DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR 3

ANSWER KEY

Exercise 2.4

1. Quasiland is an island

Category: NP V NP

Function: S V Cs

SVC: copular/linking/intensive verb

2. It drifts (freely) (in the tide)

Category: NP V AdvP PP

Function: S V A A

SV: intransitive verb

3. The Sultan of Q. has ruled the island (for many years)

Category: NP V NP PP

Function: S V Od A

SVO: monotransitive verb

4. He married thirty-four wives

Category: NP V NP

Function: S V Od

SVO: monotransitive verb

5. (Recently), the Sultan (reluctantly) decreed an austerity program

Category: AdvP NP AdvP V NP

Function: A S A V Od

SVO: monotransitive verb

6. He (consequently) reduced the number of his wives

Category: NP AdvP V NP

Function: S A V Od

SVO: monotransitive verb

7. (Now) he has only ten

Category: AdvP NP V NP

Function: A S V Od

SVO: monotransitive verb

8. The Sultan feels deprived

Category: NP V AP

Function: S V Cs

SVC: copular/linking verb

9. He (probably) will seek foreign aid (from a more stable nation)

Category: NP AdvP V NP PP

Function: S A V Od A

SVO: monotransitive verb

10. The island of Q someday may become a great power

Category: NP AdvP V NP

Function: S A V Cs

SVC: copular/linking verb

Exercise 2.5

1. The treaty guaranteed the Cherokees a hunting tract

Category: NP VP NP NP

Function: S V Oi Od

a hunting tract to the Cherokees

NP PP

SVOO: ditransitive verb

2. The Thistlebaums showed us their home movies

Category: NP VP NP NP

Function: S V Oi Od

their home movies to us

SVOO: ditransitive verb

3. The dog is digging a hole in the garden

Category: NP VP NP PP

Function: S V Od A

SVO: monotransitive verb

4. Many amateur athletes are going professional

Category: NP VP AP

Function: S V Cs

SVC: copular/linking/intensive verb

5. The team considered the season a success

Category: NP VP NP NP

Function: S V Od Co

SVOC: complex transitive verb

6. Alex is becoming a corporate lawyer

Category: NP VP NP

Function: S V Cs

SVC: copular/linking/intensive verb

7. On Saturdays, he watches football on television

Category: PP NP VP NP PP

Function: A S V Od A

SVO: monotransitive verb

8. Television keeps the children happy

Category: NP VP NP AP

Function: S V Od Co

SVOC: complex-transitive verb

9. The postman brought the old man a special delivery letter

Category: NP VP NP NP

Function: S V Oi O

a special delivery letter to the old man

NP

SVOO: ditransitive verb

10. The minister pronounced them man and wife

Category: NP VP NP NP

Function: S V Od Co

SVOC: complex-transitive verb

11. You can smell the fresh bread in the bakery

Category: NP VP NP PP

Function: S V Od A

SVO: monotransitive verb

12. Freshly baked bread certainly smells good

Category: NP AdvP VP AP

Function: S A V Cs

SVC: copular/linking/intensive verb

Exercise 2.6

EXAMPLE

She saw [ (that) it was raining ]

NP VP FINITE CLAUSE

S V Od

1. The waitress was pouring him a cup of coffee

Category: NP VP NP NP

Function: S V Oi Od

a cup of coffee for him

NP PP

SVOO: ditransitive verb

2. The meeting unanimously elected her president

Category: NP AdvP VP NP NP

Function: S A V Od Co

SVO: monotransitive verb

3. The weather unexpectedly turned bitter cold

Category: NP AdvP VP AP

Function: S A V Cs

SVC: copular/linking/intensive verb

4. That author probably is writing another novel

Category: NP AdvP VP NP

Function: S A V Od

SVO: monotransitive verb

5. The clown was hiccupping uncontrollably

Category: NP VP AdvP

Function: S V A

SV: intransitive verb

6. Team members must wear red blazers out of town

Category: NP VP NP PP

Function: S V O A

SVO: monotransitive verb

7. The politician’s speech got the crowd angry

Category: NP VP NP AP

Function: S V Od Co

SVOC: complex transitive

8. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court gives the President the oath of office

Category: NP VP NP NP

Function: S V Oi Od

SVOO: ditransitive verb

9. The Archbishop of Canterbury crowns the heir King of England

Category: NP VP NP NP

Function: S V Od Co

SVOC: complex transitive verb

10. Lightning was crackling all around the airplane

Category: NP VP PP

Function: S V A

SV: intransitive verb

11. Huckleberry was hiding [ because aunt Sally was a terror ]

Category: NP VP finite clause

Function: S V A

SV: intransitive verb

The internal structure of the [bracketed] subordinate clause:

because aunt Sally was a terror

Category: conj NP VP NP

Function: conj S V Cs

SVC: copular/linking/intensive verb

12. The politician told his audience [ that he would serve them faithfully in Washington]

Category: NP VP NP finite clause

Function: S V Oi Od

SVOO: ditransitive verb

The internal structure of the [bracketed] subordinate clause:

that he would serve them faithfully in Washington

Category: conj NP VP NP AdvP PP

Function: conj S V Od A A

SVO: monotransitive verb

13. [ That men should have reached the moon ] is remarkable

Category: finite clause VP AP

Function: S V Cs

It is remarkable

SVC: copular/linking/intensive verb

The internal structure of the [bracketed] subordinate clause:

[ That men should have reached the moon ]

Category: conj NP VP NP

Function: conj S V Od

SVO: monotransitive verb

14. The reason for his sudden departure was [ that the police had discovered his fraud ]

Category: NP VP finite clause

Function: S V Cs

SVC: copular/linking/intensive verb

The internal structure of the [bracketed] subordinate clause:

that the police had discovered his fraud

Category: conj NP VP NP

Function: conj S V Od

SVO: monotransitive verb