Classification
Classification requires respondents to categorize words/phrases from lists (out of context) according to their knowledge of grammatical features using charts.
In the examples provided, categorization is based on part of speech (e.g., listing all nouns/verbs), or characteristics of a single word (e.g.. count/noncount nouns, verbs that take infinitives/gerunds).
Other Related Categories in this Inventory
Work with Illustrations | Language in Context
ACTIVITIES:
1. Some nouns look like plurals, but they are really singular. The names of many academic disciplines (mathematics) and diseases (measles) are in this group. Other false plurals include the word news. Make a list ofthe false plurals you already know, and share your list with your classmates.
EXAMPLES:
Mathematics is an important subject for business majors.
Measles is a childhood disease.
News is important.
| Academic Disciplines | Diseases | Others |
| mathematics | measles | news |
Byrd, P. and Benson, B. (1992). Applied English Grammar.
2. List the nine parts of speech across the top of a sheet of paper. Underneath the name for each part of speech, write the words from the following list that can be grouped together. Use your dictionary after you have made your decisions, and check your answers.
| from | it | so | easy | oh | because |
| ouch | write | at | easily | they | borrow |
| an | although | a | library | read | but |
| she | expensive | in | college | carefully | them |
| young | on | and | ask | quickly | intelligent |
| student | the | very | language | excellent |
Add more words to each of the categories on the same sheet of paper you used for exercise A. Then, compare your new list to those of other students in the class. Add to your list any words that you like or that seem important. Keep this list in your Grammar Notebook.
Byrd, P. and Benson, B. (1992). Applied English Grammar.
3. Review the basic patterns and common verbs in each pattern. Work with a partner and try to write as many additional verbs for each pattem as you can remember without looking back in your book. A couple have been done for you.
Verbs that Take Infinitive Complements
| pattern 1 | pattern 2 | pattern 3 |
| appear | advise | expect |
| refuse | remind | arrange |
| seem | advise |
Verbs that Take Gerund Complements
| pattern 1 | pattern 2 | pattern 3 |
| can't help | encourage | appreciate |
| keep on | urge | anticipate |
| dislike |
Thewlis, S. (1993). Grammar Dimensions, Book Three.
4. Complete the following list with a classmate. Classify the following nouns into two groups: count nouns (singular and plural forms) and noncount nouns. Then, add the plural forms of each count noun. Check the plural forms in your dictionary.
| advice | essay | library | pollution |
| air | experiment | man | experiment |
| book | foot | mathematics | report |
| calculator | gold | money | rice |
| coffee | happiness | news | storm |
| computer | homework | novel | student |
| desk | honesty | occupation | suggestion |
| equipment | information | paragraph | weather |
| Count Nouns | Plural Form | Noncount Nouns |
| 1. | ||
| 2. | ||
| 3. | ||
| 4. | ||
| 5. |
Byrd, P. and Benson, B. (1992). Applied English Grammar.
5. (a) Identify the categories of descriptive adjectives in these noun phrases by listing them in the appropriate box in this grid. Not every category occurs in each noun phrase. The first two have been done for you as an example. (b) Are there some noun phrases that do not follow the basic order listed in Focus 2? Why do you suppose the author changed the basic word order?
1. handsome, small, well-polished Italian leather shoes
2. a shiny big new red sports car
3. a fat little brovrn puppy
4. some beautiful old Thai silk pajamas
5. an antique round wooden tea tray
6. a black lacquer Japanese screen
7. an interesting young French physics professor
8. a funky, broken-down old Chevrolet
| Category | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| evaluation/opinion | handsome | |||
| appearance: size shape condition |
--------------- small --------------- well-polished |
--------------- big --------------- shiny |
||
| age | --------------- | new | ||
| color | --------------- | red | ||
| origin: geographical material |
--------------- Italian leather |
--------------- --------------- --------------- |
||
| NOUN | shoes | sports car |
| Category | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| evaluation/opinion | ||||
| appearance: size shape condition |
||||
| age | ||||
| color | ||||
| origin: geographical material |
Thewlis, S. (1993). Grammar Dimensions, Book Three.
6. Add the modifiers in the correct order to the following passages. The first one has been done for you as an example.
My friend Wolfgang is a shopaholic. Whenever he goes out of the house, he
returns with some (1) strange, new (new, strange) "bargain." He rarely buys any (2) __________
(useful, really) items. Once he came home with (3) __________ (bright, flannel, purple) blankets.
"They match my (4) __________(pretty, French, new) curtains," he said. But those curtains were
still in their (5) __________ (plastic, original) wrappings. He was so busy shopping that he hadn't
had time to hang them up.
Fortunately, Wolfgang refuses to buy anything secondhand. I can imagine all the
(6) __________(useless, incredibly ugly, antique) "art objects" he would bring home. He already
has (7) __________ (brand-new, European, expensive, plenty of, bright-colored) shirts and
sweaters. But that doesn't stop him from buying more. He just piles them into his (8) __________
(little, dark, bedroom, overcrowded) closet. He has some (9) __________ (Italian, nice,
handmade) shoes that I have never even seen him wearing.
He's running out of space to put things. He has such a (10) __________ (new,
nice) apartment with lots of storage space, but his closets look like some (11) __________ (old,
poor) shopkeeper's (12) (frightening, terrible) nightmare!
Thewlis, S. (1993). Grammar Dimensions, Book Three.
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