sooner B Only C Not until D Just before
7. You rarely see them,…………..you?
A will B don’t C do D are
8. The greater the demand, ...................the price.
A higher B high C the higher D the high
9. The Continental United States is ...................that there are four time zones.
A much big B too big C so big D very big
10. The examiner made us...................our identification to be admitted to the test center.
A showing B show C showed D to show

VI. Underline the subordinate clause in these sentences and indicate the syntactic function it
might take in the superordinate clause.

Example: Time is what I need now ( a finite clause functioning as the subject complement)
1, Everyone tends to think that he was not sufficiently appreciated.

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Direct object clause
2, Everyone thinks that so is not necessarily conceited.
Direct object clause
3, One afternoon, I was sitting on the wall dividing our house from the churchyard.
Postmodifier in an a nounphrase
4, He strongly disapproved of what I had been doing.
Direct object clause
5, My mother was sure that I would overcome my fears.
Direct object clause
6, Can you tell me where your friends are?
Postmodifier in an a nounphrase (relative clause)
7, Home is where your friend and family are.
Postmodifier in an a nounphrase (relative clause)
8, I never know where I ought to put my coat.
Direct object clause
9, Whether it cost too much depended on how badly you needed it.
Prepositional complement
10, To be honest, she was a woman of some riches.
Adverbial clause (disjunct)

VII, Make up a complex sentence as you are instructed to.

1, A finite clause functions as the prepositional complement.
The parents listened to what their children said happened
2, A non-finite to-infinitive clause functions as the direct object in the S-V-O-O structure.
I (S) asked (V) him (Oi) to be my partner (Od)
3, A finite clause functions as the post-modifier of a noun phrase.
The girl who who is sitting behind you is my crush
4, A nominal relative clause functions as the object complement.
You should go and talk to whoever you like
5, A nominal That-clause functions as the subject.
It is a fact that I love him

The end