I.

Identify the sentence elements of the superordinate clauses of the following sentences and
state the name and function of each finite subordinating clause.
1. We / have sometimes convinced / ourselves / that there must be life out there.
SVOO (noun cl – object of ‘convinced’)
2. John /disagreed /with the claim that his senator was unsympathetic to motorists.
SVA (noun cl – appositive to ‘the claim’)
3. The cognitive skills animals use to detect identity relation between artificial stimuli may be
limited.
SV (adj cl – modifying ‘skills’)
4. Many people / nurture / the belief that environmental standards are declining, and four factors
seem to cause this disjunction between perception and reality.
SVO (noun clause – appositive to “the belief”)
5. The idea / is / preposterous that parrots are linguistic geniuses.
SVC (noun clause – postmodifying ‘preposterous’/ Cadj.)
6. He does not/ believe/ extinguishing these threats are insurmountable challenges.
SVO (noun cl – Object of ‘believe’)
7. If confronted by unconventional writing styles, / the computer /will alert/ its handlers /that the
essay is unusual and needs to be read by a human.
ASVOO (noun cl – Object of ‘alert)
8. Butterflies / are /less plentiful than they used to be.
SVC (Adv cl – post mod. of ‘plentiful’)
9. Knowing the data about who smokes/ would help / health officials /better spread awareness.
SVOC (noun cl, Cprep. modifying ‘about’)
1 0 . The dead pupa /stays/ bent /when you gently bend its abdominal region.
SVCA (Adv cl – modifying ‘stays’)
11.Middlesex University/ is recruiting/ students/ by providing information points in home
countries with people who have experience of the British system.
SVOA (adj cl, postmodifying “people”)
12. The use of cheques/ is declining/ as banks charge higher fees for using them.
SVA (Adv cl of reason, modifying “is declining” / A)
13. Although every month brings closer the dream of a cashless society, no new scheme/ has
found/ the best way forward/ yet.
Adv cl of concession, modifying “has found” A S V O
14. It/ became/ clear/ that the motor car was not a sensible solution.
SVC (noun clause, real S)
15. The bountiful potato crop, which contains almost all the necessary nutrients for a person’s
survival/, was largely blamed/ for the population growth.
SVA (adj.cl, postmodifying ‘crop’)
16. It /is /unknown whether this glacial activity is due to human impact or natural causes.
SVC (noun cl, real S)
17. Those who are allergic to furry pets, pollen, and plants / could be taught / how to control their
reactions with simple lifestyle changes.
SVO (adj cl, postmodifying “those”)
18. Today/ Shanghai / is ranked / as one of the four most rapidly developing cities in the world /
because it is the important financial and trade centre of China.
ASVCA (Adv cl of reason, A)
19. Whether you are a Korean executive on business in Shanghai or a Brazilian biochemist at a
conference in Sweden, / you / are probably speaking / English.
(adv cl of condition, A) ASVO
20. As the world adopts an international brand of English,/ it/ ’s / native speakers who will lose
most.
(Adv cl of time, A) SVC (Adj cl, postmodifying ‘native speakers’)
II. Analyse the following sentences by Descriptive Linguistic

1. Government figures show that populations of 19 bird species that rely on farmland have
halved since serious counting started in the 1970s.
M1: Government figures show
S1: that populations of 19 bird species have halved, Noun cl – Object of ‘show’
S1.1: that reply on farmland, Adj cl – Modifying ‘19 bird species’
S1.2: since serious counting started in the 1970s, Adv clause – Modifying ‘have
halved’
2. In cities such as Abuja, where more than half of school students do not know that second-hand
smoke can be hazardous, creating public support for laws and enforcement can be challenging.
M1: In cities such as Abuja, creating public support for laws and enforcement can be
challenging.
S1: where more than half of school students do not know, Adj cl – modifying ‘Abuja’
S1.1: that second-hand smoke can be hazardous, noun cl – Object of ‘know’
5. The specialist proposes that with the spread of the vaccine for cervical cancer and improved
breast and cancer screening, those forms of malignancy will decrease, whereas tobacco-related
lung cancer will rise.
M1: The specialist proposes
 S1: that with the spread of the vaccine for cervical cancer and improved breast and cancer
screening, those forms of malignancy will decrease, noun cl – object of ‘proposes’
S2: whereas tobacco-related lung cancer will rise, adv clause – modifying ‘will decrease’
4. Even if we convince ourselves that there must be life out in the space, we confront a second
problem which is that we don’t know anything about that life.
M1: we confront a second problem
S1: Even if we convince ourselves, Adv cl of condition – modifying ‘confront’
S1.1: that there must be life out there, noun cl – object of ‘convince’
S2: which is, adj cl – modifying ‘problem’
S2.1: that we don’t know anything about that life, noun cl – complement of
subject ‘which’
5. Its ideal subjects are those that need not be remembered and can be instantly replaced, where
what matters most is what is happening now and what is going to happen next.
M 1: Its ideal subjects are those

S1: That need not be remembered , Adj.cl, postmodifying “those”

S2 and (that) can ……replaced: Adj.cl, postmodifying “those”

M2: where ……….is…:

S3: what matters most: noun clause, S

S4: what is happening now: noun clause, Cs.

S5: what is going to happen: noun clause, Cs

6. Macfarlane guesses that the fact that water had to be boiled, together with the stomach-
purifying properties of tea so eloquently described in Buddhist texts, meant that the breast milk
provided by mothers was healthier.

M1: Macfarlane guesses

S1: that the fact meant: noun clause, O of “guesses”

S1.1: that water had to be……. texts: noun clause, in apposition to “the fact”

S1.2. that the …milk …. was healthier: noun clause, O of “meant”

7. The images on the cave walls not only showed historians how ancient man interrelated with
the natural world and developed the power of abstract thought but also proved to be major
source of inspiration for those artists intent on breaking free from the oppression of long held
perceptions of what art should be.
M1: The images on the cave walls not only showed historians
 S1: how ancient man interrelated with the natural world and developed the power of
abstract thought (Noun clause, O of ‘showed’)

M2: but also proved to be major source of inspiration for those artists intent on breaking free
from the oppression of long held perceptions of

S2: what art should be. (Noun clause, Cprep)

8. It has been asserted that rationing after the second world war was more preferable than the
twenty-first century snack culture, where youngsters are suffering from the nutritional equivalent
of the Victorian era when scurvy and rickets were commonplace.
M1: It has been asserted
S1: that rationing after the second world war was more preferable than the twenty-first
century snack culture (Noun clause, O of ‘has been asserted’)
S1.1: where youngsters are suffering from the nutritional equivalent of the
Victorian era (adj cl – modifying ‘culture’)
S1.1.1: when scurvy and rickets were commonplace (Adv cl of time, A)
9. While official reports predict the worst of the future of many species of fish, the fact that
governments and environmental agencies are fully aware of the potential consequences of
allowing some varieties to become extinct, gives hope that this current trend of overfishing may
be reversed.
M1: the fact gives hope

S1: While official reports predict the worst of the future of many species of fish (Adv cl
of contrast, A)

S2: that governments and environmental agencies are fully aware of the potential
consequences of allowing some varieties to become extinct (noun cl, appositive to ‘the fact’)

S3: that this current trend of overfishing may be reversed (noun cl, appositive to ‘hope’)

10. Paul Gauley, co-founder of the Carnegie International Camp for overweight children, puts
the success of his program down to its philosophy of advocating that children’s weight will only
be controlled if the reason why they want to eat are understood.
M1: Paul Gauley , co-founder of the Carnegie International Camp for overweight children, puts
the success of his program down to its philosophy of advocating

S1: that children’s weight will only be controlled (Noun clause – O of ‘advocating’)

S1.1: if the reason are understood.(adv cl of condition, modifying “will only be

III. Combine the sets of simple sentences into complex/compound complex sentences

1. Agriculture is responsible for the deterioration of drinking water. Most of it serves the
purpose of irrigation. The situation is threatening to some densely populated communities.
Agriculture is responsible for the deterioration of drinking water because most of it serves the
purpose of irrigation and the situation is threatening to some densely populated communities.

2. My wife has been a math teacher for twenty years. Sometimes she wishes she was a lawyer.
She
likes to argue. Many of our friends know that.
Many of our friends know that my wife, who has been a math teacher for twenty years,
sometimes wishes she was a lawyer.

3. Plato told the story of Atlantis around 360 BC. The founders of Atlantis were half god and
half human. He said it. Their home was made up of concentric islands separated by wide
moats and linked by a canal.
Plato, who told the story of Atlantis around 360 B.C., said the founders of Atlantis were half
god and half human whose home…
4. She reached the age of ten. She took speech lessons from a teacher of the deaf. In six years,
she could speak well enough to be understood.
When she reached the age of ten, she took speech lessons from a teacher of the deaf, and in six
years she could speak well enough to be understood.
V. The following sentence is structurally ambiguous; analyze the two different sentence
structures (SVOCA) to show both possible meanings.
Two cars were reported stolen by the police yesterday.
Two cars/ were reported/ stolen/ by the police/ yesterday. SVCAA
Two cars/ were reported/ stolen by the police/ yesterday. SVCA
The professor said on Monday he would give an exam
The professor /said/ on Monday/ he would give an exam. SVAO
The professor /said/ on Monday he would give an exam. SVO
Fruit flies like a banana
Fruit flies /like /a banana. SVO
Fruit/ flies/ like a banana. SVA