Dr. Johanna Rubba
English Department (Linguistics)
Cal Poly State University San Luis Obispo
Last updated  2/11/05
© 2004 Johanna Rubba

Key: Rubba Ex. 4.3: Count vs. Mass Nouns
1. mass 2. count; mass rare: "She doesn't have much fight in her." 3. mass 4. mass 5. count & mass (Mass: "There isn't much text on the page.")
6. count & mass 7. count & mass 8. count & mass (Count: "my many hopes and fears") 9. count 10. count & mass (Mass: lamb meat)

 

Key: Rubba Ex. 4.6: Transitive vs. Instransitive Verbs

* means that the sentence is not a possible English sentence; native speakers would reject it.

find: transitive
"I found a key."

understand: trans
"I understand the concept."

sleep: intrans.
*"I slept a nap."

believe: trans.
"I believed her story."

sit: intrans.
*"I sat the chair."

("Sit" does have a transitive version with a specialized meaning: "I sat the exam.")
respond: intrans.
*"I responded the message."		        

 

Rubba Ex. 6.2 & 6.3: No key. Answers vary.

Key: Rubba Ex. 6.4: Identifying phrase types

(identification of head is not required -- given here to explain answer)

  1. Adjective Phrase - "tall" is head
  2. Verb phrase - "examined" is head
  3. Prepositional phrase - "between" is head
  4. Adverb phrase - "carefully" is head
  5. Noun phrase - "tent" is head
  6. Adjective phrase - "sad" is head

Key: Rubba Ex. 6.5

  1. not a clause: no predicate
  2. clause: subject: Dr. Phrigby predicate: will see you in her office now
  3. clause: subject: I predicate: had met him
  4. not a clause: no subject, no verb
  5. clause: subject: The kids predicate: being silly

Key: Rubba Ex. 6.6

  1. subject: the secretary of state
    direct object: an urgent message
    indirect object: the President
  2. subject: My father
    direct object: a new car
    indirect object:     (none)
  3. subject: My father
    direct object: a new car
    indirect object:     my sister
  4. subject: the mayor
    direct object: the issue
    indirect object: (none)
  5. subject: the old tree
    direct object: (none)
    indirect object:     (none)
  6. subject: the loggers
    direct object: the old tree
    indirect object:     (none)
  7. subject: my boyfriend
    direct object: a sandwich
    indirect object:     me
  8. subject: Migratory birds
    direct object: most of the ants
    indirect object:     (none)
  9. subject: (none)
    direct object: a grape
    indirect object:     me

Key: Rubba Ex. 6.7

OC DO = direct object OC = object complement SC = subject complement

  1. me: DO very sad: OC
  2. SC
  3. Bill C.: DO President: OC
  4. your proposal: DO arrogant in the extreme: OC
  5. SC
  6. SC
  7. this county: DO a hot zone: OC
  8. SC
  9. SC
  10. the Corvair: DO unsafe at any speed: OC
  11. Trang: DO a traitor: OC
  12. Lee: IO a cab: DO
  13. me: DO a great athlete: OC
  14. me: DO really mad: OC
  15. me: IO a sandwich: DO Model: You can call me a bacheloretter, but if you value your life, never call me an old maid.

Key: Rubba Ex. 6.8 No key. Answers vary.
 Model: You can call me a bachelorette, but if you value your life, never call me an old maid.

Key: Rubba Ex. 6.9

  1. yesterday - NP - modifies whole sentence; in the Pepsi vending machine: PP -modifies verb
  2. fortunately - AdvP - modifies whole sentence; the very same day - NP - modifies verb
  3. every evening - NP - modifies verb; after dinner - PP - modifies verb; in our neighborhood - PP - modifies verb
  4. frantically - AdvP - modifies verb
  5. skip this one

Key: Rubba Ex. 6.10

This exercise will not be assigned. Key is on p. 110 of text.

Key: Rubba Ex. 6.11

  1. phrase
  2. finite, independent clause (= sentence)
  3. phrase
  4. phrase
  5. finite, dependent clause
  6. nonfinite, dependent clause
  7. finite, independent clause (= sentence)
  8. finite, dependent clause