The Fifth Period
Grammar
Teaching goals 教学目标
1．Target language 目标语言
a．重点词汇与词组
burglars，put…off，inspect，bungalow，chain，semicircle，pun oneself up
roof，collar，bench，pine，claw，squirrel
b．Learn about the nominative absolute construction．
2．Ability goals 能力目标
Enable the students to use the nominative absolute construction．
3．Learning ability goals 学能目标
Help the students use the structure freely．
Teaching important points 教学重点
Use the nominative absolute construction．
Teaching difficult points 教学难点
Help the students learn to use what、the nominative absolute．
Teaching aids 教具准备
A projector and a computer．
Teaching methods 教学方法
Explaining and practicing．
Teaching procedures &ways 教学过程与方式
Step I Revision
Check the homework.
Answers to Part 2 of Discovering useful structure on Page 44.
T: After finishing the exercise, do you know what the nominative absolute
construction is?
Let the students think of it for a minute.
T: The nominative absolute construction is a free standing (absolute) part of a
sentence that describes or modifies the main subject and verb. It is usually
at the beginning or end of the sentence, although it can also appear in the
middle.
Step II Grammar
T: This is the grammar in this unit. Please go over all the sentences in Part 1 on
Page 44. Sum up how the structure can be used in this pattern. A way to
remember or determine what constitutes a nominative absolute is to add a
verb. You can always create a sentence out of a nominative absolute with
one verb.
e.g. Their manes flowing, the horses ran from the burning barn. Nominative
absolute: "Their manes flowing." Add a verb: "Their manes were flowing."
e.g. Stephen, his mind taxed, searched frantically for a dictionary.
Nominative absolute: "his mind taxed"
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Add a verb: "His mind was taxed."
Similarly, one can break the absolute off, add a verb and make two sentences.
("Stephen searched frantically for a dictionary. His mind was taxed.") Can you
understand me?
Ss: Yes.
T: OK. Let's go on. Absolute constructions consist of a noun and some kind of
modifier, the most common is participles. Because they often come at the
beginning of a sentence, they are easily confused with dangling participles.
But an absolute construction modifies the rest of the sentence, not the
subject of the sentence (as a participial phrase does). You can use absolute
constructions to compress two sentences into one and to vary sentence
structure as a means of holding a reader's interest. Here are some
examples:
e.g. No other business arising, the meeting was adjourned.
The paint now dry, we brought the furniture out on the deck.
The truck finally loaded, they said goodbye to their neighbors and drove off.
The horse loped across the yard, her foal trailing behind her.
T: Constructions like these are used more often in writing than in speaking,
where it is more common to use a full clause: When the paint was dry, we
brought the furniture out on the deck. There are, however, many fixed
absolute constructions that occur frequently in speech:
e.g. The picnic is scheduled for Saturday, weather permitting.
Barring bad weather, we plan to go to the beach tomorrow.
All things considered, it's not a bad idea.
T: Notice that absolute phrases contain a subject (which is often modified by a
participle), but not a true finite verb.
e.g. Their reputation as winners secured by victory, the New York Liberty
charged into the semifinals. The season nearly finished, Rebecca Lobo
and Sophie Witherspoon emerged as true leaders. The two superstars
signed autographs into the night, their faces beaming happily.
T: When the participle of an absolute phrase is a form of to be, such as being
or having been, the participle is often left out.
e.g. The season (being) over, they were mobbed by fans in Times Square.
(Having been) Stars all their adult lives, they seemed used to the
attention.
T: Another kind of absolute phrase is found after a modified noun; it adds a
focusing detail or point of focus to the idea of the main clause. This kind of
absolute phrase can take the form of a prepositional phrase, an adjective
phrase, or a noun phrase.
e.g. The old firefighter stood over the smoking ruins, his senses alert to any
sign of another flare-up. His subordinates, their faces sweat-streaked and
smudged with ash, leaned heavily against the firetruck.
They knew all too well how all their hard work could be undone in an instant.
T: It is not unusual for the information supplied in the absolute phrase to be the
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most important element in the sentence. In fact, in descriptive prose, the
telling details will often be wrapped into a sentence in the form of an
absolute phrase:
e.g. Coach Nykesha strolled onto the court, her arms akimbo and a large silver
whistle clenched between her teeth. The new recruits stood in one comer of
the gym, their uniforms stiff and ill fitting, their faces betraying their anxiety.
T: A noun phrase can also exist as an absolute phrase:
e.g. Your best friends, where are they now, when you need them?
And then there was my best friend Sally--the dear girl--who has certainly
fallen on hard times.
T: It might be useful to review the material on Misplaced Modifiers because it is
important not to confuse an absolute phrase with a misplaced modifier.
Step Ⅲ Consolidation
Choose some exercises to practice, show the exercises on the PowerPoint.
1.
production up by 60%,the company has had another excellent
year. ( NMET 2000)
A. As
B. For
C. With
D. Through
2. Off we started,
remaining behind.
A. he
B. his
C. him
D. he's
3.
Sunday, the students are at home.
A. Being B. To be
C. It is
D. It being
4. So many people
him, he is sure to succeed.
A. helped
B. help
C. have helped
D. to help
5. The key
, I couldn't enter the room.
A. has lost
B. having been lost
C. having lost
D. has been lost
6. Nobody
anymore to say, so the meeting was closed.
A. had
B. having
C. having had
D. has
7. The boy lay on his side, his eyes
.
A. half close
B. half closed
C. half closing
D. to close half
8.
, so Mary had to ask for a leave to tend her.
A. Being ill
B. Her mother being ill
C. Her mother to be ill
D. Her mother was ill
9. This
, we finally found a moment to relax.
A. done
B. was done
C. did
D. having done
10. All things
, your plan is practical.
A. considering
B. being considered
C. considered
D. are considered
11. Weather
, we will start tomorrow.
A. permit
B. permits
C. permitted
D. permitting
keys: 1-6 CADDBA 7-11 BDACD
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Step IV Homework
1. Go over the nominative absolute construction.
2. Finish Parts 1 & 2 on Page 86.
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