Basic English Grammar with Exercises

Test your knowledge

Exercise 3

What types of adverbs (i. e. sentential or VP adverb) can be found in the following

sentences?

(1) a Cleverly, Agatha answered the question.

b Ron hardly goes to the cinema.

c She suddenly burst into tears.

d Agatha cleverly answered the question.

e They certainly went to America for holiday.

f The student has rewritten her thesis thoroughly.

g The king often visited the neighbouring countries.

Exercise 4

What type of movement is going on in the following sentences? Give their tree

diagram as well.

(1) a Who lives in London?

b Sam seems to sleep.

c Who appears to adore Anne?

Exercise 5

Thematic role assignment must be local. A -role assigning head must be in a local

configuration to the DP it assigns -role to. Explain how the underlined nominal

constituents can get -role.

(1) a Which book did John buy?

b Short stories, I don’t like.

c Short stories I expect nobody likes.

d Mary seems to hate big cats.

e I know the researcher who is believed to have invented cold fusion.

Exercise 6

Identify the different types of movement in the following sentences. What moves from

which position to which position that is what is the extraction site and what is the

landing site for the moved elements?

(1) a The diamonds were stolen yesterday.

b Will you meet Mary in Paris?

c Linguistic textbooks, I never read.

d I won’t trust you.

e Who does John like?

f Never have I been treated so rudely.