I. Identify the sentence elements of the superordinate clauses of the following sentences.

E.g. The fishermen / think/ that the company polluted the bay.
S / V / Od
1. No one/// can predict//// where the process will end. SVOd
2. The main question raised by such a move//// is//// whether a government should be allowed to
control family size. SVCs
3. They/// are ///really surprised at the news that they should give the company their
unconditional loyalty. SVCs
4. Those who harm other people physically or mentally /////should be/// in prison. SVA
5. The government ///has also faced//// heavy criticism of its methods of trying to enforce the
one-child policy in the past. SVOd
6. Modern societies//// are ////dependent on each other ///for their continuing survival. SVCsA
7. State promises to provide newer engines, planes, and helicopters/// have been fulfilled. SVpass
8.It ///might surprise/// you/// that chocolate was once highly treasured. SVOdCs
9.The monumental ruins left behind by those past societies//// hold/// a fascination for all of
us.SVOd
10.When we grow up,//// many of us//// plan/// vacations//// in order to experience them at first
hand. ASVOdA
11.Damage caused by a fire//// is//// worse than that caused by the flood. SVCs
12.Although the direct aims may be financial,//// creating or hiring a blockbuster//// has///// many
positive spin-offs ASVOd
13. In July 1858/////, Charles Lyell and J. D Hooker, close friends of Darwin,///// pressed Darwin
to present his conclusions ///so that he would not lose priority to an unknown naturalist. ASVA
14.State promises to provide newer engines, planes, and helicopters/// have been fulfilled.
SVpass
15. The best thing we did//// was/// that we hired some really good people to work for us. SVCs
16. Many people/// nurture//// the belief that environmental standards are declining. SVOd
17. The yield of cotton//// is ///relatively lower than that of other agricultural crops.SVCs
18.Modern societies are dependent on each other for their continuing survival.
19. The homeopath ///sees ///the symptoms//// as signs of the way the body is attempting to help
itself. SVOdCo
20. Most historians//// believe ////that there are one or two missing factors to open the lock.SVOd
21. In many cases,///// similar difficulties//// arise/// when attempts are made to measure domestic
tourism. ASVA
22. The thirty-six-storey building in central Tokyo//// was considered/// a masterpiece of modern
engineering ////when it was built in 1968. SVpassCsA
23. The disappointing results of many conventional transport projects in Africa//// made/// some
experts/// rethink the strategy. SVOdCo
24. The selected approaches to Makete’s transport problems//// had had ///different degrees of
success. SVOd
25. This//// clearly ///illustrates//// the need for supplementary measures//// if one wants to assist
the rural poor. SAVOdA
26. From the non-networker’s point of view///, such a development//// may be/// intolerable/// if it
is happening outside their control ASVCsA
27. They/// sent/// a sample of the pottery to the laboratory/// so that a date could be put on
it.SVOdA
II. The following sentence is structurally ambiguous; analyze the two different sentence
structures (SVOCA) to show both possible meanings. (1 mark)
1. Alexa/// spotted/// the man with a telescope. SVOd
Alexa ///spotted//// the man /// with a telescope SVOdA

2. Two cars/// were reported//// stolen by the policeman.SVpassA

Two cars/// were reported stolen//// by the policeman SVpassA

3. My mother ////has//// baked potatoes/// for dinner.SVOdA

My mother//// has baked/// potatoes//// for dinner.SVOdA

4. They//// are/// cooking apples SVCs

They ////are cooking ///apples.SVOd

5.They//// saw ////the girl who disappeared in the store SVOd

They/// saw ////the girl who disappeared ////in the store. SVOdA

6.He//// read//// the book his friend gave him last month.SVOd
He//// read//// the book his friend gave him//// last month SVOdA

7.They//// fed//// her dog /////biscuits. SVOiOd

They/// fed//// her//// dog biscuits.SVOiOd

8.I/// will get//// her/// socks. SVOiOd

I//// will get/// her socks. SVOd

III. Analyse the following sentences by Descriptive Linguistic (3 marks)

E.g. I’m glad that my mother made me take piano lessons when I was a child.
M 1 : I’m glad
S 1 : that my mother made me take piano lessons: noun clause, complement of “glad”
 S.1.1 : when I was a child: adverbial clause, adverbial of time, modifying
‘made’.
1. Although she does not believe we should be seriously concerned, she thinks that in future,
parents and teachers will need to pay more attention to what is happening to boys both at home
and in the classroom.
M1: she thinks
S1: Although she does not believe we should be seriously concerned (adverbial clause of
concession modifying M1)
S1.1: we should be seriously concerned (noun clause, object of "believe")
S2: that in future, parents and teachers will need to pay more attention to what is happening to
boys both at home and in the classroom (noun clause, object of "thinks")
S2.1: what is happening to boys both at home and in the classroom (relative clause modifying
"attention")

2. The recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1904 for his successful isolation of the element
argon, Lord Rayleigh made key discoveries in the fields of acoustics and optics that are critical
to the theory of wave propagation in fluids and we now know that a number of factors influence
how far sound travels underwater and how long it lasts.
M1: Lord Rayleigh made key discoveries in the fields of acoustics and optics
S1: The recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1904 for his successful isolation of the
element argon (apposition to "Lord Rayleigh")
S2: that are critical to the theory of wave propagation in fluids (modifying "discoveries")
M2: we now know
S2: that a number of factors influence how far sound travels underwater and how long it lasts
(noun clause, object of "know")

3.The view that spoken language was ultimately a cultural invention like tool-making which then
drove the biological evolution of the brain and vocal apparatus, seems obvious when you think of
the development of different languages.
M1: The view... seems obvious
S1: that spoken language was ultimately a cultural invention like tool-making which then drove
the biological evolution of the brain and vocal apparatus (relative clause modifying "view")
S2: when you think of the development of different languages (adverbial clause of time
modifying "seems obvious")

4. You can look at maps of volcanoes, earthquakes and island chains like the Philippines and
Japan, and you can see the rough outlines of what are called tectonic plates which make up the
earth’s crust and mantle.
M1: You can look at maps of volcanoes, earthquakes and island chains like the Philippines and
Japan
Main Clause (M2): you can see the rough outlines of what are called tectonic plates which make
up the earth’s crust and mantle
S1: which make up the earth’s crust and mantle (adjectival clause, modifying "tectonic plates")
5. When we are born, we have a lot of these on the roof of our mouth as well as on our
tongue, but as we get older, we lose taste buds, which is why older people find it harder
to taste things.
M1: we have a lot of these on the roof of our mouth as well as on our tongue
S1: as we get older, we lose taste buds (adverbial clause of time modifying M2)
M2: which is why older people find it harder to taste things
Relative Clause (S2): which (modifying "reason")

6.Questions like this illustrate why those famous collapses of past civilisations have taken on
more meaning than just that of a romantic mystery, but perhaps there are some practical lessons
that we could learn from all those past collapses.
M 1: Questions like this illustrate
S 1: why those famous collapses of past civilisations have taken on more meaning than just that
of a romantic mystery: noun clause, complement of "illustrate."
S 2: but perhaps there are some practical lessons: coordination, contrasting main clauses.
S 2.1: that we could learn from all those past collapses: relative clause, modifying "lessons."

7.It has been observed that most children with noise-induced hearing threshold shifts have only
limited hearing damage and that continued exposure to excessive noise can lead to difficulties
with high-frequency sound discrimination but as soon as the exposure is stopped, the hearing
loss stops.
M 1: It has been observed
S 1: that most children with noise-induced hearing threshold shifts have only limited hearing
damage: noun clause, complement of "observed."
S 2: and that continued exposure to excessive noise can lead to difficulties with high-frequency
sound discrimination: noun clause, complement of "observed."
S 3: as soon as the exposure is stopped, the hearing loss stops: compound sentence.
S 3.1: as soon as the exposure is stopped: adverbial clause, adverbial of time, modifying "stops."

8. The cost of food has now reached a point where a growing number of people believe that it is
far too high, and that bringing it down will be one of the great challenges of the 21th century.
M 1: The cost of food has now reached a point
S 1: where a growing number of people believe: relative clause, modifying "point."
S 1.1: that it is far too high: noun clause, complement of "believe."
S 2: and that bringing it down will be one of the great challenges of the 21st century: noun
clause, complement of "believe."
IV. Combine the sets of simple sentences into one complex/compound complex sentence
1.
Plato told the story of Atlantis around 360 BC. The founders of Atlantis were half god and half
human. Their home was made up of concentric islands separated by wide moats and linked by a
canal.
2.The English language includes many roots from Latin and Greek. Learning the code for
spelling and pronouncing words can be challenging. Many people realize this. They are learning
English as a foreign language.

1. Plato told the story of Atlantis around 360 BC, describing how the founders of Atlantis,
who were half god and half human, lived on concentric islands separated by wide moats and
linked by a canal.

2. Many people learning English as a foreign language realize that the English language
includes many roots from Latin and Greek, and they find learning the code for spelling and
pronouncing words to be challenging.
V. Construct the sentences as guided (2 marks)
E.g. [Noun clause] means he knew nothing about the task.
What he did means he knew nothing about the task.
1. [Noun clause] hasn’t been announced yet.
What he carried out the survey…….

2. [Preparatory S] is a big question [noun clause].

It is a big question that his car broke down

2. Her parents [adjective clause] were disappointed [adverbial clause].

Her parents who are strict ……because their son failed the exam

3. She refused to work for that company [adverbial clause].

…because.the annual income is low