Modern Grammar - ASSIGNMENT 20 James Madison University

Instructions: This assignment will be marked as an acceptable or unacceptable effort. To get full credit, do at least parts A and C. (I recommend trying at least some of B sooner rather than later too, but you'll get answers for all sentences to use for studying purposes.)

1. FIRST, MORE PRACTICE SENTENCES WITH HINTS:
   1. The poet kept changing the metaphors in his sonnet because they sounded awkward and ruined the poem's meter. (Look for a gerund phrase, a subordinate conjunction, and a coordinate conjunction.)
   2. The winds blew very loudly through the night, but the baby slept well. (two main clauses connected with a coordinate conjunction)
   3. That the cat hated all dogs changed Spot's perspective. (Look at the subject of "changed"
   4. Ralph believes that someone knows the truth. (Look for the sentential direct object of "believes".)
   5. The singer faced the fact that he was tone-deaf. (There's an S-Bar as a "noun complement" in this sentence too, modifying "fact".)
   6. The librarian was fearful that his brain might be getting full.(and look for the S-BAR after the adjective "fearful" this time)


2. NEXT, PRACTICE WITHOUT HINTS:
   
   1. After we left, someone turned off the lights.
   2. That egg will break if you drop it.
   3. That cookies smell delicious is a well-known fact.
   4. Whenever their parents take them to the carnival, Sally and her little brother like riding the merry-go-round
   5. To Debbie's surprise, Ben confessed that he loved her.
   6. After a careful search of our family records, we found out the truth about some of our crazy relatives.
   7. You should find out whether that position in the marketing department offers opportunities for advancement.
   8. Their changing the subject suggested that they were somewhat embarrassed.
   9. We heard the university cancelled all exams.
   10. Without telling him, the bank has reinvested his money and combined all his accounts. (One clue: NPs inside PPs can be gerunds too.)
   11. "Gramophobia" is the fear that studying grammar is deadly.
   12. Heather is very worried that her phone's battery has died.
   13. After I fell off the bicycle everyone asked me if I was okay.(One more clue: there is an indirect object before the sentential direct object in this sentence. :) )
   
   
3. USING OUR CLAUSES HANDOUT WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF CERTAIN TRANSFORMATIONS, ATTEMPT THE FOLLOWING:
   
   1. Add an APPOSITIVE to any appropriate spot in the following sentence: His masterpiece was on exhibit at the Louvre.
   2. Undo the INVERSION in the following sentence: Out of the mouths of babies come words of wisdom.
   3. Add a TAG-QUESTION to the following sentence: They haven't stopped carrying frozen yogurt.
   4. Turn the following into an EXTRAPOSITION: That his toenails are green worries him.
   5. Write your own example of a PREPOSED sentence.
   6. Which of the following is an EXISTENTIAL-THERE sentence (hint: the other examples involve some other identifiable type of transformation. :) )
      1. There is always room for improvement.
      2. There he is.
      3. There goes that strange new guy.
   7. Which of the following are IT-CLEFTS and which are EXTRAPOSITIONS? (Remember, extrapositions have sentential subjects that have moved, while it-clefts have a highlighted constituent moved out of its clause and into an "It BE ___" construction. Either transformation could involve a form of the verb BE, but an it-cleft must involve this verb...)
      1. It seemed impossible that I would win the election.
      2. It impressed me that those three children shared their snacks with the others.
      3. It was Lulu who sang the song.
      4. It will be Mary's contributions that make the biggest difference.
      5. It was crazy that we did not notice the signs earlier.
   8. Consider the following sentences and try to determine which ONE has A NOUN COMPLEMENT following a noun in the sentence rather than a more common, but syntactically elaborate, relative clause modifying a noun. (Remember that noun complements are ordinary sentences with a complementizer in front of them -- no fancy relative pronouns or missing pieces. Another hint - remember that only certain nouns allow noun complements...):
      1. The winning player says he has skills that the other players lack.
      2. The losing player has proof that the others were cheating.
      3. The butler whom we employ is quite reliable.
      4. Nobody knows the troubles I have seen.
      5. Styrofoam, which is a non-biodegradable material, is filling up our landfills.
      6. The individual whose shoes we stole must have cold feet.