Assignment 11

I.
The following sentence is structurally ambiguous, analyze the two

differentsentence structures (SVOCA) to show both possible meanings.
1.The girl scratched the boy with the sharp fingernails.
The girl/ scratched/ the boy/ with the sharp fingernails (SVOA)
The girl/ scratched/ the boy with the sharp fingernails (SVO)
2.We called him a porter.
We/ called/ him/ a porter ( SVOiOd) = We called a porter for him
We/ called/ him/ a porter ( SVOCo)
3.He looked after the dinner
He/ looked/ after the dinner (SVA)
He/ looked after/ the dinner (SVO)
4. We must ask the farmer who owns the fields where we can camp.
We/ must ask/ the farmer who owns the fields/ where we can camp.
(SVOiOd)
We/ must ask/ the farmer who owns the fields where we can camp.
(SVO)
S1: who owns the fields ---> ADJ CLAUSE
S1.1: where we can camp ---> ADJ CLAUSE
5.The police have trouble with the people who occupy these cottages all
the time.
The police/ have/ trouble with the people who occupy these cottages/
all the time. (SVOA)
The police/ have/ trouble with the people who occupy these cottages
all the time. ( SVO)
6. I looked at the letter Max was reading with great astonishment.

I/ looked at/ the letter Max was reading/ with great astonishment.
(SVOA)
I/ looked at/ the letter Max was reading with great astonishment. (SVO)
7.They have wounded men there.
They/ have/ wounded men/ there (SVOA)
They/ have wounded/ men/ there (SVOA)
8.He buried the knife he found in the garden.
He/ buried/ the knife he found/ in the garden. (SVOA)
He/ buried/ the knife he found in the garden. (SVO)
II. Identify the sentence patterns of the superordinate clauses of the following sentences
and state the name and function of each finite subordinating clause.
E.g. The fishermen / think/ that the company polluted the bay.
S V O (noun clause – object of “think”)
1.Spreading oneself/ thinly gives/ one less time for others who were perhaps closer to one in the
past. SVO (adjective clause-modifying ‘others’)
2.As globalization grows apace,/ companies/ need to be able to span not just/ countries but
continents.
(adverbial clause-A of time) SVO
3. When she accepted the job, the au pair girl/ assumed/ that she would be free every weekend.
(adverbial clause-A of time) SVO (noun clause-object of ‘assumed’)
4. Studies/ have shown/ that by increasing the literacy and numeracy skills of primary school
children in the UK, the benefit to the economy generally is in billions of pounds.
(noun clause-object of’shown’) SVO
5. Part of the problem with reading/ is/ that it is a skill which is not appreciated in most
developed societies. SVO
that it is a skill(noun clause-Cs)
which is not appreciated in most developed societies.(adjective clause-modifying ‘skill’)
6. Someone who reads a comic today/ may have/ the courage to pick up a more substantial tome/
later.
(adjective clause-modifying ‘someone’) SVOA
7. If primary school children were also taken in groups into bookshops, this/ might also entice/
them/ to want their own books.
(adverbial clause-A of condition) SVOA
8. Taking children to local libraries/ brings/ them/ into contact with an environment where they
can become relaxed among books.
SVOA (adjective clause-modifying ‘place’)
III. Analyse the following sentences by Descriptive Linguistic

E.g. I’m glad that my mother made me take piano lessons when I was a child.
M 1 : I’m glad
S 1 : that my mother made me take piano lessons: noun clause, adjective complement
of “glad”
S.1.1 : when I was a child: adverbial clause of time
1. People can be divided basically into those who keep knowledge and
their personal contacts to themselves, and those who are prepared to
share what they know and indeed their friends with others.
M1: People can be divided basically into those
S1: who keep knowledge and their personal contacts to themselves
M2: and those
S2: who are prepared to share
S2.2: what they know and indeed their friends with others.
2. A person who finds it difficult to share information with others and
who is unable to bring people, including friends, together does not make
a good networker.
M1: A person does not make a good networker.
S1: who finds it difficult to share information with others
S2: and who is unable to bring people, including friends, together
IV. Draw a tree diagram for the following sentences.
1.The teacher invited all the students to attend the annual school meeting.
PREP V DET ADJ N.M N
DET N DET DET N VP NP
NP VP
NP v NP
VP
S
The researchers agreed that human activities had increased global air pollution.
ADJ N AUX V ADJ N N
N.P V.P N.P
C S’
DET N V CP
NP VP

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I.

The following sentence is structurally ambiguous, analyze the two

6. I looked at the letter Max was reading with great astonishment.

(adverbial clause-A of time) SVO

(adverbial clause-A of time) SVO (noun clause-object of ‘assumed’)

(noun clause-object of’shown’) SVO

which is not appreciated in most developed societies.(adjective clause-modifying ‘skill’)

SVOA (adjective clause-modifying ‘place’)

III. Analyse the following sentences by Descriptive Linguistic

PREP V DET ADJ N.M N

DET N DET DET N VP NP

ADJ N AUX V ADJ N N

N.P V.P N.P

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