Modern Grammar - ASSIGNMENT 21 James Madison University

Instructions: Optional! You can just use this as exam practice at your convenience or submit it in class Wednesday if you are short on assignments.

1. First, keep in practice by diagramming just these four sentences:
   
   1. Without telling him, the bank has reinvested his money and combined all his accounts. (One clue: NPs inside PPs can be gerunds too.)
   2. "Gramophobia" is the fear that studying grammar is deadly.
   3. Heather is very worried that her phone's battery has died.
   4. After I fell off the bicycle everyone asked me if I was okay.(okay, one more clue -- there is an indirect object before the sentential direct object in this sentence. :) )
   
   
2. Based on careful use of our handout containing 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 some 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, NOT A RELATIVE CLAUSE. (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.