3. Look at the phrase structure rules of a hypothetical language and the three tree diagrams that follow, and then answer the questions. (答案)

　　ａ) S → NP VP

Questions:

　(1) Which of the three tree diagrams cannot be accounted for by the given PS rules?
　(2) How would you revise the rules so that they can account for all the three tree diagrams?
　(3) How many tree diagrams can be generated by the three PS rules?

4. Paraphrase the following ambiguous sentences: (答案)

　　a) They finally decided on the boat.
　　b) Can you see the man with a pair of binoculars?
　　c) The design is full of big squares and circles.
　　d) Tom hates his boss and so do I.
　　e) Flying planes can be dangerous.

5. Write five verbs that are in the same subcategory as the one given. In case of doubt you may consult Oxford Advanced Learners' Dictionary of English, which specifies various verb patterns.

　　a) jump [V---]
　　b) beat [V--- NP]
　　c) put [V---NP PP/Adv]
　　d) give [V---NP1 NP2]
　　e) say [V---S]
　　f) find [V---NP Adj]

6. Identify the type of transitivity process in each of the following sentences: (答案)

　　a) John owns the car.
　　b) John washed the car.
　　c) John likes the car.
　　d) John told me something about the car.
　　e) John is looking at the car.
　　f) There is a beautiful car behind John's house.

7. Identify the subject and finite in the following sentences. Ignore the subject and finite in embedded clauses. (答案)

　　a) That might have been a different question.
　　b) All the participants are expected to register before the 31st of August.
　　c) You can come to the meeting tomorrow, can't you?
　　d) Don't you think it's dangerous to drink alcohol before driving?
　　e) What a fool that would make you!
　　f) Don't tell anybody about this, will you?

8. Tell whether polarity or modality is expressed in the following sentences. If modality, then identify the type ( modalization or modulation). (答案)

　　a) I have not been to that country.
　　b) He often goes abroad.
　　c) I will show you how to operate the machine.
　　d) I hardly noticed the change in the room.
　　e) You ought to tell her the truth.
　　f) It is a long distance from here.
　　g) It might be a long distance from here.
　　h) It isn't far from here.

9. Read the following passage carefully and identify the theme and rheme of each sentence. Notice how the thematic structure of each sentence contributes to the texture of the passage.

　 The earth is a planet just under 8,000 miles in diameter, moving round the sun at a distance of 93,000,000 miles, and completing one circuit in 365.25 days. It is accompanied by eight others, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The nearest to us are Mars and Venus. They are, however, much more remote than our one natural satellite, the Moon, which moves round the Earth at a mean distance of less than a quarter of a million miles.