Notes on English 306A Second Examination -- March 9, 2000

Note: The examination covered the material in the third chapter of the text book for the course and the content of the lectures. The following notes show essential points to be covered to gain full marks for an answer. Sample answers may not be perfect answers to the questions, but they represent a very good answer which would gain full marks.

The exam was designed first of all to test knowledge of the ability to recognize and properly describe in linguistic terms some of the processes used by speakers of a language to process syntax. Secondly it tested the ability to use tree diagrams (an important tool of linguistics) to illustrate syntactic construction of some different kinds of sentences.

In successfully answering the questions, the student demonstrates his/her understanding of the concepts and principles taught in the text and in class and his/her ability to apply them to specific examples.

  1. This question involved the process of disambiguaton. Further examples may be found on the previous exams and in the text. Others were given and discussed in class.

    For each of the following sentences state as precisely as you can in what ways it is ambiguous:

    1. The door was closed.
      The door was in the process of being closed.
      The door was in a state of being closed.
      In the first case, 'closed' is a verb and 'is' an auxiliary; in the second case 'closed' is an adjective and 'is' the verb.
    2. Terry loves his car and so does John.
      Terry loves his car; John love his car.
      Terry loves his car; John loves Terry's car.
      The direct object of what John loves is not clear. In one case it is John's car, in the other it is Terry's car. Terry loved his car and so does John (love his car). The referent of 'his' is not clear.
    3. New housing for elderly not yet dead.
      There is new housing for the elderly who are not yet dead.
      (A proposal)is not yet dead for housing for the elderly.
      It is unclear whether the phrase 'not yet dead' is an adjectival phrase which applies to the elderly or to the proposal for new housing. New housing for (elderly not yet dead) or New housing for elderly (not yet dead).
    4. Complaints about NHL referees growing ugly.
      There have been complaints that NHL referees are becoming ugly.
      The complaints about NHL referees are becoming ugly.
      It is unclear whether the verb phrase 'becoming ugly' modifies the referees or the complaints. Complaints about (NHL referees growing ugly) or (Complaints about NHL referees) growing ugly.
    5. He is a European History professor.
      He is a professor of European History.
      He is a European who teaches History.
      It is unclear whether the adjective European modifies History or professor. a (European history) professor or a European (history professor).

    The key to answering this question is to show that you understand the ambiguity by paraphrasing the sentence in two ways. Then the linguistic process involved should be stated.

    Partial credit is given for recognition and restatement of the ambiguity. Full credit involves the explanation in linguistic terms of how the ambiguity comes about. You may use trees or bracketing or description of the linguistic processes.

    Sample Answer

  2. The second question The following sentences may be considered ungrammatical even though we may be able to interpret them. Explain what makes these sentences ungrammatical:

    1. Robin forces the sheriff go.
      The verb forces requires a "to" infinitive. The sentence should read Robin forces the sheriff to go
      force, V, -- NP to VP
    2. I wonder who and Mary went swimming.
      The sentence should read I wonder who went swimming with Mary
      The verb wonder requires a that an indirect question follow it.
    3. The child seems sleeping.
      The verb seems must be followed by an infinitive form of the verb. sentence should read The child seems (to be) sleeping.
    4. Me up at does from the floor quietly stare a mouse.
      The sentence should read A mouse does quietly stare up at me from the floor. English word order requires NP (A mouse) followed by VP (does quietly stare) and then modifiers, i.e., PP (up at me) PP (from the floor). Also, the prepositional phrase must have the preposition at the beginning (Prep.+ object = 'up at me').
    5. Throw Mamma from the train a kiss.
      The sentence should read Throw Mamma a kiss from the train or Throw a kiss to Mamma from the train the direct object (a kiss) must go before the prepositional phrase (from the train) and after the indirect object (Mamma). If the direct object (a kiss> is placed ahead of the indirect object (Mamma), the indirect object must be marked with the word "to".

    A good answer to this question must not only rephrase the sentence grammatically, but it must also describe in linguistic terms what is required to make the sentence grammatical.
    This is discussed in Chapter 1, pp. 8-9 and again in Chapter 3, pp. 6-8.

  3. Consider the following sentences containing frimble a hypothetical word:

    1. Martha is frimbling her parakeet with a garden hose.
    2. Martha frimbled her husband in the dining room.
    3. Little Freddy might frimble the parakeet.
    4. *Little Freddy frimbled with a garden hose.
    5. *Martha is frimbling the bed with a garden hose.
    6. *Little Freddy shouldn't frimble.

      Based on these data, formulate a lexical description of frimble giving the lexical category and subcategorization that will produce grammatical sentences and no ungrammatical ones. Explain the basis of your description.

      Sample Answer

      We see that there are three grammatical sentences given and three ungrammatical ones. All three grammatical sentences show that the word 'frimble' is a verb. Evidence for this is that 'frimble' takes verbal inflections such as '-ing' '-d" and auxilliaries such as 'might'.

      We see from the first sentence that the verb is a transitive verb because it may take a direct object (her parakeet). We also see that it may take a prepositional phrase as well as a direct object.
      We see from the second sentence that 'frimble' can apply to humans as well as animals and that the prepositonal phrase can be varied not necessarily 'with'). We see from the third. sentence that 'frimble' is not always followed by a prepositional phrase.
      The first ungrammatical sentence (indicated by the *) shows that 'frimble' must take a direct object. The second ungrammatical sentence shows that the direct object must be a living thing. The third ungrammatical sentence shows that 'frimble' must take a direct object, i.e., that it is only a transitive verb.

      Hence, 'frimble' is a transitive verb which may or may not take a PP after the direct object. The direct object must be a living creature. The formulation is V__NP PP with animate object.

    1. The following stanza is from Robert Frost's "Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening."

      1. In your examinations booklet, write out all the embedded sentences from the passage and indicate how they fit into the structure of the whole passage.
      2. Analyze the three sentences (which are numbered) separately, using trees to indicate the deep structure and the surface structure. State the transformations involved:

        1. Whose woods these are I think I know,
        2. His house is in the village though;
        3. He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow.

        Corrections to tree diagrams were marked individually on each exam paper. If you have any questions about tree diagrams, please refer to the text or arrange to see me.

        This page was last updated 4 April 2000