Wednesday December 12, 2007
Fun with grammar
By OH TEIK THEAM
HAVE fun with this little grammar test:
The Ant and the Dove
One morning, an Ant tumbled into a stream while he was quenching his(1) thirst.
A Dove who was resting in a tree decided to help the Ant(2). She(3) swooped down towards the water and let the leaf in her beak fall close to the Ant, who climbed on to the makeshift lifeboat and floated safely to the bank.
“I hope you have not hurt yourself(4),” the Dove said.
“I’m all right,” the Ant replied. “Thank you for saving me from drowning.”
“We are all here to help one another,” said the Dove. “But I think there was no way you could have drowned.”
“What do you mean?”
“The small(5) fishes in this stream come from the best schools,” said the Dove. “I believe that they swim very fast(6). Any of them would have eaten you before you could drown.”
Later, the Ant saw a bird-catcher laying a net to trap the Dove. The bird-catcher wore a green and grey jacket(7). His goal was to catch two birds that day(8).
The quick-witted insect bit the man on his ankle, so that he cried out in pain and dropped his net. Warned of the danger, the Dove flew off(9).
The frustrated bird-catcher left for home, and the Dove returned to the area to thank her saviour(10).
Smiling, the Ant said, “One good turn deserves another.”
(Adapted from a fable by Aesop)
1. This pronoun has which of the following combinations of person, number and case:
(a) third person, plural, subjective (b) third person, singular, possessive (c) third person, plural, objective (d) third person, plural, possessive
2. This sentence contains which of the following: (a) adjectival clause (b) noun clause (c) adverbial clause (d) appositive phrase
3. The antecedent of this pronoun is: (a) tree (b) the Ant (c) the Dove (d) none of the above
4. This word is which of the following: (a) reflexive pronoun (b) emphatic pronoun (c) demonstrative pronoun (d) interrogative pronoun
5. This word is which of the following: (a) absolute adjective (b) substantive adjective (c) attributive adjective (d) predicative adjective
6. This sentence contains which of the following: (a) adjectival clause (b) adverbial clause (c) noun clause (d) infinitive phrase
7. This sentence contains which of the following: (a) adjectival phrase (b) noun phrase (c) prepositional phrase (d) participial phrase.
8. This sentence contains which of the following: (a) noun clause (b) gerund phrase (c) participial phrase (d) infinitive phrase
9. This word is which of the following: (a) preposition (b) adverb (c) conjunction (d) adjective
10. This sentence contains which of the following: (a) infinitive phrase functioning as an adjective (b) infinitive phrase functioning as a noun (c) infinitive phrase functioning as an adverb (d) conjunctive adverb
Answers:
1. (b) “His” is a personal pronoun of the third person (possessive). Its plural forms are “their” and “theirs”.
2. (a) The adjectival clause is “who was resting in a tree”.
3. (c) An antecedent is the noun, noun phrase or noun clause that a pronoun refers to. The antecedent sometimes appears in the preceding sentence.
4. (a) “Yourself” is either a reflexive pronoun or an emphatic pronoun. It is a reflexive pronoun when the action performed by the subject turns back (reflects) upon the subject. Without “yourself”, the sentence does not stand.
“Yourself” is an emphatic pronoun when it is used for emphasis: You yourself can best answer the query. Without “yourself”, the sentence still stands.
Demonstrative pronouns include “this”, “that”, “these” and “those”. They are used to point out the objects they refer to: This is a gift from my boss. When they are used as modifiers, they are not pronouns but demonstrative adjectives: This car is expensive.
Interrogative pronouns include “who”, “whom”, “whose”, “which” and “what”. They are used to ask direct and indirect questions: Who are you? / Tell me what you said to him.
5. (c) An attributive adjective is used directly beside the noun it modifies: She broke the beautiful vase. / I like my coffee strong.
A predicative adjective is used after a linking verb: The child is asleep. / The victim is alive.
Most adjectives are both attributive and predicative: She has big eyes. / Her eyes are big.
An absolute adjective describes a quality that cannot be intensified or compared. It should only be modified by adverbs such as “almost” and “nearly”. Examples: perfect, dead, square.
A substantive adjective is used without an expressed noun, but always with the definite article. Examples: the poor, the blind.
6. (c) The noun clause is “that they swim very fast”.
7. (a) and (b) The adjectival phrase is “a green and grey”. The noun phrase is “a green and grey jacket”.
An adjectival phrase either (i) expands the noun phrase, or (ii) functions as a complement of the verb, describing the subject of the verb. (Our project is really successful.)
8. (d) The infinitive phrase “to catch two birds that day” functions as a noun.
9. (b) An adverb does not have an object. A preposition always has an object: The driver jumped off the bus.
10. (c) The infinitive phrase “to thank her saviour” modifies the verb “returned”.
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