Read A Workbook to Communicative Grammar of English Online
Authors: Dr. Edward Woods,Rudy Coppieters
A Workbook to Communicative Grammar of English (5 page)
Task two *
Put the negative element in front position to make the sentence sound more rhetorical, using the appropriate word order.
1.
I had never met the Sultan of Brunei before.
2.
It is by no means clear that the United States will sign the agreement.
3.
These magnificent flowers are nowhere else to be found.
4.
The harsh ruler spared not a single insurgent’s life.
5.
We should in no way lend credibility to the witness’s account of the facts.
6.
I will support Mr Barlow under no circumstances whatsoever.
7.
British women did not get the vote until after the First World War.
8.
This evil man not only murdered his wife, he also mutilated her body.
Task three ***
Rewrite the following dialogue by turning the sentences into exclamatory OR rhetorical questions, as indicated in brackets.
Dick: | Oh boy, I’m tired. (exclamatory positive) |
Emma: | You’ve been overdoing it again. (rhetorical negative) |
Dick: | I haven’t got an alternative. (rhetorical |
Emma: | You could ask me to lend you a hand from time to time. (rhetorical negative) |
Dick: | That’s a most generous offer. (exclamatory negative) |
Emma: | I detect some irony in your voice. (rhetorical positive) |
Dick: | I’ve asked you many times in the past. (rhetorical |
Emma: | I was suffering from depression then. (rhetorical negative) |
Dick: | Hard work is the best antidote to depression. (rhetorical negative) |
Emma: | Oh, but I felt sleepy all the time, taking those pills. (exclamatory positive) |
Dick: | I would have been a far better doctor for you, then. (rhetorical negative) |
Emma: | Oh Dick, you are hopeless. (exclamatory positive) |
The cause of an emotive reaction to something can be expressed by:
•
prepositions
:
at
(events),
with
(persons and objects),
about
and
of
•
to
-infinitive clause or
that
-clause
(with or without
should
)
•
subject
(active constructions)
or
by
-agent
(passive constructions).
•
more impersonal constructions
: the person affected by the emotion can be identified by a phrase introduced by
to
or
for
.
Some sentence adverbials, including comment clauses, can express an emotional reaction or judgement.
Task one *
Match the clauses in the left-hand column with the structures in the right-hand one.
1. | It’s a shame | a. | about the possible outbreak of cholera. |
2. | Caroline was angry | b. | at what they found in the basement. |
3. | The proliferation of biological weapons | c. | with their status because they felt exploited. |
4. | The authorities are concerned | d. | at my naïve belief in a better world. |
5. | We were overjoyed | e. | that we were not informed earlier. |
6. | The investigators were astonished | f. | to learn that he had been turned down. |
7. | Some secretaries were dissatisfied | g. | is really frightening. |
8. | To some observers, it was surprising | h. | that I should feel perfectly at home. |
9. | The philosopher smiled | i. | with me for not having invited her. |
10. | Paul was disappointed | j. | of their outrageous behaviour at the party. |
11. | Aunt Rebecca was anxious | k. | that so many people had cast their votes. |
12. | The twins were ashamed | l. | to meet again after so many years. |
Task two **
Rewrite the following sentences, using sentence adverbials corresponding to the underlined adjectives and verbs.
Example:
It is
surprising
that nobody complained about what had happened
.
⇒
Surprisingly, nobody complained about what had happened
.
1.
It was
amazing
that most passengers of the crashed airliner escaped unhurt.
2.
I would like to buy a flat, and would
prefer
to have one with a good view.
3.
It is
tragic
that five skiers died in the avalanche.
4.
Barbara was
foolish
to carry thousands of dollars in her handbag.
5.
It is
unfortunate
that too little is being done to protect the environment.
6.
I
regretted
that some people failed to appreciate my point of view.
7.
I was
lucky
not to be at home when the gas explosion occurred.
8.
It was quite
sensible
of the government to launch a new campaign against drink-driving.
9.
It is to be
hoped
that the economy will pick up again later this year.
10.
We had
not expected
the minister to hand in his resignation.
Task three **
Complete the sentences in the following dialogue, adding the most appropriate of the comment clauses listed below. Use each clause just once.
I believe | I’m afraid | I’m sure | I see | putting it more bluntly |
so to speak | to be honest | what’s more | you bet | you see |
Max: | Nora, we can no longer afford to stay in this lavish apartment, _______________. _______________, we’ll have to move to a cheaper place. |
Nora: | I don’t know what to say, _______________. |
Max: | I may soon be made redundant, _______________. _______________, I lost a considerable amount of money in a risky project a few weeks ago. |
Nora: | Erm … there is a way out, _______________, if at least you are prepared to listen to me first. |
Max: | _______________ I will listen to you. |
Nora: | Well, there is this dear cousin of mine who was born with, _______________, a silver spoon in his mouth. He will help us out, _______________. |
Max: | Oh, _______________. That would be wonderful, of course. |
The verbs
like, love, hate
and
prefer
can be followed by a noun phrase object, a
to
-infinitive clause or an -
ing
clause. The infinitive clause tends to express an ‘idea’ and is also used when the main verb is hypothetical, while the -
ing
clause rather expresses a ‘fact’.
The verbs
enjoy, dislike
and
loathe
take only -
ing
clauses.
The rejected alternative following the object of
prefer
is introduced by a
to
-phrase, by an infinitive clause introduced by
rather than
or by an -
ing
clause.
Other emotions can be expressed in a large variety of structural and lexical ways and can range in tone from more to less tentative, tactful, enthusiastic, etc.
Task one **
Complete the following sentences, using the infinitive OR -
ing
form of the verb in brackets.
1.
I dislike (sit) _______________ in overcrowded trains.
2.
I wouldn’t like (drive) _______________ a thousand miles all on my own.
3.
On the whole, I prefer (walk) _______________ to (cycle) ______________.
4.
We both enjoyed (cook) _______________ dinner for our newly arrived guests.
5.
The traditional housewife likes everything (be) _______________ neat and tidy.
6.
Margaret is an actress who has always loved (perform) _______________ on the stage.
7.
Rather than (sack) _______________ part of the workforce, the management preferred (introduce) _______________ part-time work.
8.
I hate (say) _______________ this, but you keep giving us the wrong signal.
9.
Arthur tells me he loathes (go) _______________ to these conferences.
10.
Would you really love (work) _______________ with autistic children?
11.
I like (be) _______________ with Jerry because he is so entertaining.
12.
We have always preferred (travel) _______________ abroad, rather than (stay) _______________ close to home.
Task two **
(a) | What is the basic emotion expressed by each of the following pairs of sentences? Choose the appropriate label from the following list of seven: (A) hope, (B) anticipation of pleasure, (C) disappointment or regret, (D) approval, (E) disapproval, (F) surprise, (G) concern or worry. |
(b) | Which of the two versions expresses the stronger emotion, i.e. sounds more direct, more emphatic, less tentative, etc.? |
1a. | You handled the situation very clumsily. |
b. | Couldn’t you have handled the situation a little more carefully? |
2a. | I’m a bit worried about these new developments. |
b. | I find these new developments very alarming indeed. |
3a. | What a strange way of dealing with young children. |
b. | I thought it a rather strange way of dealing with young children. |
4a. | I’m looking forward to participating in this new venture. |
b. | I’m very eager to participate in this new venture. |
5a. | I was hoping we could discuss some of the remaining problems. |
b. | I hope to discuss some of the remaining problems with you. |
6a. | How unfortunate that so few people turned up in the end. |
b. | Unfortunately, not many people turned up in the end. |
7a. | The food on board the plane wasn’t too bad, was it? |
b. | I really liked the food on board the plane, didn’t you? |
8a. | Don’t you agree that an alternative approach might have been more appropriate? |
b. | I don’t think this was the appropriate approach, you know. |
9a. | The news coming from the Middle East is most disturbing. |
b. | There is growing concern over the news coming from the Middle East. |
10a. | If only solar energy could be used on a much wider scale! |
b. | It’s a bit of a pity that solar energy can’t be used on a wider scale yet. |
Task three ***
Rewrite the following dialogue by adding the emotional meanings in brackets to the sentences as they stand. Give for each sentence two ‘expanded’ versions, which differ in form and possibly also in terms of emotive strength.
Example:
We couldn’t go cycling this afternoon
. (disappointment)
⇒
What a pity we couldn’t go cycling this afternoon
.
It would have been more fun if we had been able to go cycling this afternoon
.
Walt: | Viv, I’m going to indulge in a five-course dinner this evening. (anticipation of pleasure) |
Viv: | You’ll be stuffing yourself with fattening food again. (disapproval) |
Walt: | You envy people who like a hearty meal from time to time. (surprise) |
Viv: | More and more of those people are becoming overweight these days. (concern) |
Walt: | That’s not going to happen to me. (hope) |
Viv: | You don’t seem to realize that too much food is bad for your health. (regret) |
Walt: | YOU don’t seem to realize that I’m taking a lot of exercise now. (surprise) |
Viv: | You’ve at least changed that part of your lifestyle. (approval) |
Walt: | Some of the physical activities make me feel exhausted. (disappointment) |
Viv: | As you lose weight, the activities will seem lighter too. (hope) |