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 of VPs.)
   2. The winds blew very loudly through the night, but the baby slept well. (Expect 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," which is not the noun phrase "all dogs.")
   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 the noun "fact".)
   6. The librarian was fearful that his brain might be getting full.(Look for the S-BAR after the adjective "fearful" this time)


2. NEXT, MORE 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 gerund noun phrases 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. GETTING STARTED ON MATERIAL FOR TUESDAY: USING THE PART OF THE CLAUSES HANDOUT FROM THURSDAY'S CLASS THAT HAS DESCRIPTIONS OF CERTAIN SENTENCE TRANSFORMATIONS (ahandout also available on CANVAS), ATTEMPT THE FOLLOWING:
   
   1. Find the description of "APPOSITIVES" and try to add an appositive to any appropriate spot in the following sentence: His masterpiece was on exhibit at the Louvre.
   2. Similarly, look at the description of "INVERSION" and then attempt to undo the inversion that created the marked word order in the following sentence: Out of the mouths of babies come words of wisdom.
   3. After looking at the description of "TAG-QUESTIONS," add a tag-question to the following sentence: They haven't stopped carrying frozen yogurt.
   4. Attempt to turn the following into an EXTRAPOSITION: That his toenails are green worries him. (Hint: It will probably make this sentence sound more ordinary and natural to you even though extraposition is a "transformation.")
   5. Try to come up with your own example of a PREPOSED sentence.
   6. Which of the following is an EXISTENTIAL-THERE sentence (hint: the other examples involve a more obviously meaningful "there" that is making a spatial/locational reference. :) )
      1. There is always room for improvement.
      2. He is there.
      3. There goes that strange new guy.
   7. Finally, consider the following sentences and try to determine which single ONE has A NOUN COMPLEMENT following a noun in the sentence rather than a more common, but also more syntactically elaborate "relative clause" modifying a noun. (Remember that noun complements are ordinary sentences with a complementizer in front of them -- the don't contain fancy relative pronouns/determiners or missing pieces. Another hint - remember that only a few select 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. Styrofoam, which is a non-biodegradable material, is filling up our landfills.
      5. The individual whose shoes we stole must have cold feet.