SOME PROBLEMS OF SYNTAX

I. INVERSION

1. Paraphrase these sentences using the following negative restrictive adverbs:

- no sooner … than; hardly (scarcely) … when; only after … - …; not only … but
also; only when … - …; never; seldon; in vain.
Models: No sooner, had we reached the hotel than it began pouring.
Scarcely hat I turned round the corner when I bumped into an old friend
of mine.
Hardly had I reached the station when the train started.
Only after I returned home did I notice how soaked my shoes were.
Only when I opened the window could I hear the song of the birds.
1. I read only a few pages of the novel and the end was clear to me. 2. He left the
house and forgot all about the shopping list. 3. He entered the office and
immediately the phone rang. 4. I have never seen anything like the landing on the
moon. 5. We got home when it began to rain. 6. There had never been such a rainy
day. 7. The mountains had never seemed so near to his house. 8. He promised to
help us and placed all his textbooks at our disposal. 9. He had got up when the
dog entered the room. 10. He made many blunders before he realized that he
should have given more consideration to his friend’s advice.

2. Finish these sentences using the given phrases:

1. Hardly … when … 2. All the sooner … 3. Never again … 4. Not only those
present but … 5. No sooner … than … 6. So quickly … 7. Not only … but also …
8. Neither for my sake nor for your sake … 9. Little did … 10. Only then …

3. Put the negative or restrictive adverbs at the head of the sentences:

1. I had scarcely time to turn off the light. 2. We kenw little about that gifted
painter. 3. I had hardly typed the letter when the manager asked for it. 4. She had
no sooner opened the window than a gust of wind scattered my papers on the
floor. 5. All her efforts to persuade them were in vain. 6. They were no sooner
under shelter than it began to rain. 7. I learned the happy news only upon her
arrival. 8. He had scarcely entered the room when he saw the beautiful roses on
his desk. 9 I pointed out in vain that it was useles to leave so early.
 II. AGREEMENT BETWEEN SUBJECT AND PREDICATE

1. Use the correct form of the infinitive in brackets:

(Note: a/ Most compound subjects joined by and are plural and take plural verbs; b/
singular subjects joined by or or nor are singular and take singular verbs; c/ when
two subjects, one of which is singular and the other is plural, are joined by or or
nor, the verb agrees with the nearer word):
1. John and George (to tease) my brother about being too shy. 2. Either my sister
or my friend (to accompany) my little brother to doctor. 3. Neither the magazine
nor the yearbook (to belong) to me. 4. Every Sunday it’s either Tom or his sister
that (to dust) the room. 5. Neither Tom nor Mary (to turn off) the TV set. 6. Dan
and Vlad (to be) reliable friends. 7. Either John or his wife (to be) entertain the
guests. 9. His warmest admirer and severest critic (to be) his eldest brother. 10. If
they both or he alone (to wish) to eat apple pie I will bake one.

2. Choose the correct form of the verbs in brackets:

1. Nobody in my team (has, have) ever dreamt of such a success. 2. Everyone in
my office (help, helps) the new clerk. 3. (Does, do) either of you know anything
about her latest book? 4. Everybody (was, were) congratulating him. 5. Neither
the doctor nor the nurse (is, are) here on Sunday. 6. None of them (likes, like)
onion soup. 7. (Is, are) anyone interested in taking up this subject? 8. Each of us
(do, does) (one’s) best to learn business correspondence. 9. Neither of the
bookshops (is, are) open on Saturday afternoon. 10. Somebody (is, are) getting on
my nerves.

3. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct form:

1. Phonetics (to improve) our pronunciation. 2. In the course of this fortnight a
score of similar folders (to be) forwarded to our business partner. 3. The Straits of
Dover (to be) not far from the French coast. 4. Measles (to be) catching disease
mostly frequent with infants. 5. Mechanics (to seem) to be the only branch of
physics he likes best. 6. Semantics (to be) a branch of philology concerned with
the meanings of words. 7. Statistics of educational improvements in this country
(to show) the impact of learning on the masses. 8. Economics (to be) of an utmost
importance in modern society. 9. Physics (to comprise) a group of sciences
dealing with matter and energy. 10. My family (to be) early risers. 11. The
audience (to cheer) the singer. 12. Here (to be) the latest news. 13. The luggage
(to be + Present Perfect) sent already. 14. … the scissors belong to you?

4. Translate into English:

1. Veştile sunt foarte bune. 2. Cleştele este pe masa din bucătărie 3. Familia mea
nu pleacă la munte anul acesta, pentru că fratele meu mai mare dă examen de
admitere la facultate. 4. Echipa de dansuri a facultăţii noastre s-a situat pe primul
loc la concurs. 5. Schimbul de după amiază începe lucrul la ora 14. 6. Grupa
noastră pregăteşte un recital de poezie. 7. Informaţiile lui sunt totdeauna utile
pentru organizarea unor reuşite excursii prin ţară. 8. Sfaturile părinţilor se
dovedesc deosebit de valoroase. 9. Grupul de străini care ne-a vizitat ţara este
 foarte impresionat de frumuseţea peisajului românesc. 10. Majoritatea
economiştilor ştiu două limbi străine. 11. Asociaţia studenţilor se interesează de
rezultatele fiecărui student în parte.

III. THE OBJECT

1. Change the position of the direct object:

Model: Grandmother read the story to the children.
Grandmother read the children the story.
1. We offered a birthday present to our sister. 2. He gave the book to me. 3. Did
he return the books to the librarian? 4. Dan threw the ball to his friend. 5. They
gave the vacuumcleaner to the young couple. 6. The old man wrote a letter to his
sister. 7. We sent a birthday card to John. 8. She handed the newspaper to the
person sitting near him. 9. John sent some flowers to his wife. 10. The guide
showed the new districts to the tourists. 11. I gave the tickets to my aunt. 12. He
showed the prize to his friends. 13. Did Mary lend his sister the book? 14. They
sent the circular to all their partners. 15. The student gave the professor the right
answer. 16. John told me the whole truth yesterday.

2. Use the following verbs both with direct and indirect object:
- to buy, to give, to hand, to lend, to mail, to offer, to own, to pay, to read, to sell,
to send, to show, to teach, to throw, to write, to tell.

3. Insert the preposition “to” where necessary:

1. Dictate … him this inquiry for goods. 2. The officer showed … the tourists the
way to the Village Museum. 3. We must show … the old great consideration. 4.
They offered … me some interesting books. 5. Can you lend … me your bike? 6.
The secretary handed the requested files … the manager. 7. They showed their
latest product … the client. 8. They sent him … the next stand. 9. Give these
screw-drivers … the foreman. 10. … which of these two men did you give the
book? 11. I gave the manuscript … the secretary and not … the typist. 12. Send
the registered letters … the post-office. 13. He can prove this … everybody any
moment. 14. They sent … ker a basket of beautiful carnations. 15. Describe … us
all the particulars of the car. 16. Explain … him how to use it. 17. He did not
suggest … them that they should send the order within three days. 18. She
introduced her friend … her parents.

IV. THE RELATIVE CLAUSE

1. Complete the following defining relative clauses using a relative pronoun where
necessary:
1. The man … is sitting at that desk is our new manager. 2. This is the boy …
photo was awarded the gold medal. 3. I asked the secretary … you rang up
yesterday to send us all the details about the new product. 4. The actress …
usually plays that part is ill. 5. The fruit … you bought yesterday were very fresh.
6. The book … you want is out of print. 7. Have some of the cakes … my mother
made this morning! 8. What’s the name of the boy … has just left? 9. Is that man
… you lent the money to? 10. The picture … they are looking at was painted by a
famous artist. 11. The girl … you see in front of the garden is John’s sister. 12.
The men … waved to us was my cousin.
2. Insert the appropriate relative pronouns in the following non-defining relative clauses:
1. My aunt … went to Braşov two days ago, arrives back tonight. 2. The client …
called on us yesterday has left for Paris. 3. The London plane … is due at six, is
late today. 4. Your friend … name I can never remember, rang just now. 5. My
friend Tom, to … I wrote a letter yesterday, is coming back next week. 6. The
phone from Jassy … ought to be here at 11 a.m., will be two hours late. 7. My
radio-set, … has been out of order for weeks, is now mended. 8. Your brother … I
happened to meet yesterday, has became a handsome boy. 9. Chess … is a very
old game, is difficult to play.

3. Combine the following sentences by means of relative clauses:

1. Here is the girl; you met her yesterday. 2. Mr. Ionescu has just moved in. He
lives next door to us. 3. Bring me the book. I left it on the table, the table stands
against the wall. 4. Don’t miss the show. So much has been written about it. 5. Is
that John’s flower garden? You pointed it out to me yesterday. 6. Last week I
visited the town. The great poet used to live there. 7. I met your sister yesterday.
You introduced me to her last week. 8. The matter has been settled. You were
talking about it last night. 9. The contract was concluded. It is very important for
both firms. 10. The order was put in hand. They insisted so much about it.

4. Translate into English:

1. Nu am găsit dosarul pe care-l căutam ieri. 2. Sonata pe care ai ascultat-o este
compusă de marele nostru compozitor George Enescu. 3. Vasul de porţelan care
este aşezat în faţa acestor cărţi este creaţia artiştilor din Sighişoara. 4. Rochia pe
care am cumpărat-o ieri îmi place foarte mult. 5. Acesta este noul cartier despre
care Maria mi-a vorbit cu atâta entuziasm. 6. Produsele româneşti expuse la TIB
s-au bucurat de aprecierea unanimă a participanţilor. 7. Filmul românesc pe care l-
ai văzut ieri a fost premiat la un festival internaţional. 8. Cartea pe care ţi-am dat-o
o am de la fratele meu. 9. Studentul pe care ţi l-am arătat este cel mai bun
matematician din grupa noastră. 10. Bilanţul pe care l-am încheiat ieri oglindeşte
realizările întreprinderii noastre.

V. THE ADVERBIAL CLAUSE

1. Point out the adverbial clauses of manner, comparison, degree, result and concession and
translate them into Romanian:
1. You should speak Spanish as he does. 2. You read as if you were an artist. 3.
That problem is much more difficult than you thought. 4. The sooner you send the
order, the sooner you will get the goods. 5. He was speaking very quietly so that it
was difficult to hear what he said. 6. This painting is not so (as) cheap as you
think. 7. The boy ran so fast that his friend could not catch him. 8. Would you be
so kind as to ring him up? 9. He explained it as clearly as he could. 10. The
weather was wet and cold for a month, as it often can be in his village in early
spring. 11. He always treated us as if we were his grandchildren. 12. Though he
tried hard, he was not successful. 13. No matter whether you like it or not, I shall
buy that little painting. 14. For all that he seems so bad-tempered, I still think he
 had a very kind nature. 15. Though no swimmer, little John splashed about
happily in the sea. 16. I enjoyed that journey though we travelled slowly, though it
was cold, though it rained cats and dogs.

2. Supply adverbial clauses of time, manner, cause, comparison, concession or an attributive

clause introduced by as:
1. … I must work hard. 2. … I have a great many extra business letters to type. 3.
… they are still there. 4. …, he bid as farewell. 5. …, please ring up the manager.
6. To man a canoe you must have such an oar … 7. … he gave it to his younger
brother. 8. That problem was not such a difficult one … 9. I like poetry almost as
much … 10. … we have to leave very early. 11. … as to please everyone. 12. I
shall help you … 13. I worked as hard …

3. Complete the following sentences supplying adverbial clauses of:

a) place
1. Begin to read where … 2. We saw her where … 3. Put it back where … 4. I
will not forget to take it with me wherever … 5. I will go where …
b) time
1. I shall not leave before … 2. What are you going to do after … 3. Ring me up
as soon as … 4. Don’t speak after … 5. I’ll wash up the dishes while … 6. Let me
know when … 7. You can stay as long as … 8. Wait till (until) … 9. You’ll find
the way all right once … 10. After … he left the room. 11. I saw him as … 12.
She hasn’t been there since …
c) cause
1. As … it is easy to find his house. 2. Since … I’ll do my best to send it in due
time. 3. I can’t agree to it because … 4. As … I think I can deliver the whole lot.
5. We must leave now for … 6. Since … let’s have a look at it first. 7. As …
you’d better lead the way. 8. I can’t go because …
d) result
1. The book is not mine, so … 2. I was so happy that … 3. You speak so fast that
… 4. It was so cold that … 5. It is so interesting that … 6. The product was so
good that…
e) comparison or manner
1. John speaks English as … 2. The more you read, the more … 3. He did it as
well as … 4. It is not so new as … 5. The longer we walked the more … 6. The
more… the better. 7. The weather was not so cold as … 8. She looked very
excited as if … 9. They knew the place as though … 10. You look younger than
…
f) concession
1. Although … we shall leave early. 2. Even though … I should not have bought
it. 3. No matter how … we shall do our best to solve it. 4. I shall not do it though
… 5. We shall try to join the team too although … 6. Tired as … he went on
entertaining his guests. 7. Though … they went by car.
 VI. WORD ORDER

1. Rearrange the following words in order to form correct sentences:

1. You when him see did? 2. Books read does English he? 3. Exercises must all
the students do. 4. Door at somebody the was there. 5. Break the for bell ringing is
the. 6. Fir.tree the was there an house old near. 7. So I tall very is and my am
brother. 8. Coat here your is! 9. Here bus our goes! 10. Yet has not he left. 11. The
letter he has sent already. 12. He soup this cook spoilt. 13. They very much still it
like. 14. Film interesting an such I seen never have. 15. Basket-ball you are you
play the taller the better. 16. I read the letter my brother to. 17. Nearly missed they
the train. 18. I agree quite you with. 19. He knows him hardly. 20. Even try didn’t
you. 21. The film I enjoyed yesterday. 22. She news listened to I carefully. 23.
Well the girl the piano played. 24. Games played yesterday in their room the
children quitly. 25. Quietly the door he opened. 26. Immediately he left. 27. A tree
in the corner of the garden he planted. 28. Before lunch the letter in his office
quickly he typed. 30. This morning a book I from the library borrowed. 31. We at
house stay on Sundays. 32. There a lot of people are in the public gardens. 33. The
little boy an apple this morning ate greedily in the kitchen. 34. Draws she
beautifully. 35. Music like I very much. 36. A new school built they in our village
last year. 37. The match at four o’clock ended. 38. She a better from brother her
week last received. 39. Lately your sister I seen haven’t. 40. Material this of made
silk will be use of. 41. Was held the conference last year in Bucharest.