Tutorial Worksheet # 1
1) The pale green lady with the Canadian passport gave her small red hand luggage to the
tall dark stranger in the middle of the street.
a. Write at least 3 sentences which could mean the same as this but where you
have replaced a phrase with a word, or several phrases with a word.
b. Write 3 different sentences which could mean the same as sentence 1) but
where you have moved a phrase or several phrases.
c. On the basis of your answers to a and b, suggest how the sentence is broken up
into phrases (remember that phrases may be found inside other phrases).
2) The foll. Sentences are ambiguous; the ambiguity comes from grouping the words in
different ways:
i. Janet walked hurriedly away from the nasty old man from the bottom of the
street.
ii. Dahlia ate the big green mango from the aged tree in the backyard.
iii. After a long hard day, I looked up the passage.
iv. Andre is the only person who talks to the skinny wild eyed woman from across
the street.
a. For each sentence, circle relevant phrases to show the different groupings for the
ambiguity that exists. For each grouping, explain the resulting unambiguous meaning.
b. Apply the relevant tests to prove that your groupings are correct.
3) For each of the following sentences, sections are highlighted as possible phrases.
Apply relevant tests to show whether the highlighted portions are actually phrases. (NB.
Ungrammatical results from your tests should be marked with an asterisk *)
a. The boy from next door ate the cake in the kitchen
b. John seems very happy with his new bathroom
c. John seems very happy with his new bathroom
d. I saw some men wearing saris in the desert
e. Some law abiding citizens have lost respect for the police in Jamaica