OCG533, Fall 2002
Homework assignment 2, due 9 September 2002
Structure of sentences I: Groups of words as modifiers
To read:
Skim the chapters on noun phrases and verb
phrases (15, 16) and note the role of phrases and clauses as postmodifiers of
each. Watch out for nested prepositional phrases (as in sentence 3).
To do:
In each of the five sentences below,
identify all groups of words that postmodify nouns and verbs. List each group,
its function, and (if possible) its grammatical identity. Groups of words
include prepositional phrases, participial phrases, and subordinate clauses
(i.e., their grammatical identities). Functions will usually be adjectival or
adverbial.
1. Millennia of spiritual torment and centuries of religious dispute might have been spared by the simple recognition of the female identity of God.
2. Among the commonest things in this New England scene are the glacial boulders scattered about.
3. Shifts in the isotopic composition of atmospheric lead in major urban centers in Europe have been reported recently.
4. The transfer of persistent organic pollutants from air to vegetation is an important air-surface exchange process that affects global cycling and can result in human and wildlife exposure via the terrestrial food chain.
5. The skeletal remains of Chandra Ann Levy were found on a steep, isolated slope in Rock Creek Park yesterday, more than a year after her disappearance touched off an investigation that fascinated the nation and ended the career of Rep. Gary Condit of California.