Identification and Analysis is a subcategory of Language in Context in which students identify and label grammatical features (e.g., underlining all the verbs) but may also be required to analyze whole text features (e.g., Why do you think the author used passive verbs in these sentences?). Both identification and analysis take place within extended text. Movement from identification to analysis represents a step up in cognitive processing.
Included here is a range of activities that can be said to occur along a continuum that represents the extent to which students become involved with the text in completing the exercise.
ACTIVITIES:
1. Underline the passive constructions in the following passage. For each passive that you can find, mark the recipient with R. If the agent is mentioned, mark it with A. The first sentence has been done as an example.
(1) The (R) Nazca Lines were not discovered until the 1930s, when (R)
they were first noticed by airplane (A) pilots flying over Peru's Atacama Desert. (2) They
consist of huge pictures, several kilometers in size, that were drawn in the desert. (3) They depict
such things as birds, spiders, and abstract geometrical designs. (4) These pictures were made
more than 3,000 years ago by removing stones and dirt over large areas to expose the different
colored soil beneath.
(5) The amazing thing about the Nazca Lines is that none of these pictures can be
seen by people on the ground. (6) They are so huge that they can only be seen from a great height.
(7) The pictures were constructed with incredible precision. (8) Exactly how such precise
measurements were made still hasn't been satisfactorily explained. (9) It seems impossible that the
primitive construction techniques that existed 3,000 years ago could have been used to create such
gigantic, perfectly constructed designs.(10) Who made these gigantic pictures and why? (11)
Were they intended to be used as offerings for the gods, as some people have suggested? (12) 0r,
as others believe, were they created as "direction signs" for visitors from other planets? (13) No
one knows. (14) One thing is known: The reasons for and methods of construction have been
obliterated with time, but the pictures have been preserved for at least 2,000--and maybe even
3,000--years!
Thewlis, S. (1993). Grammar Dimensions, Book Three.
2. Read this student essay. Underline the past forms. Write out the base form for each verb. Check your work with a partner and choose someone to put the answers on the blackboard.
AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE
When I first came to Canada, I landed in Calgary, Alberta. It was a very cold
winter day in February. Snow covered everything. There was snow on the roofs of houses, on the
branches of trees, on all the roads, and in all the gardens. The scenery was beautiful. It looked like
a Christmas card, but no one appeared on the streets. I thought this was strange.
The weather was very cold and snowy, but my brother wanted to show me
everything. We drove around the city and later we went to Banff in the Rocky Mountains. I saw
many unusual things. There were signs on the mountain roads warning about avalanches. I saw
men shovelling frozen snow and ice off roofs.
Banff was a pretty town, but I saw something very unusual as we drove up a
mountain road. When I looked down, I saw an outdoor hot spring. It was crowded. There were
children and adults in the pool. They wore bathing suits. They laughed and splashed around. They
didn't notice the cold weather. Unlike them, I had a heavy coat and a wool scarf on, but I still felt
cold.
McKay, I. (1996). Grammar Strand 1.
3. Underline the comparative structures in the following paragraph. For each structure you find, identify X and Y, identify the feature that is being compared, decide whether X or Y is greater and whether the difference is large or small. The first sentence has been done for you as an example.
EXAMPLES: X = population
of Bangladesh; Y = population of Pakistan
X > Y (small difference)
X = land area of Bangladesh; Y = land area of Pakistan
X < Y (large difference)
(1) Although the population of Bangladesh is slightly larger that that of Pakistan, its land area is considerably smaller. (2) This means that the population density of Pakistan is not nearly as great as that of Bangladesh, and as a result, the general standard of living is substantially higher. (3) Although the population of Bangladesh is not growing quite as quickly as Pakistan's, its GNP is quite a bit lower, and as a result, it will be a very long time before the standard of living for Bangladeshis becomes as high as for Pakistanis. (4) While educational development is almost as high in Bangladesh as in Pakistan, economic development is substantially lower, and people in Bangladesh are generally less prosperous.
Thewlis, S. (1993). Grammar Dimensions, Book Three.
4. Read the article about Native Americans. Mark the nouns in the article with C for count noun or NC for noncount noun.
EXAMPLES: Native Americans = C
nature = NC
NATIVE AMERICANS
There are about 1.9 million Native Americans in the United States today. The
Native Americans (sometimes called American Indians) are the original inhabitants of the United
States. There are over 500 tribes. Most tribes have a chief. Each tribe has its own language and
traditions. However, very few young native Americans speak the language of their ancestors.
About one-half of the Indians in the U.S. live on special land called reservations.
This is the land that the U.S. government gave to the Indians after taking away their own land.
There are 287 reservations in the U.S. Some reservations are very small, having fewer than ten
members of the tribe. The Navajo reservation, in the Southwest, is the largest with about 100,000
inhabitants.
Some native Americans prefer to live on reservations in order to preserve their
traditional way of life. They preserve their history, music, art, food, native costumes, and
appreciation of nature. Native American names often describe events in nature. Some typical
names might be John White Cloud. Mary Running Deer, or William Mountain Snow.
Unemployment and poverty have always been problems on reservations. As a
result, a lot of Indians left their land to look for work in the big cities. Lately some reservations
have been successful in bringing money to the reservation by, getting into the business of legalized
gambling. Some reservations make money with simple bingo games; others have large, luxurious
casinos. A small reservation in Minnesota, with less than 300 members, earned over $500,000 in
1994 from its casino.
Elbaum, S. (1996). Grammar in Context, Book 2, 2nd ed.
5. Identify the form and the general meaning of the highlighted logical connectors. Not every logical connector in this essay appears in the chart. For those that do not, decide which category they belong in and add them to the chart. The first sentence has been done for you as an example.
EXAMPLES: and--form: coordinator, meaning: additive
since--form: subordinator, meaning: reason
My Experience with Culture Shock
(1) Every person who has lived in a new culture has had some experience with culture shock, and I am no exception, since I, too, have had an experience with culture shock. (2) Although I have lived in the United States for almost one year, I sometimes still feel homesick, and still miss my family. (3) When I first came to the U.S., I was very excited. (4) Because everything was new, everything was interesting. (5) I enjoyed my independence from my parents; I also enjoyed experiencing new situations and making new friends. (6) Although everything was a little strange, I nevertheless enjoyed these new experiences.
(7) Eventually I got used to many of the differences, but even though I was used to them, I still wasn't comfortable. (8) In fact, little by little I grew tired of the differences. (9) Because the things in America weren't new to me anymore, the differences weren't interesting. (10) Indeed, they had actually become boring. (11) As a result, I began to miss things about Indonesia, such as food, friends, and the warm tropical climate more and more. (12) I soon became depressed and homesick. (13) I stayed in my room, because I was tired of speaking English all the time. (14) Even though I studied hard, my grades weren't good. I wanted to go home.
(15) Because of these feelings, I decided to see my advisor so that I could get some advice about returning home without finishing my studies. (16) He told me two important things about culture shock. (17) First, I learned that any person in a new culture has a similar kind of experience, and that culture shock can't be avoided. (18) Furthermore, I learned that culture shock is not only universal, but also temporary. (19) As a result of his advice, I realized that I should be patient, and that I shouldn't go home just yet. (20) My advisor also suggested that I try to keep busy and talk about my culture shock with my friends.
(21) I followed this good advice, and, as a result, my culture shock has become less troublesome. (22) In spite of the fact that I sometimes still miss my life in Indonesia, I don't feel as depressed as I did. (23) Moreover, I no longer want to return home before I finish my studies. I know that I can adjust to this new life.
Thewlis, S. (1993). Grammar Dimensions, Book Three.
6. Personal pronouns can replace the proper names of people or things. Find the personal pronouns in the following passage, and draw a line to the noun or noun phrase to which each personal pronoun refers.
1. A special group of reptiles ruled the earth 200 million to 65 million years ago. These creatures, which are called dinosaurs, vanished a long time before people appeared. They ranged in size from the size of a chicken to over 40 feet tall and 90 feet long. Since the mid-1800s, scientists have discovered the fossil remains of many different kinds of dinosaurs. Although they have developed many theories about dinosaurs, no one knows why they became extinct.
2. For centuries, scientists have felt like prisoners on the earth, their home planet. In the past, they could only guess at the secrets of the universe and could only look at outer space from the earth. Now, a new space age is beginning. A sophisticated group of spacecraft will probe the solar system in the next decade in search of answers to their questions. After 1993, scientists will shift most science missions to expendable rockets and will be sending up more than 35 flights. They hope to discover answers to many questions that have puzzled mankind for generations.
Using the passage above, answer the following questions.
1. You will find nouns in many positions in English sentences. They can be subjects, objects, and objects of prepositions. In sentence 1:
the complete subject is __________;
the complement is __________;
the object of the preposition over is __________, and
the object of the preposition of is __________.
2. You will find complete verbs made of more than one word.
In sentence 6, the complete verb is __________ and the second complete verb is __________.
In sentence 9, the complete verb is __________.
3. There are 2 prepositional phrases in sentence 1.
There are __________ prepositional phrases in sentence 2.
There are __________ prepositional phrases in sentence 8.
4. The coordinating word in sentence 6 is __________.
The coordinating word in sentence 8 is __________.
5. The subordinating word in sentence 3 is __________.
The subordinating word in sentence 10 is __________.
6. Sentences __________, __________, __________, and __________ are simple sentences.
Sentences __________ and __________ are compound sentences.
Sentences __________, __________, __________ and __________ are complex sentences.
Sentence __________ is a compound-complex sentence.
Byrd, P. and Benson, B. (1992). Applied English Grammar.
7. Examine how adverbials and aspect are used to indicate time relationships. For each sentence in these passages, identify the moment of focus and list the verbs that happened before the moment of focus in the order that they occurred. Are the time relationships indicated by adverbials, by aspect, or by both? The first two sentences in each passage have been done for you as an example.
(1) Before we left on the trip, we checked the car thoroughly. (2) After we checked the oil, we made sure the tires had enough air. (3) But we hadn't gotten more than a few miles when we realized that we had forgotten something: We had left our suitcases on the front porch. (4) We had been worrying so much about the mechanical condition of the car that we left without thinking about its contents.
Moment of Focus |
Time Before |
How Indicated |
| 1) we left on a trip | we checked the car | adverb (before) |
| 2) we made sure the tires had enough air | we checked the oil | adverb (after) |
The fifteenth century saw the emergence of a new social and economic order in Europe. (1) By the end of the fourteenth century, the population of Europe was about a third smaller than it had been at the beginning. (2) It was one of the few times in history when the population had not only stopped growing but had actually decreased. (3) This smaller population was caused by repeated outbreaks of bubonic plague that had swept through the continent several times during the century, (4) and when the century ended, this had resulted in some fundamental changes in society. (5) So many people had died that the traditional feudal landlords were forced to intermarry with wealthy merchant families, rather than aristocratic ones. (6) People who had previously only had the opportunity to make a living as farmers or serfs were able to become craftsmen and artisans. (7) The plague had killed so many people that the traditional social boundaries were wiped out, and this created a period of great social mobility and economic change.
Moment of Focus |
Time Before |
How Indicated |
| 1) the population was one-third smaller | than it had been | adverbial (by the end of the fourteenth-century) |
| 2) It was one of the few times in history | the population had stopped growing / had decreased | aspect |
Thewlis, S. (1993). Grammar Dimensions, Book Three.
8. Identify the passive verb phrases in the following passage. Decide why the author chose to use passive constructions.
(1) ln most societies, social minorities are often discriminated against by society as a whole. (2) People may be discriminated against on the basis of their race, religion, ethnic or cultural background, sexual preference, or even the language that they speak in their homes. (3) Such minority groups may not be allowed to use the same facilities as the general population, or have the same rights or legal protections. (4) For example, in some countries women are not allowed to drive cars or work in jobs where they face the public. (5) In other countries, people of certain ethnic backgrounds are not allowed to enter national universities, or conduct business in a particular language, or even wear certain colors of clothing. (6) But in many societies, this discrimination is being eliminated--at least in terms of legal and governmental policies.
(7) The United States, for example, has made a great deal of progress in eliminating some areas of discrimination against its social minorities. (8) But these changes have not come quickly or easily. (9) As recently as the 1950s blacks and whites were not allowed to get married in many southern states. (10) They were forced to use separate drinking fountains, rest rooms, and even schools and libraries. (11) However, as a result of active protest and political demonstration, such discriminatory laws were changed, and segregation based on race is no longer permitted. (12) People with physical disabilities were also forced to resort to demonstrations in order to gain access to basic public facilities such as rest rooms, movie theaters, or public transportation systems, and their efforts have resulted in new laws that require all public buildings in the United States to be wheelchair accessible.
(13) But other battles are still being fought. (14) Women have made considerable gains in American society, but they are still paid less than men for the same kinds of work. (15) Gay people are still confronted with enormous legal and social discrimination. (16) They are not allowed to serve in the Army or join organizations like the Boy Scouts; in many places they can be fired from their jobs if employers learn of their sexual orientation, and they do not have the same kind of basic legal protection for family relationships and community property rights that the rest of society takes for granted. (17) Conditions for all minorities in the United States seem to be improving, although it will be a long time before social attitudes catch up with the progress that has been made in legal protections.
Thewlis, S. (1993). Grammar Dimensions, Book Three.
9. Underline each complete verb with two lines. Why do you think the writer made these choices? What time frame do you expect in a composition that begins with the words in 1923?
Mount Rushmore
In 1923, Doan Robinson, a historian from South Dakota, proposed a plan to
increase tourism in the remote western state. He visualized a giant sculpture on the side of a
mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Gutzon Borglum had completed the statue of
Abraham Lincoln for the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., a few years before.
Robinson asked the famous sculptor to construct his dream. Borglum decided to build a memorial
to honor four famous United States presidents: George Washington the "Father of the Country,"
Thomas Jefferson the "Expansionist," Abraham Lincoln the "Preserver of the Union," and
Theodore Roosevelt the "Protector of the Working Man." The giant carving took fourteen years to
complete. The four 60-foot-high heads are visible for miles, and tourists from everywhere in the
world visit the monument.
Byrd, P. and Benson, B. (1992). Applied English Grammar.
10. Analyze each change of time frame that you found in Exercise 4. What reason did the author have for changing the time frame? There may be more than one reason.
Mark the following passages with a slash (/) to show where the time frame changes. The first one has been done for you as an example.
1. My brother called me up yesterday. / I always know he needs to borrow money when he calls, because I never hear from him at any other time. / We spoke about this and that for a few minutes. He asked about my job and my family. We talked about his problems with his boss. / These are typical topics before he finally asks for a loan. This phone call was no exception. He needed $50 "until payday." / Somehow, when payday comes he never remembers to pay back the loan.
2. I'll be really happy when the summer is over. I don't like hot weather, and I can't stand mosquitoes. There's a lot of both of those things in the summer. Last summer I tried to escape by going on a trip to Alaska. The heat wasn't bad, but the mosquitoes were terrible! Next year I think I'll consider a vacation in Tierra del Fuego. I understand it's really cold there in July.
3. For more than 50 years, scientists around the world have used a single means of measuring the strength (or magnitude) of earthquakes. The Richter scale was developed by Charles Richter in 1935. It was designed so scientists could compare the intensity of earthquakes in different parts of the world. It was designed to measure intensity in earthquakes, not damage. This is because a less powerful earthquake in a heavily populated area can cause more damage than a stronger earthquake in an unpopulated area.
4. Every year archaeologists and anthropologists find out more information about how the Western Hemisphere was settled. By examining burial sites and learning about the linguistic relationships between various languages, researchers have established some basic facts about how and when man first came to the New World. Native Americans (or "Indians," as they came to be known) inhabited North America in several "waves" of imigration. The first wave was at least 15,000 years ago. The most recent wave probably ended with the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age. Although there is still disagreement among experts as to exactly when and how many "waves" actually occurred, most researchers agree that there were at least three and perhaps as many as five separate migrations.
Thewils, S. (1993). Grammar Dimensions, Book Three.
11. Identify the meaning and form of the underlined adverbials in the numbered sentences in the following article. Tell why you think they appear in the order that they do. Several reasons may be possible, so compare your ideas with those of a partner. The first two sentences have been done for you.
EXAMPLE:
1. (a) place, adverbial phrase (b) place, adverbial phrase
(c) time, adverb phrase.
Reasons: (a) comes before (b) because it is more specific. Indefinite time adverbs can come before the main verb.
2. (a) frequency, adverb (b) reason, adverbial phrase
Reasons: Frequency adverbs come before the verb, reason adverbials come after the verb.
STUDY FINDS EXERCISE PATTERNS
LINKED TO MOTIVATION, PERSONALITY
Madison, Wisconsin
(1) Graduate students conducting research (a) in the Exercise Physiology program (b) at the University of Wisconsin have (c) recently found some interesting connections between people's personalities and why, when, and how they choose to exercise.
There appear to be two broad "types" of amateur athletes. Type A athletes are those who use exercise to "rev up" for increased competition both on and off the playing field. (2) Type B athletes (a) usually tend to use exercise to "cool out," (b) as a way to decrease stress. There are some interesting connections between these two different kinds of people and their preferred time, place, and means of exercise.
Researchers found that preferred time for exercise depends on type of personality. (3) Most Type A people do some form of extremely vigorous exercise (a) in the early morning (b) before work (c) every day, (d) to invigorate their bodies. (4) Type B people, on the other hand, (a) generally don't like to exercise (b) very vigorously (c) before the middle of the day. (5) Consequently, they (a) usually prefer to exercise (b) after work (c) for relaxation rather than invigoration.
People's favorite kinds of exercise and how hard they play also depend on personality and motivation. Type A people play as hard as they work. (6) They (a) usually prefer to pursue highly competitive sports (b) most of the time, such as tennis or racquetball, (c) to encourage their maximum performance. Even in individual sports such as jogging or weightlifting, they tend to be extremely competitive. (7) As a rule, they work out (a) regularly (b) with a partner or as part of a team, (8) because they (a) constantly have to perform (b) better than their partner (c) in order to feel satisfied. Having someone to compete with generally makes Type A people more conscientious about their exercise routine.
(9) Type B people,on the other hand, (a) usually prefer to work out (b) by themselves (10) They prefer noncompetitive activities such as walking, tai-chi, or yoga, and exercise (a) on a regular basis (b) as a form of meditation or relaxation, rather than competition. (11) If they do participate in team sports, it is (a) almost always (b) just for fun. Type B athletes rarely even keep score.
Personality even seems to be linked to where people like to exercise. (12) Type B people (a) usually prefer to work out (b) at a gym (c) near their homes, (d) as a means of relaxation (13) (a) As a rule, Type A people prefer to exercise (b) vigorously, (c) near their offices (d) just before work or during lunch.
Thewlis, S. (1993). Grammar Dimensions, Book Three.
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