INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH PRAGMATICS

EXERCISES

1. In the movie The Doctor, an orderly is wheeling patient Jack McKee (William Hurt) down
a hospital corridor on a gurney. McKee is nearly naked except for a single sheet draped over
him. McKee looks up at the orderly and says Do you think you could get me a thinner sheet?
I’m not sure everybody can see through this one. McKee’s utterance raises an implicature,
namely that he wants more covering. Which of Grice’s maxims does McKee flout?

2. Assume that you are teaching a course. A fellow instructor approaches you after you have
graded a test and asks How did Mr. Jones do? You respond with Well, he wrote something
down for every question.

a. Which of Grice’s maxims does your response appear flout?

b. What is the implicature raised by your response?

3. You ask a friend Do you know where Billy Bog is? The friend responds with Well, he
didn’t meet me for lunch like he was supposed to.

a. Which of Grice’s maxims does your friend’s statement appear to flout?

b. What is the implicature raised by your friend’s statement?

4. Identify the class of illocutionary act (i.e., representative, directive, etc,) performed by each
of the following utterances.

a. A child says to her playmate, Happy birthday.

b. a doctor says to a patient, I advise you to stop smoking.

c. One secretary says to another, My daughter’s getting married in August.

d. A priest says over an infant. I baptize you in the name of….

e. A mother says to her daughter. Who washed the dishes?

f. A passerby says to a motorist with a flat tire, Let me help you with that.

5. Assume that each of the following utterances constitues a nonfelicitous (i.e., invalid) atc of
apologizing. Which type of felicity condition (ie, preparatory, sincerity, etc.) is vio lated by
each one?

a. I apologize for what I'm about to do.

b. I apologize for not running over you with my car.

c. I apologize for Little Freddie's having dumped potato soup in your lap.
6. Explain why each of the performative verbs in the following utterances is not being used in
its performative sense.

a. I warned you not to go to that movie.

b. Promise me anything, but give me Arpege.

c. I won’t insist that you leave.

7. For each of the following utterances, state (i) the syntactic form. (ii) the illocutionary act it
performs, and (iii) whether the illocutionary act is performed directly or indirectly.

a. A clerk says to a customer, And your account number is …?

b. A mother says to a neighbor's child, Have some candy.

c. An impatient husband grouses to his wife, Shouldn't we be leaving soon?

8. For each of the following utterances, state whether the relevant proposition is expressed or
implied

a. A sign on a fence reads Parking here prohibits rubbish collection.

b. A warning on a can reads Do not incinerate.

c. A train conductor points to a NO SMOKING sign and says to a passenger who is smoking.
Look at that sign.

9. For each of the following utterances, state whether the locutionary act is literal or
nonliteral.

a. You go to a movie and the Warthog family comes in and sits down behind you. They
crumple candy wrappers and talk for the first 20 minutes of the movie. Finally, you have had
enough, and you turn to them and say I don't want to have to call the manager.

b. Assume the context is the same as in (a), except you say I can still bear the movie: would
you mind speaking up?

10. For each of the following speech acts, state if it is (i) explicit or nonexplicit: (ii) direct or
indirect (applies to nonexplicit only); (iii) expressed or implied: (iv) literal or nonliteral.

a. To express agreement, a friend says How right you are!

b. A teacher says to his student, I suggest you spend more time on your homework.

c. A sign on the side of the road reads Construction Ahead.

11. The italicized phrase indicates that the speaker is trying to avoid violating a conversational
maxim (i.e., Quantity, Quality, Relation or Manner). Name the maxim.

WAITER: What can I get you, sir?

CUSTOMER: I’ll have the roast beef. Oh, incidentally, where’s the phone?

12. The italicized phrase indicates that the speaker is trying to avoid violating a conversational
maxim (i.e., Quantity, Quality, Relation or Manner). Name the maxim.
JOHN: What happened during your interview today?

MARY: Well, to make a long story short, they didn’t hire me.

13. John and Mary are leaving a movie.

JOHN: That was a great movie
MARY: It sure was. Oh, by the way, do you have the car keys?

The italicized expression in Mary’s response indicates that she is trying to avoid violating the
maxim of ______

a. manner c. quality e. memory

b. relation d. quantity

14. Gretchen is married and has two children, ages 7 and 4. In a conversation concerning her
father-in-law, held in the presence of her children, she referred her father-in-law as the first
generation and to her children as the third generation.
a. Which Grice’s maxims did Gretchen flout?

b. What is the implicature raised by Gretchen’s utterance?

15. For the following exchange, determine (a) which of Grice’s maxims Ray is flouting, and
(b) the implicature raised by her reply.
BOB: Do you want some dessert?

RAY: Do birds have wing?

a.
___________________________________________________________________________
b.
___________________________________________________________________________

16. For the following exchange, determine (a) which of Grice’s maxims Susan is flouting, and
(b) the implicature raised by her reply
DIANE: Don’t you think John is a wonderful guy?

SUSAN: Yeah, he’s about as sensitive as Rambo

a.
___________________________________________________________________________
b.
___________________________________________________________________________
17. For the following exchange, determine (a) which of Grice’s maxims Susan is flouting, and
(b) the implicature raised by her reply

JOHN: Who was that man I saw you with yesterday?

MARY: That was just someone

a.
___________________________________________________________________________
b.
___________________________________________________________________________

18. For the following exchange, determine (a) which of Grice’s maxims Susan is flouting, and
(b) the implicature raised by her reply

SALESCLERK: Could I have your name??

CUSTOMER: It’s K-A-T-H-R-Y-N R-I-L-E-Y

a.
___________________________________________________________________________
b.
___________________________________________________________________________

19. Grice (1975: 55) cites the following example. Determine (a) which maxim the critic is
flouting, and (b) the implicature raised by the critics’ reply.

PATRON: How was Miss X’s performance?

CRITIC: Miss X produced a series of sounds that corresponded closely with the score of
Home Sweet Home

a.
___________________________________________________________________________
b.
___________________________________________________________________________

20. Traugott and Pratt (1980: 237) cite the following joke. Determine which of Grice’s
maxims Sam flouts in his first utterance, and (b) the implicature it raises.

FARMER BROWN: Hey, Sam, my mule’s got distemper. What’d you give yours when
you get it?

SAM: Turpentine

(a week later)

FARMER BROWN: Sam, I gave my mule turpentine like you said and it killed him

SAM: Did mine, too.

a.
___________________________________________________________________________
b.
___________________________________________________________________________

21. A sign on the door of Shoney’s restaurant in Gatlinburg. Tennessee, says Shoney’s is a
family restaurant. No one allowed without shoes or shirts. Determine which of Grice’s
maxims Sam flouts in his first utterance, and (b) the implicature it raises.

22. Classify the following as a directive, commissive, representative, expressive, question or

declaration. One friend says to another, I swear I won’t see Martha again.

23. Classify the following as a directive, commissive, representative, expressive, question or

declaration. A parent says to her child, I forbid you to leave the room

24. Classify the following as a directive, commissive, representative, expressive, question or

declaration.

A man says to a stranger, Do you know what time it is?

25. Classify the following as a directive, commissive, representative, expressive, question or

declaration.
A buyer says to a seller, I agree to your terms.

26. In the movie The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, James Madden is telling Judith how he
has been wronged by his daughter. The following interchange ensues.

JUDITH: Oh, I’m sorry.

JAMES: You don’t have to be sorry. You didn’t do anything.

James misinterprets Judith’s remark, because it is ambiguous as to what illocutionary act it

performs. Explain this ambiguity.

27. On the TV shows Little House on Prairie, the preacher says to Mrs. Ingalls, Family
discipline is based on promises kept – whether punishment or reward. The preacher is treating
two different types of illocutionary acts as promises

a. What are the two illocutionary acts the preacher is referring to?

b. What general category of illocutionary acts do they both belong to?

c. How do the two illocutionary acts differ in terms of their felicity conditions?

28. Pat and Chris are having an argument, and Pat punches Chris in the nose. Chris responds
with Thanks a lot. What preparatory condition on thanking does Chris’s utterance violate?

a. The act for which one is thanked must be the hearer’s best interest.

b. The act for which one is thanked must be a past act

c. The act for which one is thanked must be witnessed by the speaker.

d. The act for which one is thanked must be in the speaker’s best interest.

e. Both (b) and (d)

29. What type of felicity condition on apologies (Preparatory, Sincerity, Essential,
Propositional Content) is violated by the following utterance: I apologize for what I’m about
to do.

30. At noon a woman goes to a pharmacy to check on a prescription that is being filled. The
woman is told that the prescription has to be brought from another location but that it will
arrive no later than 6:00 pm. The woman fumes for a minute and then says, I’m sorry but I
can’t come back later this evening. The woman’s utterance appears to be an apology (i.e., I’m
sorry…) However, it is not. (a) What felicity condition on apologizing does it violate? (b) If
the utterance is not an apology, what is it?

a.
___________________________________________________________________________
b.
___________________________________________________________________________

31. Searle distinguishes ordinary questions from what he calls “exam questions” – the type of
question a teacher asks a student (for example, What is the cube root of 27?) Ordinary and
exam questions differ in their felicity conditions, in particular their preparatory and sincerity
conditions. How do the preparatory and sincerity conditions for the ordinary and exam
questions differ?

32. You walk into a shop in a mall. There is a sign on the wall that reads Thank you for not
smoking. You correctly take the sign as a directive rather than an expressive, because it
violates a propositional content condition on thanking. What is that condition?

33. On the TV show Hawaii 5- 0, Steve McGarrett has the following conversation with an old
girlfriend named Kathy.

KATHY: I made a promise to someone. I promised to marry him.

STEVE: Okay, a promise, but not a vow. You have a right to change your mind.

34. A self-proclaimed “preacher” was recently observed at LSU’s Free Speech Alley, an area
of campus where speakers may publicly address passerby. In the heart of his fervor, the
preacher addressed a nearby squirrel as follows: Repent, you squirrel; repent you evil
fornicating squirrel. Explain why this utterance is an infelicitous directive.

35. Explain why the following utterance is not an explicit performative. The boss insists you
work late at night.

36. Explain why the following utterance is not an explicit performative. Apologize to your
Aunt Martha immediately.

37. A sign over a bar door says Minors are forbidden to enter

a. What is the illocutionary force of this utterance?

b. Is the illocutionary explicit? Explain: (Hint: change passive voice [e.g., Mr. X was
sentenced to death] to active [e.g., The judge sentenced X to death].)
38. The following announcement is made over a public address system at an airport:
Passengers are requested to proceed to gate 10.

a. What is the illocutionary force of this utterance?

b. Is the illocutionary act explicit? Explain. (Hint: see question [27].)

39. The envelope supplied for paying your credit card bill carries the following notice: Did
you remember to sign your check? Identify (a) the syntactic form, (b) the illocutionary act it
performs, and (c) whether the illocutionary act is performed directly or indirectly.

a.
___________________________________________________________________________
b.
___________________________________________________________________________

40. A student, wheedling a teacher for an A, says If I don’t get an A in this course, I’ll lose my
scholarship: Identify (a) the syntactic form, (b) the illocutionary act it performs, and (c)
whether the illocutionary act is performed directly or indirectly.

a.
___________________________________________________________________________
b.
___________________________________________________________________________

c.
___________________________________________________________________________

41. Smith is fixing a flat tire as Jones looks on. Smith says You can give me a hand with this
in order to get Jones to help him. The syntactic form of the utterance is
_____________________ The illocutionary act is _____________ The illocutionary act is
performed (directly, indirectly)

42. Smith is fixing a flat tire as Jones looks on. Smith says Why don’t you give me a hand
with this? in order to get Jones to help him. The syntactic form of the utterance is
_____________________ The illocutionary act is _____________ The illocutionary act is
performed (directly, indirectly)

43. A friend comes to visit you for the first time and, being positively impressed by where
you live says, What a nice house you have! The syntactic form of your friend’s utterance is
___________________ The illocutionary act is _____________ The illocutionary act is
performed (directly, indirectly)

44. A sign in front of a garage states Don’t even thinking of parking here.

a. Is the locution expressed or implied?

b. Is the locution literal or nonliteral?

45. A highway signs says Do not exceed 55.

a. Is the locution expressed or implied?

b. Is the locution literal or nonliteral?

46. A highway signs says Speed limit 55

a. Is the locution expressed or implied?

b. Is the locution literal or nonliteral?

47. One night you go to visit a friend in her apartment. When you walk in, your friend is
sitting there with all the lights off. In an attempt to get her turn on a light, you say What is
this, a mausoleum?

a. Is the locution expressed or implied?

b. Is the locution literal or nonliteral?

48. One night you go to visit a friend in her apartment. When you walk in, your friend is
sitting there with all the lights off. In an attempt to get her turn on a light, you say It’s kinda
dark here.

a. Is the locution expressed or implied?

b. Is the locution literal or nonliteral?

49. One night you go to visit a friend in her apartment. When you walk in, your friend is
sitting there with all the lights off. In an attempt to get her turn on a light, you say It’s kinda
dark here. She says What are you talking about? and you say I’m asking you to turn on a
light. Answer the following regarding the second utterance.

a. Is the locution explicit or nonexplicit?

b. If nonexplicit, is the locution direct or indirect?

c. Is the locution expressed or implied?

d. Is the locution literal or nonliteral?

50. The following sign was observed on a British Rail train car: Passengers are reminded that
a valid ticket is required for each journey made. This seems to be a roundabout way of saying
Buy a ticket.

a. Is the illocutionary act performed by the sign explicit or nonexplicit?

b. Is the illocutionary act performed by the sign expressed or implied?

51. We recently came across a congratulations card which depicted a baby and had the words
Your baby boy has arrived.

a. What type of illocutionary act performed by the card?

b. Is the illocutionary act explicit or nonexplicit?

c. Is the illocutionary act performed directly or indirectly?

d. Is the locutionary act expressed or implied?

d. Is the locutionary act literal or nonliteral?

52. In the movie Honky Tonk Man, Marlene Mooney tries to get Red Stovall to give her his
sandwich by saying. If you’re not gonna eat this ‘sandwich’, I can finish it for you.

a. What type of illocutionary act is performed by this utterance?

b. Is the illocutionary act explicit or nonexplicit?

c. Is the illocutionary act performed directly or indirectly?

d. Is the locutionary expressed or implied?

e. Is the locutionary act literal or nonliteral?

53. In the corner of an envelope, there’s printed message stating, Post Office will not deliver
mail without proper postage. Identify the type of speech act conveyed by this utterance, given
the context.

a. explicit, expressed, nonliteral

b. nonexplicit, direct, implied, literal

c. nonexplicit, indirect, implied, literal

d. explicit, implied, literal

e. nonexplicit, indirect, implied, nonliteral

54. John shows up for class after missing the previous session. He turns to his friend Mary
and says, Did you take notes during the last class? If this is intended as a request to borrow
Mary’s notes, then it is being used as which type of speech act:

a. explicit, expressed, literal

b. nonliteral, direct, expressed, literal

c. nonexplicit, indirect, implied, literal

d. explicit, implied, nonliteral

e. nonexplicit, indirect, implied, nonliteral

55. A parent, attempting to get his child to close her mouth, says, You’re so attractive when
you talk with your mouth full. Identify the type of speech act conveyed by this utterance,
given the context.

a. explicit, expressed, literal

b. nonexplicit, direct, implied, literal

c. nonexplicit, indirect, implied, literal

d. explicit, implied, nonliteral

e. nonexplicit, implied. indirect, nonliteral

56. A sign on the interstate reads Speed limit enforced by radar, Identify the type of speech
act conveyed by this utterance, given the context.

a. nonexplicit, indirect, implied, literal

b. nonexplicit, implied. indirect, nonliteral

c. explicit, expressed, literal

d. explicit, implied, nonliteral

e. nonexplicit, indirect, implied, literal

57. Dirty Harry, in trying to get a criminal to give up on his gun, says Go ahead-make my
day. Identify the type of speech act conveyed by this utterance, given the context.

a. explicit, expressed, literal

b. nonexplicit, direct, implied, nonliteral

c. nonexplicit, indirect, implied, literal

d. explicit, implied, literal

e. nonexplicit, indirect, implied, nonliteral

58. For the following utterance, state whether it is explicit or nonexplicit, direct or indirect,
expressed or implied, literal or nonliteral: A highway sign reads YIELD

59. For the following utterance, state whether it is explicit or nonexplicit, direct or indirect,
expressed or implied, literal or nonliteral:

Count Monte Crisco has been insulted by Count Marmaduke; Monte Crisco says to
Marmaduke, I challenge you to a duel.

60. Francine wants to find out from Jolene the name of Jolene’s date. For each of the
following utterance, state whether it is explicit or nonexplicit, direct or indirect, expressed or
implied, literal or nonliteral.
a. You haven’t told me your date’s name, Jolene

b. What’s your date’s name, Jolene?

c. For the last time, Jolene, I’m asking you to tell me the name of your date.

d. Please don’t bore me with the name of your date, Jolene.