Exercises in Modern English Grammar
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"Exercises in Modern English Grammar" . , "Exercises in Modern English Grammar", .. , .. , .. .
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Who climbs the grammar tree distinctly knows Where noun and verb and participle grows.
Dryden
Parti
MORPHOLOGY. PARTS OF SPEECH
Chapter I.
THE NOUN
Classification of Nouns
Ex. 1. State whether the nouns in bold type are proper or common.
1. The Imperial State Crown of the Queen of England is normally kept at the Tower. 2. This church has a tower attached to it. 3. The English Channel is the narrow area of water between England and France. 4. The main channels had been closed by enemy submarines. 5. You are like a Figaro. One minute here, another there. 6. I've bought a Kodak, but I don't know how it works. 7. In the art circles he was known as a Metsenat. 8. Wellington defeated Napoleon's army in the battle of Waterloo. 9. Wellingtons are rubber boots. Americans call them galoshes. 10. What had happened, became a Waterloo Bridge for him. 11. He is a real Paparatssi in everything that concerns making money. 12. Rita Brown writes like an American Evelyn Waugh. 13. He is thrilled at his new buy: a classic Mercedes Benz. 14. Antony Marshall lives outside the city. Every morning he drives to the City where he works as staff manager. 15. The Red-White-and-Blue Union Jack hung out of every window, fluttering in the breeze. 16. Degas and Monet were her husband's favourite artists, and both were well represented in their
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house. 17. He glanced at the list of her art collection. Sisleys, Monets, Manets, a Dali, Renoirs and a Degas. It was a fabulous collection. 18. Carl Faberge was Russia's Imperial Jeweller. 19. What a beautiful Easter egg! Yes,it's a Faberge. 20. The two friends bought a Johnny Walker to celebrate the event. 21. Kurt Vonnegut is writing with the half-embittered, half-amused voice of a later-day Mark Twain. 22. Tonight Samantha wore highly polished black Oxfords.
Ex. 2. Explain the origin and the meaning of the following common
nouns. Use them in sentences of your own.
A Dracula, a Cartier, a Sony, a Camel, a Marlborough, a complete Shakespeare, a Reebok, a Mauzer, a Lovelace, a Webster, a Don Juan, a Dunhill, the White House, a Barbie, a Jillet, a Petroff, a Stradivarius, an Oscar, a Walkman, a hooligan, bermudas, a Xerox, a Newton.
Ex. 3. Read and translate the following. Explain the use of the nouns in bold type.
1. The Uffizi in Florence have more perfect paintings than any other gallery on the planet not just Tintorettos and Botticellis, but the most arresting works by people like Gentile da Fabriano and Simone Martini. Some Caravaggios, "Bachus" among them, were found in an Uffizi store-room in 1916.
2. The Earl of Cardigan gave his name to one of the garments we wear. A cardigan is a knitted jacket that is fastened up the front with buttons or a zip.
3. Now, how about some Bellinis to celebrate the holiday? I've forgotten what a Bellini is. I know Bellini, the composer, of course. I mean, I know it's also champagne but what's in it besides that? Fresh peach juice. Now I remember! It's a fabulous drink.
4. Rumor has it that you're suffering from a terminal Don Juan complex. It's not such a bad reputation to have, when you think about it. After all no man can be a Don Juan unless women are interested in him.
5. Long ago in prerevolutionary France there lived one Etienne de Silhouette, a controller general for Louis XV. Because of his fanatical zeal for raising taxes and slashing expenses and pensions, he enraged royalty and citizens alike, who ran him out of office within eight months. At about the same time that Silhouette was sacked, the method of making cutouts of profiles by throwing the shadow of the subjects on the screen captured the fancy of the Paris public. Because the process was cheap, the man and the method became associated. Ever since, we have called shadow profiles silhouettes, with a small s.
Ex. 4. Translate into English.
I. ! ! 2. ! . 3. , . , . 4. . ? 5. ! , . 6. ? . 7. : , , , . 8. ? . 9. : , , , . 10. , .
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II. . 12. ? . 13. . 14. . 15. ! , .
Ex. 5. Match the six common words given below and the following descriptions.
1. Two-piece swimsuits are named after a Pacific atoll on which hydrogen bombs were detonated a truly explosive and figurative word.
2. The most popular of all humorous verse forms in English comes from a country in Ireland. One theory says that Irish mercenaries used to compose verses in that form about each other and then join in a chorus of "When we get back to town, 'twill be a glorious morning."
3. Nearly two-and-a-half millennia ago, a little band of ten thousand Persians were defeated at the battle of Pheidippides. A courageous runner brought the news of the glorious victory to Athens, and thus gave his name to a long-distance run.
4. A contraction of "St. Mary's of Bethlehem," a sixteenth century London hospital for the insane, has become a word for uproar or confusion.
5. The Pilgrims found in America a wild fowl somewhat similar in appearance to a fowl they had known back in England a bird that had acquired its name because it was first imported by way of a particular country. Because we perceive this bird as ugly in appearance and voice, we sometimes assign its name to people we don't care for.
6. The inhabitants of an ancient Greek city were noted for their ability to say a lot in a few words. During a siege of their capital, a Roman general sent a note to this city's commander warning that if the Romans captured the city, they would burn it to the ground. From within the city gates came back the terse reply: "If!" The city's name lives on in an adjective that describes spare speech.
a marathon, a bedlam, a bikini, a limerick, a turkey, laconic
Ex. 6. Explain the difference between the following pairs of words and use them in sentences of your own.
1. air an air
2. beauty a beauty
3. coffee a coffee
4. cloth a cloth
5. dinner a dinner
6. fire a fire 8
7. glass a glass
8. language a language
9. lemon a lemon
10. light a light
11. nature a nature
12. oak an oak
13. paper a paper
14. play a play
15. power a power
16. rubber a rubber
17. ice an ice
18. stone a stone
19. study a study
20. will a will
Ex. 7. Make up exclamatory sentences according to the model.
Model: competent advice What competent advice! good question What a good question!
1. original advice great idea
2. beautiful nature difficult character
3. fashionable furniture big refrigerator
4. modern equipment ancient fortress
5. unexpected money great fortune
6. wonderful music sentimental tune
7. hitting news strange call
8. good progress big success
9. heavy traffic busy line
10. miserable weather nasty day
11. deep knowledge excellent certificate
12. difficult work pleasant job
13. Russian linen linen towel
14. leafy foliage beautiful leaf
Ex. 8. Comment on the nouns in bold type.
1. Harrods has so much to offer. Vintage wines and sparkling champagne, rustic country pates and silky smooth terrines, delicate scented teas and subtle infusions, buttery shortbread biscuits and rich fruity jams, robust pickles and tangy relishes, mature farmhouse cheddars and crumbly stiltons, hams and smoked salmon which melts in the mouth all presented in traditional wicker baskets or Harrods boxes. The only thing Harrods can't supply is the weather! 2. Good wines are the best buys before Christmas. 3.1 dropped in at the supermarket and bought a few cold meats, and I also made a salad. 4. Fruit juices are ideal in hot weather. 5. My Granny makes four jams every year. 6.1 used to eat toast with orange marmalade. 7. France has an excellent range of cheeses. 8. A set menu in this Chinese cafe consists of four soups. I prefer a Singaporean seafood soup. It tastes and smells terrific. 9. Herbal teas are my favourite. 10. This shop sells fine foods. 11. The finest rums come from Puerto Rico. 12.1 always have a beer while watching television.
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13. Can I offer you something? Coffee, tea, a soda, perhaps?
14. Tea is our most social and sociable drink a part of our daily life for well over 300 years.
Ex. 9. Choose the appropriate noun from the list below for each sentence. Add an article (a/an/the) or plural (s/es) where necessary.
Affection, spirit, information, red, damage, paper, milk,
wonder, left, glass, luggage, wood, cheese, wild, work, water,
wool, salt.
1. Brie and Camembert are only two of the wide variety of... produced in France. 2. Many Englishmen have explored... of the Nile. 3. Woodworm can cause a lot of... if it is not treated. 4. He never really loved her he just toyed with her.... 5.1 need... which will match the other shades of scarlet in the room. 6. "Hamlet" is one of Shakespeare's best known.... 7.1 didn't know you were short-sighted. How long have you been wearing...?
8. He buys... on the way home to check the race results.
9. Sorry, sir, you can't have whisky. Our licence doesn't allow us to serve..., only wine or beer. 10. It's a very shy animal and lives in...; it's rarely seen in the open fields. 11. This plant is only found in... of Alaska. 12. To get to the station, you should take... just after the bridge. 13. The girl in the travel agent's was very helpful and gave me lots of... about Turkey. 14. Sorry I'm late some of my... went missing at the airport. 15. Our dairy produces five different.... 16. British... such as cashmere, mohair, lambswool, merino wool come mostly from the Shetlands. 17.... occurs naturally in sea water. 18. Where are my bathing...? 19. The Great Pyramid of Cheops is one of the seven... of the Ancient World; it's the only one that has survived and exists today.
Ex. 10. Translate into English.
1. , . 2. . 3. . 4. . 5. . 6. . 7. . 8. . 9. . 10. (to lack) . 11. . 12. , . 13. . 14. . 15. . 16. . 17. , , . 18. . 19. . 20. . 21. . .
Ex. 11. Comment on the nouns in bold type.
1. According to modern standards my family isn't big.
2. My family are early birds. 3. The board consists of twelve people. 4.1 know what the board think of me. They regard me as the spoiled granddaughter of a rich and powerful woman. And the board are very aware of that. 5. This council is responsible for looking after roads. 6. The council have been promising to mend the fences, doors and windows for years. 7. The public stop and stare. 8. "You could join us," he suggested helpfully. "We're a jolly crowd." 9. The government has cut back on public expenditure. 10. Some people said darkly that the Government were behind it. 11. The staff are going to buy a leaving present for their boss. 12. His staff is very efficient. 13. This team plays for Spain. 14. The team are training hard for the coming match. 15. Statistics is the study of figures. 16. Statistics are often misleading. 17. Politics is a popular topic now. 18. What are his politics? 19. The jury were in disagreement. 20. The jury has announced its verdict.
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Ex. 12. Comment on the nouns in bold type.
1. The police are here and they are doing their best, sir.
2. The local police have closed this night club. 3. The police were assisted by private detectives. 4. The cattle are in the fields. 5. Where are the people? They've gone to the briefing. 6. Her poultry are the finest in the whole village. 7. The Roman Catholic clergy are stationed in Vatican. 8. Who are those people? They are tourists. 9. Dice are used in many board games. 10. The people at the interview were very helpful. 11. Hey, people, what are you doing? 12. How different are the beliefs of various peoples across the world! 13. This is a warlike people. 14. The peoples of the Commonwealth will have a new monetary unit.
Ex. 13. Read and translate the sentences paying particular attention to the nouns in bold type.
1. These scales are not correct. 2. My glasses have become too weak for me. 3. The scissors are blunt. 4. My kid's pyjamas are made of cotton. 5. These tights were made in Italy. 6. Don't you think your trousers are too short? 7. What are your earrings made of? 8. The goods have arrived. 9. Give my best regards to your family. 10. The surroundings were unfamiliar to him. 11. The cleaner collected all the floor sweepings and potato peelings lying near the rubbish pipe. 12. My wages have risen considerably lately. 13. The outskirts of this town are shabby looking. 14. Her clothes are very trendy. 15. Clothes make the man: the old saying is rather to the point. 16. Clothes are no longer something one doesn't discuss. Clothes are part of the image.
Ex. 14. Use the right form of the verb be.
1. The information about this company... encouraging.
2. All the furniture in this office... the latest design.
3. My knowledge of German... very limited. 4. These shorts... too long. 5. They... a big family, with many branches. 6. This equipment... for camping. 7. The scissors... here a minute ago. 8. The Government... of the opinion that money in the accounts... siphoned out of the country. 9. These trousers... too tight. 10. The weather... fabulous in Italy in early autumn. 11. These stairs... dangerous. 12. Where... your clothes made? 13. The headphones on my new walkman... great. 14.... the scales over there electronic? 15. There... a hair on my dinner plate. 16. Yesterday's homework... rather difficult. 17. Her luggage... on the scales already. 18. Your advice... very timely. Thank you. 19. The news... too good to be true. 20. The team... no more than seven young men. 21. The hospital staff... all very young. 22. Judging by the fact that Malfoy usually had the best of everything, his family... rolling in gold. 23. She came from a large, close-knit, and loving clan who... always there to protect and help each other.
Ex. 15. Translate into English.
1. , . 2. , , . 3. . 4. , . 5. . 6. , , ? 7. ? . 8. . . 9. , . 10. , . 11. , . 12. , . 13. . 14. . 15. ? ? 16. . 17. . 18. . 19. ! 20. . 21. .
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Number
Ex. 16. Give the plural of
A. A pin, a hat, a fox, a baby, a day, potato, a volcano, a piano, a photo, a knife, a roof, a half, a leaf, a cliff, a chief, a life, a family, a queue, a bath, a berry, a valley, a century, a salmon, a taxi, a person, a penny, a watch, a virtuoso, a lily, a woodworm. 14
B. A man, a woman, a German, a foot, a tooth, a sheep, a ship, a fish, an ox, a fox, a child, a fireman, a mouse, a swine, a house, a louse, a goose, a mongoose, a deer, a means, a series, a species, an aircraft, an offspring, a Swiss, a Japanese, a Maltese, a Portuguese, a Chinese, a Milanese.
C. A passer-by, a mother-in-law, a room-mate, a forget-me-not, a merry-go-round, a fellow-worker, a man-of-war, a school-inspector, a commander-in-chief, a boy-messenger, a personnel-manager, a woman-driver, a man-servant, a hanger-on, a face-lift, a spoonful, a cupful, a boyfriend, a grown-up, an office-block, a workmate.
Ex. 17. Translate into English.
1. , , . 2. . 3. . 4. . , . 5. . . 6. , . 7. . 8. . 9. . 10. . . 11. , , , , . 12. , , : , , , . 13. . (). 14. , . - . 15. . 16. . 17. ? , . 18. , - , . 19. . 20. .
Ex. 18. Consult the table and give the plural of the following foreign words.
| Ending | Regular plural | Latin/Greek plural | |
| a | -us | -uses | -i |
| b | -a | -as | -ae |
| -um | -urns | -a | |
| d | -ex | -exes | -ices |
| e | -ix | -ixes | -ices |
| f | -is | -ises | -es |
| -on | -ons | -a |
a cactus, fungus, radius, stimulus, genius;
b alga, formula (in science), vertebra, antenna;
bacterium, curriculum, datum, medium, memorandum,
stratum, millennium; d index (in mathematics, in books); e appendix (in books, in medicine); f analysis, axis, basis, crisis, diagnosis, hypothesis, oasis,
parenthesis, thesis; g criterion, phenomenon.
Ex. 19. Translate into English.
1. "mille", . 2. . 3. . 4. ? 5. . 6. ? 7. ? 8. . 9. . 10. , . 11. ? 12. . 13. . 14. . 15. . 16. . 17. (). 18. . 19. . 20. , , ? 21. . 22. .
Ex. 20. Read and translate the sentences. Comment on the words in bold type.
Moneycan't buy happiness, and itcertainly can't buy health. Years ago Blackie told me that money was meantto be spent and he was correct. Whoever said that money doesn't buyhappiness was misinformed, in my opinion. It buysa lot of happiness for a lot of people. And frankly, I'd rather be miserable with money than without it.
2. English money is not accepted here. 3. All Bess's money goes on clothes. 4. Her linen comes from Holland. 5. The money was sent by cheque. 6. The project received community monies. 7. Public money is like water, everyone helps himself to it. 8. We've got a fascinating piece of news for you. 9. News travels pretty fast. 10. I'm sorry to say that there are "friends" who delight in breaking bad news. 11. They want advice on how to do it. 12. We got an advice note from the firm. 13. The scout brought valuable information. It helped a lot. 14. Does this information interest you? 15. What hard work! But it's rewarding. 16.1 like all Chopin's works. 17. The works is closed today. 18. It's perfect weather for flying today. 19. She's wearing galoshes in all weathers. 20. If you think about money positively, it will come to you. 21. Borrow money from pessimists they don't expect it back. 22. Money is the root of all wealth.
Ex.21. Translate into English.
1. . . 2. ? 3. . 4. . 5. . 6. ? . 7. ! 8. . 9. ? 10. , , . 11. , , . 12. . 13. . 14. . 15. . 16. . . 17. . 18. . . 19. , . 20. ? . 21. , . . 22. . . (. . )
Ex. 22. Read and translate the sentences. Comment on the meaning of the words in bold type.
l.The fishermen are out in all weathers. If you don't catch any fish, there's no pay. 2. My employer was an importer of rare tropical fish. 3. Try this fish. Everybody who tries it, likes it. Everybody who likes it, loves it. 4. They scraped a living by catching crab, lobster and crayfish. 5. Meredith peered down into the pond. "There really are fish in it," she said sounding surprised. 6. Forget him! There are many other fish in the sea. 7. He had a big collection of minerals, insects and fishes. 8. He studies the fishes of the Atlantic. 9. What an odd fish he is! 10. They've been fishing since dawn but so far haven't caught a single fish. 11. There are carp, trout, pike in this river. 12. Are you fishing out for a compliment? 13. A flying fish can project itself through the air at a speed of about thirty-five miles per hour.
