Uppsala University
Department of English
A1/HS1/T1 Grammar
Autumn/Fall Term 2012
Language Structure Assignment 4: Key to Self-study
Grammar Tasks
Task 1
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
He will /be here soon/soon be here/. (UGE 5.4.5.1)
If I had gone home at once, I would have met my uncle. (UGE 5.4.6)
It’s /high/about/ time you bought a new car. (UGE 5.4.2)
My brother was born in Stockholm, but I was born in Uppsala. (UGE 5.4.2)
Who wrote Romeo and Juliet? (UGE 5.4.2)
He lived in London for five years, but now he has moved back to Uppsala
for good. (UGE 5.4.2–5.4.3)
Who told you (that) I was (at) home? (UGE 5.4.2)
Task 2
a.
b.
I would have liked to have done it if I had had the time. (Would have liked is a finite
verb phrase; to have done is a separate, non-finite verb phrase.)
You would have liked him if you had met him then.
Task 3
a.
1)
i)
ii)
Ongoing activity at the time of speaking.
A “habit” in the sense that “she” will eat sushi if it is offered to her;
but she does not have to be eating sushi right now.
i)
Sequential action: she heard the news first and then smoked a
cigarette. It may be implied that the news caused her to smoke a
cigarette.
Simultaneous action: it was while she was already smoking a
cigarette that she heard the news. The event expressed using the
progressive (smoking a cigarette) provides a background and a
temporal framework for the event expressed using the simple form
(hearing the news).
2)
ii)
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Uppsala University
Department of English
b.
A1/HS1/T1 Grammar
Autumn/Fall Term 2012
These two sentences are not well-formed because they have stative verbs in the
progressive. Normally only dynamic verbs – that is, verbs that describe an
action that a subject in the active voice can control – are used in the progressive.
Either one likes sushi/owns a car or one does not, but it has more to do with a
state than with a controlled activity. However, the progressive does occur with
stative verbs as well, but then there is usually some sort of special
interpretation; for instance, the verb may refer to temporary behaviour rather
than a permanent characteristic (e.g. He is being silly vs. He is silly), the verb may
emphasize emotion or the present relevance of what it refers to (cf. the
McDonald’s slogan I’m loving it), or the verb may express gradual change (e.g. I
never thought I would be happy in Uppsala, but I’m liking the place more and more).
However, these uses are frequently particular to certain verbs, so it is often a
good idea for learners to avoid using the progressive in such contexts (with the
exception of the He is being silly type, which is well established) unless they are
certain that a progressive verb phrase would be correct.
Task 4
Verb phrases are italicized in the sentences and then analysed on separate lines.
1)
Grammar can be great fun.
i)
Can be: can – finite, modal auxiliary; be – nonfinite, main verb, linking
verb.
2)
The hostess demanded that he leave immediately.
i)
Demanded: demanded – finite, transitive main verb.
ii) Leave (subjunctive verb phrase): leave – finite, intransitive main verb.
3)
I have told him a story.
i)
Have told (present perfect verb phrase): have – finite, primary
auxiliary; told – nonfinite, transitive main verb.
4)
I had left the party before you arrived.
i)
Had left (past perfect verb phrase): had – finite, primary auxiliary; left
– nonfinite, transitive main verb.
ii) Arrived: arrived – finite, intransitive main verb.
5)
Listen carefully!
i)
Listen (imperative verb phrase): listen – finite, intransitive main verb.
6)
It’s raining outside.
i)
Is raining (progressive verb phrase): is – finite, primary auxiliary;
raining – nonfinite, intransitive main verb.
7)
If I were you, I would buy a new bike.
i)
were (subjunctive verb phrase): were – finite main verb, linking verb.
ii) would buy: would – finite, modal auxiliary; buy – nonfinite, transitive
main verb.
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Uppsala University
Department of English
A1/HS1/T1 Grammar
Autumn/Fall Term 2012
Task 5
1)
2)
3)
4)
If this had not happened, we would not have got to know some
surprising facts. The third conditional has a past perfect verb phrase in
the conditional clause and would have + past participle in the main clause,
not the other way around.
Many hours of work could disappear if the computer /broke/should
break/ down. In an if-clause, would expresses volition (‘ville gå sönder’),
which is inappropriate here; the simple past corresponds to Swedish gick
sönder, while should + infinitive corresponds to Swedish (händelsevis) skulle
gå sönder, i.e. something that is possible but not very likely.
He promised that he would help me the next time. Except for a number
of special cases, would corresponds to Swedish skulle, while should
corresponds to borde or bör. In (3), the ‘skulle’ meaning is appropriate, so
would should be used.
The manager demands that the club (should) purchase new players. In a
that-clause after a suggestion, demand, etc., either the mandative
subjunctive (purchase) or should + infinitive (should purchase) can be used in
English.
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