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Document # 7
An exercise in two steps to help students spot the verb inside a clause, then a
short exercise about picking out the subject.
Spotting the verb
Spotting the verb(s) is to be the very first step when analysing a sentence as
the verb is the key word of a clause, it being structured around its verb.
The following words may be a/ nouns, b/ verbs, c/ adjectives or d/ others
(what?)
Tick the right box(es)
Les mots ci-dessous peuvent-ils être...(Can the words below can be...?)
a/ Nom b/ Verbe c/ Adjectif d/ Autres (préciser)
control
down
hope
last
like
lower
monitor
near
point
slim
step
support
while
Pick out the verbs in the following sentences, then compare with the choices you
have made in the previous exercise
* For a pilot the skill is knowing which controls to monitor in which
situations. (Focus, April 1996)
* The exotic runaway whiles his days away in a remote French farming village.
(Focus, April 1996)
* The device's three AA batteries last roughly 40 hours. (Popular Science,
February 1994)
* A faint smell of burning rose between them. ("The Queen and I")
* The next step is to identify which points in the image belong to a machine and
which to the background.
* A surprise shuffle slims down the Cabinet.
* 8 Australian HIV sufferers offer hope for an effective vaccine.
* Cuban MiGs down two civilian planes. (Time, March 4, 1996)
* A drink can reduce stress and anxiety - both lower immunity to disease. (GH,
July 96)
* The Bank of England high-security print works at Loughton, Essex, produces 1.4
billion notes every year. (Focus)
* As the oxygen in the room nears exhaustion, the fire becomes subdued. (Focus,
July 96)
* I worked on those stories and many like them. (US News 1997)
A tasty exercise aimed at spotting verbs then a short one to find subjects
The students should become aware that words such as butter, spoon, smooth may
have various grammatical uses.
The Traditional British Christmas Pudding
Makes: 1x 1.2 litre and 1 x 600 ml puddings or 3 x 600 ml puddings.
Serves: 600 ml pudding : approx 4-6; 1.2 litre pudding: approx 6-8.
Preparation: 20 mins.
Cooking time: 3-4 or 6-7 hours.
You will need:
§ 75 g glacé cherries, chopped § 225 g shredded suet
§ 175 g mixed peel § 5 ml ground cinnamon § 350 g seedless raisins § 5 ml mixed
spice § 175 g sultanas § 6 eggs
§ 175 g currants § 150 ml stout § 75 g split almonds § 45 ml brandy, sherry or
rum § 225 g fresh breadcrumbs § pudding basins
Butter the pudding basins.
Put the glacé cherries, dried fruit, almonds, breadcrumbs, suet and spices into
a large bowl and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs until frothy,
stir into the dried ingredients and mix thoroughly. Stir in the stout and
brandy, sherry or rum. The mixture should drop off a spoon. Spoon the mixture
into the prepared pudding basins and smooth the tops.
Cover with a layer of greaseproof paper and then a layer of foil or muslin.
Secure with a string. Place the basins on inverted saucers in one or several
saucepans. Pour in enough water so the basins are three quarters immersed. Cover
the pans and steam for 7 hours for large basins or 3-4 hours for small basins.
Keep checking the water and top up.
Remove the greaseproof paper when cold and replace with fresh paper. Store in a
cool dark place for 2-3 months. Steam for 1 hour on Christmas Day and serve with
brandy butter and whipped cream.
Finding the subject
Once the verb has been spotted, you have to find out the subject which is
usually before this verb: "I have a dream today."
However the subject may be placed elsewhere and be composed of several words.
Underline the subjects in the following sentences, then translate them into
French
What did you learn in school today?
Most people's first experience of learning another language was, unfortunately,
not very successful. (Advert)
Before the rich man was a fish casserole. (Carson McCULLERS)
A two-step exercise to make students think about the nature of words
Guessing and anticipating
When translating it is neither rare nor unsual to come across words you don't
know. A careful analysis of the sentence will shed some light on the meaning of
these words.
Indeed, the positon of a word within a sentence may enable you to find out its
function and nature thus helping you to guess its meaning.
In each of the sentences, words have been deleted and replaced by [-a-]. You
must:
a/ indicate the whether the missing wordis a noun, adjective, verb, etc...
b/ suggest one or several words that might fill in the blanks
a/ Nature du mot b/ Mot(s) possible(s)
Look at this [- - a - -] car!
This is the best book I have ever [- - a - -] .
When [- - a - -] arrived, he was [- - b - -]ing. a:
b:
a:
b:
I really can't [- - a - -] that.
He is younger [- - a - -] his brother.
They speak both English [- - a - -] . a:
b:
a:
b:
The law prevents [- - a - -] [- - b - -] [- -c - -] . a:
b:
c:
a:
b:
c:
[- - a - -] has eaten [- - b - -] [- - c - -] . a:
b:
c:
a:
b:
c:
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