THE SYNTAX OF SIMPLE SENTENCES

SEMINAR 4 – TRANSITIVE PREDICATIONS / THE DOUBLE OBJECT

CONSTRUCTION

1. Analyze the predicates in the sentences below:

1. I shall have the boy rewrite the exercise 2. You make me laugh. 3. Get the children ready,
will you? 4. We’ll have to get this car repaired by next week. 5. We convinced him to come.
6. Remind me to call you on the phone next week, will you? 7. War ruined her life. 8. The
sun blinded him as soon as he went out of the house. 8. They freed all the political prisoners
at the end of the war. 9. The press belittled the significance of the by-elections. 10. The
disease disables thousands every year. 11. The architect enlarged the original windows. 12.
Heat will surely activate the electrons. 13. You are Americanizing the department in every
possible way.14. The clouds blackened the sky. 15. The strain of looking after her has
considerably aged him. 16. That story horrified everybody. 17. Your rudeness has lost you
all your friends. 18. She galloped the horse showing no pity at all. 19. Walk the dog before
lunch, will you? 20. The room will sit about 20 people. 21. The river floats a lot of ships. 22.
Luckily she married Tom in her youth. 23. Fortunately, they caught the burglars on the
premises. 24. This gallery contains 19th c prints. 25. They ate the food with zest. 26. Your hat
should match your bag. 27. You resemble your father. 28. She had already dressed the child.
29. Our success exceeded our expectations. 30. They may simplify / popularize the
procedure. 31. In the end, he will surely tighten the rope. 32. Seven days constitute a week.
33. The ranger will fell those trees. 34. His arrogance may enrage her. 35. The students have
stopped the campaign. 36. The chairman opened the debate during yesterday’s meeting. 37.
They will disarm the group when they meet them. 38. Mother thickened the sauce by adding
some flour. 39. Oil and grease will rot the rubber of your tires. 40. They washed / dressed /
bathed / hid / surrendered themselves. 41. His shabby appearance creates a bad impression
on the audience. 42. We’ll make a teacher of him yet. 43. The industry in this area causes a
lot of pollution.

2. Are the predicates in the sentences below inherently transitive?

1. The nurse was jumping the baby on her knees. 2. The Prince retired the cavalry from
Poland. 3. The teacher stood the pupils in a row. 4. She stood a case against a wall. 5. We
shall dine the Japanese in our living room. 6. The captain rested his soldiers and horses. 7.
The waves floated the boat away. 8. The sight curdled-the blood in her veins. 9. The
scorching heat withered the leaves. 10. He pointed the weapon at the wolf. 11. He galloped
the horse. 12. The teacher worked us hard. 13. I can walk the baby while you are cooking
dinner. 14. He’s run me off my feet. 15. You’ve cried your eyes out. 16. Barely three weeks
later the terrorists’ bombs rained terror down on their city. 17. She tried to stare the other
out. 18. He’ll cheat the trousers off your feet. 19. He’s shot his way into the leadership of the
cult. 20. He barked out his answer.

3. What type of alternations do the sentences below illustrate?

1. They dropped the stone to the bottom of the lake. / The stone dropped to the bottom of the
lake. 2. The juice reddened the water. / The water reddened. 3. The wind cleared the sky. /
The sky cleared. 4. The waiter cleared the / *The table cleared. 5. They killed their enemy. /
*Their enemy killed. 6. Society widened the gap between the rich and the poor. / The gap
between the rich and the poor widened. 7. She hurried Tom to the door. / Tom hurried to the
door. 8. He was running the horse down the hill. / The horse was running down the hill. 9.
The patient was bleeding. / The doctor bled the patient. 10. The patrol flashed a flashlight
along the road. / The flashlight flashed along the road. 11. I put the glasses on the shelf. / I
shelved the glasses. 12. Mary put the cows in the corral. / Mary corralled the cows. / *Mary
cowed the corral. 13. The leaves turned red. / The cold turned the leaves red. 14. His eyes
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narrowed. / He narrowed hid eyes. 15. He fitted the saddle on the horse. / He saddled the
horse.

6. Decide whether the sentences below containing phrasal verbs are grammatical or
not. If they are ungrammatical explain why.
1. She stood up and switched straight on the lamp. 2. I can drop Daisy off on my way home.
3. The French and the British wanted to hold Chinese textile competition on the free market
off as long as possible. 4. Don’t put off it till tomorrow. 5. She handed the book back to
Peter. 6 She handed Peter the book back. 7. They singled out Peter. 8. They rent that nice
house which they parents built for them out. 9. We had to work until midnight to finish them
off. 10. Who has the cold weather gotten the sister of down? 11. You seem to fit in an
enormous amount of work every day. 12. A national strike would bring the government
down. / A national strike would bring down the government. / A national strike would bring
what we know as the authorities down. 13. Epidemics wiped right out the local population.
14. Visitors wear out us more than the children do. 15. Inspector Standish was trying to clear
a complicated problem up. / Inspector Standish was trying to clear up a complicated
problem. / Inspector Standish was trying to clear what seemed to be a very complicated
problem up.

7. Fill in the blanks in the sentences below using MAKE or DO:

1. He … a lot of money last year. 2. They ... peace last year. 3. I always … my best. 4. That
glass of wine has … me good. 5. Will you … me a favour? 6. Ate you trying to … out a
liar? 7. You must … up for the lost time. 8. ‘Will this … for you?’ ‘I think I can … it … .’ 9.
You’ve only half an hour left, so you’d better … the most of it. 10. I could … with a few
more people like you to … up for the time I’ve lost with the others.

8. Exemplify the classes of verbs which enter the Dative Alternation.

9. Which are the classes of verbs which enter the Benefactive Alternation?
10. Explain the difference in meaning between the pairs of sentences below.
1.a) They gave flowers to Mary. / They gave Mary flowers.
2.a) The principal handed the prize to Victor. / The principal handed Victor the prize.

11. Apply Dative Movement in the sentences below; if it is not possible explain why.
1. They brought some flowers to Mary. / They brought some flowers to the table. 2. The sun
baked these cookies for John. / Grandmother baked these cookies for John. 3. He wrote a
letter to his sister. / He wrote a letter for his sister. 4. They donated the books to Tom / to the
library. 5. The storm brought disaster to the city-dwellers. 6. He will teach Mary’s students
for her. 7. She made a new dress for her daughter. 8. Professor Jones thanked the Rector for
his students. 9. They promised a reward to the finder. 10. He owes a great sum of money to
me.

12. If necessary, correct the sentences below:

1. She admitted me the mistake. 2. I had to deny his request to him. 3. Bill decided not to
mention his sore throat to the doctor. 4. They explained me the procedure. 5. The suspect
confessed the police his crime. 6. We all envied his lifestyle to him. 7. She announced her
decision the delegates. 8. That adventure cost him his life. 9. My grand parents gave a coat
of paint to the house. 10. The scientists demonstrated the new method to their colleagues.
11. They built us a new house. 12. Her new coat cost a fortune to her. 13. I reported my boss
the theft. 14. Because of her present financial difficulties, I’m afraid we must refuse you a
pay rise. 15. I pointed out the danger to the mechanic. 16. Ann didn’t have the time to take
her library books back, so I took them to her. 17. I made him a cup of coffee. 18. Can you
describe the attacker to me? 19. Could I introduce you John? 20. The university awarded a
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$10,000 grant Dr. Henderson allowing him to continue his research.

13. In the sentences below pronominalize the two objects, apply Dative Movement (if
possible), apply Object Deletion (if possible):
1. He will hand in the paper to the teacher tomorrow. 2. She hasn’t written a letter to us for
ages. 3. Susan read a story to little Tom. 4. The war ruined our future for us. 5. I offered the
book to John. 6. Mary bought some flowers for herself. 7. Has he paid the money to you? 8.
The earthquake brought disaster to Iran. 9. He explained that incredible story lo me. 10. The
lecturer distributed the handouts to the students.

14. Consider the dative strings below in terms of: 1) possible pronominalization; 2)
possible non-prepositional Double Object occurrence:
1. John has handed his room key to the receptionist. 2. Robert has taught English to all the
youth of Ceylon and India. 3. I lent my typewriter to a friend for the weekend. 4. The
Express magazine offers S 1000 to any reader who could relate some details on the murder.
5. Rose bought a piece of cheese for her sister. 6. The last earthquake brought disaster to
Japan. 7. She gave a kiss to her son.

15. Analyze the objects in the sentences below:

1. He explained to me why he had been late. 2. Mary had a bath before falling asleep. 3. She
was not sure of the news. 4. She was living a dreadful life, among strangers. 5. Joan married
Ken in no time. 6. He fought with his neighbour because they were cross with each other. 7.
He broke his leg when he least expected it. 8. I acquainted myself with the surroundings. 9.
Don’t tell me this nonsense, I don’t believe you. 10. They knew they were fighting a losing
battle. 11. He burst in on me one morning. 12. They appealed to her for mercy. 13. You will
never live up to my expectations. 14. We argued with the authorities about the building
permit. 15. He explained to me why he had been late.

16. Translate into English:

A. Make use of the verb MAKE:
1. Am aranjat să plecăm împreună la munte în luna februarie. 2. Populaţia a făcut atâtea
sacrificii încât nu mai este dispusă să cedeze promisiunilor guvernului. 3. Trebuie neapărat
să-mi promiţi ceva. 4. Te rog să nu mai faci treaba de mântuială cum îţi este obiceiul. 5. A
încercat să pună mâna pe putere, dar adversarii săi politici au fost mai abili şi l-au învins. 6.
Hoţul a luat-o la sănătoasa când a auzit că mai încerca cineva uşa de la intrare. 7. Deşi nu ar
fi vrut-o, s-a văzut nevoit să mărturisească totul pentru că ceilalţi aveau deja prea multe
dovezi împotriva lui. 8. După o absenţă de cinci ani, când nimeni nu mai credea că este
posibil, actriţa a revenit din nou pe scenă şi a avut un succes deplin în noul rol. 9.
Comportarea ta va avea clar un impact asupra acestei situaţii dacă vei continua să te porţi tot
aşa. 10. Fiica lui urma să se căsătorească, aşa că a trebuit să se scobească în buzunar şi să
plătească toate cheltuielile, oricât de rău i-ar fi părut după bani.
B. Make use of the verb DO:
1. Şi-a luat licenţa în drept. 2. Nu-mi vine să cred, a jefuit o bancă în tinereţe, de aceea este
atât de bogat. 3. Restaurantul acesta serveşte numai prânzul şi cina, nu şi micul dejun.4. Ieri
primul ministru a ţinut un discurs în care a acordat toată atenţia cuvenită contribuţiei
partidelor de opoziţie la invitaţia pentru aderarea la NATO. 5. A făcut pe dracu în patru şi a
reuşit să-i convingă să meargă cu el în acea călătorie foarte periculoasă. 6. Ştiu că m-a
minţit de la obraz dar aştept să-i vină mintea la cap şi să-mi spună singur adevărul. 7. Nu
trebuie să te grăbeşti, poţi să faci treaba asta când socoteşti tu de cuviinţă, dar te rog să nu
fie mai târziu de sfârşitul lunii. 3. Mâine dau o petrecere aşa că am apelat la un specialist să-
mi facă aranjamentele florale. 9. Când ai de gând să faci curat în camera? 10. Directorul
fabricii a vrut să-i angajeze dar s-a răzgândit pentru că a aflat că a stat la răcoare.
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C. Pay attention to the use of the reflexive and of the causative verbs:
1. Nu are niciodată nici un moment pentru sine deoarece trebuie să aibă grijă de copii. 2. S-
au recunoscut înfrânţi. 3. Se exprimă cu o mare uşurinţă. 4. Omul se poate autoguverna. 5.
Trebuie să stabilească o relaţie cu o lume total nouă şi necunoscută. 6. Trebuie să te întăreşti
sufleteşte înainte de a te duce la dentist. 7. S-a străduit din răsputeri să ia examenul. 8. Nu-ţi
mai rămâne nimic altceva de făcut decât să te aduni, căci toată familia ta depinde de tine. 9.
M-am făcut util în timpul pregătirii reuniunii pentru că am vrut să mă pun bine cu şeful. 10.
Ştia cu siguranţă ce se petrecea în sinea lui, dar nu voia să recunoască. 11. Pacientul a
leşinat din cauza sângerării. 12. Mizeria a transformat-o într-o persoană cinică şi egoistă. 13.
Vrăjitorul l-a transformat pe prinţ într-un pitic dizgraţios. 14. Vântul a sfărâmat corabia în
bucăţi. 15. Ploaia a transformat praful într-un strat gros de noroi. 16. Revoluţia a dat naştere
unei noi atitudini de viaţă. 17. Accidentul său de maşină a fost cauzat de o explozie. 18.
Cearta cu mama sa i-a provocat un infarct. 19. Am pus-o pe servitoare să ne aducă ceva de
mâncare. 20. Părinţii o vor obligă pe Jane să se căsătorească cu un bărbat pe care nu-l
iubeşte. 21. M-au convins să plec cu ei. 22. În cele din urmă neglijenţa le-a ruinat afacerea.
23. Au tăiat nişte copaci în pădure. 24. Trebuie să-ţi faci viaţa mai bună cu orice preţ. 25.
Conchistadorii i-au obligat pe băştinaşii din America Latină să treacă la catolicism. 26.
Drumul acela prin oraşul întunecat şi pustiu mi-a adâncit şi mai mult teama. 27. Atitudinea
asta de totală lipsă de interes mă va înnebuni cu siguranţă. 28. Când s-a suit pe tron noul
rege şi-a decapitat duşmanii. 29. Isus Christos i-a împuternicit pe apostoli să-l reprezinte pe
pământ. 30. Cred că această schimbare de înfăţişare te înfrumuseţează. 31. Să nu idealizezi
niciodată pe nimeni. 32. Lipsa de perspectivă l-a demoralizat complet. 33. Noua sa nuvelă i-
a adus un renume extraordinar. 34. În fiecare zi îşi plimba câinele în parcul din faţa casei.
35. L-a grăbit pe pacient să iasă din cabinet pentru că era deja în întârziere. 36. Am intrat în
casă şi am aşezat umbrela în picioare lângă perete. 37. Cred că nu este bine să aşezi scaunul
în mijlocul camerei, se poate împiedica cineva de el. 38. Şeful îşi pune oamenii să
muncească fără nici o încetare. 39. Priveliştea masacrului le-a făcut să li se înceţoşeze
privirea. 40. Stătea cu coatele pe marginea mesei.