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A Concise Guide to English Grammar

Phillip Haisley

Section 6.7 Homework: Closed Classes

Subsection 6.7.1 Determiner and Pronoun Identification

Instructions.

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For each sentence, identify and classify the requested closed-class words.
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Example (completed).

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Sentence: My brother gave his old car to me.
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Determiners: my (possessive), his (possessive). Note: old is NOT a determiner—it’s an adjective.
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Pronouns: me (personal pronoun, 1st person singular, object form)
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Exercises.

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Exercise 1. The ambitious student submitted her application to several universities.
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  • Determiners (identify each and classify by type—article, demonstrative, possessive, quantifier, number):
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  • Pronouns:
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Exercise 2. Everyone who attended the conference received their materials before the first session.
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  • Pronouns (identify each and classify by type—personal, relative, indefinite, possessive):
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Exercise 3. Those books on the shelf belong to someone in this department.
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Exercise 4. Which candidate did the committee select for themselves?
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  • Pronouns (identify and classify each):
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Subsection 6.7.2 Prepositional Phrase Analysis

Instructions.

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Identify all prepositional phrases in each sentence. For each PP, indicate what it modifies (a noun phrase, a verb phrase, or the whole sentence) and state what question it answers.
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Example (completed).

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Sentence: The professor from Harvard lectured about linguistics in the auditorium.
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  • PP 1: from Harvard — Modifies NP professor — Which professor?
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  • PP 2: about linguistics — Modifies VP lectured — About what?
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  • PP 3: in the auditorium — Modifies VP lectured — Where?
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Exercises.

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Exercise 5. The student with the red backpack studied in the library until midnight.
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Exercise 6. A painting of the mountains hangs above the fireplace in the living room.
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Exercise 7. During the meeting, the manager from the accounting department spoke with great enthusiasm about the new proposal.
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  • Identify all PPs and classify each:
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Subsection 6.7.3 Sentence Completion

Instructions.

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Complete each sentence by adding the requested element.
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Exercises.

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Exercise 8. Add a prepositional phrase that modifies the noun “book”:
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Exercise 9. Add a prepositional phrase that modifies the verb and indicates when:
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Exercise 10. Replace the underlined noun phrases with appropriate pronouns:
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  • Original: Maria told John that Maria would return John’s laptop to John tomorrow.
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  • Your revision:
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Subsection 6.7.4 Diagramming Closed-Class Words

Instructions.

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For each sentence, complete the labeling table (Role, Phrase, Word, POS), write the bracket notation, and draw a tree diagram. Pay special attention to determiners (DET), pronouns (PRON), prepositions (PREP), and conjunctions (CONJ).
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Exercises.

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Exercise 11. She walked to the store.
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Role
Phrase
Word She walked to the store
POS
Exercise 12. They gave it to her.
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Role
Phrase
Word They gave it to her
POS
Exercise 13. The book on the shelf belongs to him.
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Role
Phrase
Word The book on the shelf belongs to him
POS
Exercise 14. Everyone in the room listened carefully.
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Role
Phrase
Word Everyone in the room listened carefully
POS
Exercise 15. My sister and I drove to the park.
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Role
Phrase
Word My sister and I drove to the park
POS
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Subsection 6.7.5 Analysis and Reflection

Passage.

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The researcher in the laboratory examined the sample with a powerful microscope. Her analysis of the results surprised everyone in the department. The findings that she published in a major journal challenged several assumptions about the process.
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Exercises.

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Exercise 14. Identify four prepositional phrases from the passage. For each, state what it modifies (a noun phrase, a verb phrase, or the whole sentence) and what question it answers.
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Exercise 15. The phrase “in the laboratory” in the first sentence could modify either the noun “researcher” or the verb “examined”. Explain both possible interpretations and how you would determine which reading is intended.
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  • NP-modifying interpretation (modifies researcher):
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  • VP-modifying interpretation (modifies examined):
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  • How to determine the intended reading:
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Exercise 16. In 3-4 sentences, explain why closed-class words (determiners, pronouns, prepositions) are important even though they carry less content meaning than open-class words. What would happen if we removed them from sentences?
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Total estimated time: 30-40 minutes
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