Guide to study chapter 3.

Quirk

1- What are the different possible forms for the irregular verbs?
2- Name all the modal auxiliaries according to Quirk.
3- What is the difference between finite and non-finite verb phrases?
4- Write a brief paragraph explaining the meaning of tense, mood and
aspects.
5- What are the future forms and what are their differences?
6- How many categories of subjunctive can be distinguished? Explain and
provide examples.
7- Draw a chart with the uses of modal auxiliaries.
8- What are the corresponding present and past forms of some modals? Do
all the modals have present and past forms?
9- What happens with the perfective and progressive aspects when the
modal expresses ability or permission?
10- What happens with other modal meanings?

1) Irregular verbs do not have a /d/ or /t/ inflection. There are three different
possible forms:
 The base (V), the past (V-ed) and the past participle (V-ed2). (Cut cut cut)
 The base=participle

2) Modal auxiliaries: all of that modal auxiliaries have three forms (Non-negative,
uncontracted negative and contracted negative)

- Can.

- Could.

- May.

- Might.

- Shall.

- Should.

- Will.

- Would.
- Must.

- Ought to.

- Used to.

-Dare.

3) Finitive verb phrases:

- Have tense distinctions. (He studies/studied English)

- Occur as the verb element of a clause. There is a person and number concord
between the subject and the finite verb. (I+am; You/we/they+are; He/she/it+is)

He reads the paper every morning

They read

-Have mood. In contrast to the ‘unmarked’ indicative mood, we distinguish the

‘marked’ moods imperative and subjunctive.

The non-finite forms of the verb are: (Can be conjugated)

- The infinitive. ((To) call)

- The –ing participle. (Calling)
- -ed participle (Called)

Non-finite verb phrases consist of one or more such items.

Examples:

 He is smoking (finite verb phrases)

 I found him working (non-infinite verb phrases)

4) By tense we understand the correspondence between the form of the verb

and our concept of time; it can be present (write) and past (wrote). Aspect
concerns the manner in which the verbal action is experienced or regerder; we
can see the simple (present and past) and the complex; inside this latter we can
observe, the progressive in present (am writing) and the progressive in past (was
writing). We can see too the perfective in present (have written) and in the past
(had written); In addition, we can see the perfect progressive, in present (Have
been writing) and in past (Had been writing). While mood relates the verbal action
to such conditions as certainly, obligation, necessity and possibility.

5) The future forms are: (2)

Will  are the closest approximation to a colorless, neutral future.

Shall  (for 1st person) is largely restricted in this usage.

Be going to + infinitive  this construction denotes ‘future fulfilment of the

present’ is used chiefly with personal subjects. (when are you going to get
married). The other meaning is ‘future of present cause’, which is found both
personal and non-personal subjects (she’s going to have a baby).

Present progressive  refers to a future happening anticipates in the present.

Is specially frequent with dynamic transitional verbs, which refer to a transition
between two states or position.

Simple present  is regularly used in subordinate clauses that are conditional.

The use of tje simple present is main clauses may be said to represent a marked
future aspect of unusual certainty. It is used for statements about the calendar.

Will/Shall + progressive  The use of this combination avoids the interpretation

of volition, insistence, etc. This complex construction can be used to convey
greater tact and consideration tan the simple auxiliary construction.

6) May be distinguished Three categories of subjunctive:

Mandative subjunctive: has only one form, the base (V); this means there is
lack of the regular indicative concord between subject and finite verb in the 3rd
person singular present, and the present and past tense are indistinguishable.

Examples: - It is/was necessary that every member inform himself of these rules.

- It is necessary that every member should inform himself of these rules.

- It is necessary for every member to inform himself of these rules.

Formulaic subjunctive: also consists of the base (V) but is only used in clauses
in certain set expressions which have to be learned as wholes.

- Come what may, we will goa head.

- God save the Queen!
 - Suffice it to say that…
- Be that as it may…
- Heaven forbid that…

Subjunctive: were is hypothetical in meaning and is used in conditional and

concessive clauses and in subordinate clauses after optative verbs like wish. It
occurs as the 1st and 3rd person singular past of the verb be, matching the
indicative was, which is the more common in less formal style:

- If she {were/was} to do something like that,…

- He spoke to me as if I {were/was} deaf
- I wish i {were/was} dead

7)

Ability: Be able to, be capable of, He can speak English but he

CAN know how to. can’t write.
Permission: Be allowed to, be Can/May i smoke in here?
permitted to (Can is less formal tan
may in this sense)
Theoretical possibility= Contrast Anybody can make mistakes.
may= factual possibility
Past ability I never could play the banjo.
COULD
Present or future permission Could i smoke in here?
Present possibility (Theoretical or We could go to the concert.
factual)
Contingent possibility or ability in If we had more money, we
unreal conditions could buy a car.
MAY Permission: Be allowed to (More You may borrow my car if you
formal than can) like.
Possibility: Usually factual The road may be blocked.
MAIGHT Permission: rare Might I smoke in here?
Possibility: Theoretical or factual We might go to the concert
 Willingness on the part of the He shall get his money.
speaker in 2nd and 3rd person.
Restricted use
SHALL
Intention on the part of the speaker, We shall let you know our
only in 1st person. decision
A) Insistence. Restricted. You shall do as i say.
B) Use Legal and quasi-legal
injuction
SHOULD Obligation and logical necessity You should do as he says.
(=ought to)
‘putative’ use after certain I am sorry that this should
expressions, eg: It is a pity that, ii have happened.
am surprised that.
Contingent use (1st person only We should love to go abroad
and specially BrE) In many clause (if we had the chance)
(=would)
In rather formal real conditions If you should change your
mind, please let us know.
Willingness. Used in polite He’ll help you if you ask him.
requests
WILL
Intention. Usually contracted ‘ll; I’ll write as soon as I can.
Mainly 1st person
Insistence. Stressed, hence no ‘ll He will do it, whatever you
contraction say.
Prediction. Logical necessity and a) Specific prediction: the
habitual present. game {will/must/should}
be finished by now.
b) Timeless prediction: Oil
will float on water.
c) Habitual prediction:
He’ll (always) talk for
 hours if you give him the
chance.
a) Willingness Would you excuse me?
b) Insistences
WOULD
Characteristic activity in the past Every morning he would go for
a long walk
Contingent use in the main clause of He would smoke too much if i
a conditional sentence didn’t stop him.
Probability That would be his mother
Obligation or compulsion in the You must be back by 10
present tense. (=be obliged to, o’clock.
have (got) to); except in reported
speech, only had to (not must) is
used in the past.
MUST
(Logical) necessity There must be a mistake.
Must is not used in sentences with
negative or interrogative meanings,
can being used instead.
Deduction or prediction in the
present
OUGHT Obligation; Logical necessity or You ought to start at once
TO expectation.

8) A)

Present Past

Can  Could

May  Could (might)

Shall  Should

Will/’ll  Would/’d
Must  (had to)

-  Used to

Ought to  (had to)

B) No, ‘Used to’ don’t have present form. while ‘ought to’ and ‘need’ don’t have
past form.

9/10) The perfective and progressive aspects are normally excluded when the
modal expresses ‘ability’ or ‘permission’ and also when shall or will express
‘volition’. These aspects are freely used, however, with other modal meanings.

Possibility: He may have missed the train.

He may have been visiting his mother.

He can’t be swimming all day.

He can’t have been working.

Necessity He must have left his umbrella on the bus.

I must be dreaming.

You must have been have been sitting in the sun.

Prediction The guests will have arrived by now.

John will still be Reading his paper.

Guide to study: chapter 4.

1) What is the difference between a noun phrase and a noun clause?

2) How many classes of nouns are there according to the author?
3) Which are the nouns that can be both, count and non-count nouns? Is there
any difference in meaning between both uses?
4) How many classes of determiners are there?
5) What is the difference between a few, few, a Little and Little?
6) Mention examples of summation plurals.
 7) What are the two genitives?
8) What are the syntactic difference between a pronoun and a noun?
9) What are the different types of pronouns? Provide examples.

1- The noun phrase is a group of words headed by a noun that includes

modifiers. It typically functions as subject, object, complement of
sentences and as complement in prepositional phrases. A noun phrase
plays the role of a noun.

- The girl
- The pretty girl
- The pretty girl in the corner Is Mary Smith
- The pretty girl who became angry
- She

The noun class is a particular category of nouns. It is necessary for grammatical

and semantic reasons, to see nouns as falling into different subclasses.

1)John 2)*bottle 3)Furniture 4)Cake

*The John The bottle The furniture The cake

I saw *A John A bottle *A furniture A cake

*Some John *Some bottle Some furniture Some cake

*Johns Bottles *Furnitures Cakes

2) There are four classes of noun according to the author.

 Proper nouns it includes:

 Names of people: Daiana.
 Names of place: (Countries: China; Cities: Beverly Hills; Oceans:

Atlantic Ocean; Rivers: Amazon River; Lakes: Lake Michigan;

Mountains: Mount Fuji; Parks: Central Park; Schools: Coe College;
 Buildings: Sears Tower; Stores: Bloomingdale’s; Continents, Parts
of the glove: The South Pole; Museums, Hotels: the Metropolitan
Museum, the Hilton Hotel; Streets: Fifth Avenue; Roadways: Route 87;

Deserts: the Sahara; Islands: Trinidad).

 Names of religions: Buddhism, Buddhist.
 Names of courses in school and college: History.
 Historical periods and events: The Middle Ages, the Civil War.
 Stiles of art and architecture: Victorian, Gothic, Cubist.
 Nationalities, languages, and associated words: Chinese, Anglophobe.
 Days, months, especial holidays: Christmas, New Year’s Day,
December, Tuesday.
 Titles: Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr.
 Brand Names: Pepsi-Cola.

 Common nouns: all the nouns that aren’t proper (bottle).

 Count noun (Furniture) and non-count (cake). The categorization count
and non-count cuts across the traditional distinction between ‘abstract’
(broadly, immaterial) nouns like warmth and ‘concrete’ (broadly, tangible)
nouns like bottle.

3) Can be both count and non-count, we see that there is often considerable
difference in meaning involve and that this corresponds broadly to concreteness
or particularization in the count usage and abstractness or generalization in the
non-count usage.

Count: Non-count

I’ve had many difficulties He’s not had much difficulty

He’s had many odd experiences This job requires experience

In many cases the type of distinction between count and non-count is achieved
by separate lexical items:

 (a) sheep- (some) mutton.

 (a) calf- (some) vealf
  (a) pig- (some) pork.
 (a) loaf- (some) bread.
 (a) table- (some) furniture.

4) There are six classes of determiners with respect to their co-occurrence with
the noun classes singular count (bottle) plural count (bottles) and non-count
nouns (furniture).

Count Non-count

Singular bottle

Plural bottles Furniture

A)

+ +
+

 The
 Possessive (My, our, etc)
 Whose, which (ever), what (ever)
 Some (stressed)
 Any (stressed)
 No
B)
+
+

 Zero article
 Some (unstressed)
 Any (unstressed)
 Enough

C)

+ +
  This
 That
D)

 These
 Those
E)
+

 A(n)
 Every
 Each
 Either
 Neither
F)
+

 Much

There are six types of determiners:

 Indefinite articles: a, an
 Definite article: the
 Demonstratives: this, that, these, those
 Possessives: adjectives (my, his, their, etc.;) nouns (Sally’s, my mother’s,
the children’s, etc.;)
 Quantifiers: some, many, much, a lot of, each, every, etc.
 Numerals: one, two, five, seventeen, etc.
5) Few and a few: they are both used with countable nouns in the plural, but they
are not interchangeable. They have different meanings and occur in different
contexts. A few implies more than few. Few has more negative connotations tan
a few does.

Little and a Little work the same way with countable nouns.

6)

Summation Plurals Examples

Consonant + ies Cities- families
+ ves Wives- lives-thieves
+oes or +os Potatoes- photos
+es Bases- hypotheses
+s Bottles

7) In many instances there is a functional similarity (indeed, semantic identity)

between a noun in the genitive case and the same noun as head of a
propositional phrase withof. We refer to the –S GENETIVE for the inflation and to
the OF-GENETIVE for the prepositional form. For example:

What is the ship’s name?  Person-country

What is the name of the ship?

There are usually compelling reasons for preferring one or other construction in
a given case, and numerous environments in which only one construction is
grammatically acceptable.

8) There are several features that pronouns have in common, which distinguish
them from nouns:

- They do not admit determiners

- They often have an objective case  he- him.
- They often have person distinction he-man
- They often have overt gender contrast he= she
- Singular and plural forms are often not morphologically related
 - Personal
Central - Reflexive
- Reciprocal
Relative
Specific - Possessive
Interrogante

Demostrative

Universal
Indefinite
Assertive

Partitive Non-assertive

Negative

quantifying general

enumerative

9) Pronouns have only two cases: COMMON (Somebody) and GENETIVE

(somebody’s) But six pronouns have an objective case, thus presenting a three-
case system, where common case is replaced by SUBJETIVE and OBJETIVE.
The genitives of personal pronouns are called ‘possessive pronouns’

Subjective I we he she they who

Objective me us him her them Who(m)
Genitive my our his her their whose