Unit 5 In-Class Activities 不确定的地方用红色标注了
Unit 5
Check your understanding
1. F An English sentence may begin with an adverbial, for example.
2. W Having some hobbies is always necessary.
3. T
4. T
5. W What I said at the conference is well grounded.
In-Class Activities
1．(1) In Sentences (1), (3), and (5), the subject and the predicate verb are mismatched in number.
(2) Chinese learners tend to feel confused about the three basic rules governing the agreement between the subject and the predicate verb, that is, notional agreement, formal agreement and adjacency-based agreement. Sentence (1) (3) (5) are constructed based on notional agreement rule instead of formal agreement rule. There is no number agreement in Chinese.
(3) physics, economics, diabetes, bronchitis, species, glasses, scissors, archives, arms, clothes, the United Nations, etc.
2．(1) a. the disabled, the handicapped; the mute
b. the rich, the poor
c. the Dutch, the Spanish
(2) the notional agreement principle
(3) the + past participle: the unemployed, the wounded, the learned, etc. The numbers of expressions like “the committee” and “the government” could be singular or plural depending on whether one refers to the group of people as a whole or the individual members.
3．(1) “to stay anywhere else” and “to get a second opinion”.
(2) a. It is no use arguing about it.
It is useless crying over the spilt milk.
b. It is still a question when we shall have our sports meet.
It is uncertain whether he can attend this conference or not.
(3) The replaced infinitive represents some specific action whereas the gerund subject points to some habitual action or abstract concept.
(4) To balance the sentence syntactically. In English, there is a principle called end weight. That is, we usually put a heavy sentence component at the end of the sentence.
4．(1) a. If you save time, you will lengthen your life.
b. If you go to extremes, it is dangerous.
c. If time is lost, it cannot be won again.
d. If one move is wrong, the whole game will be lost.
e. If you learn a little, it is a dangerous thing.
f. If you pardon the bad, you will injure the good.
(2) a. To learn English is to have a bright future.
b. Second thoughts are best.
c. Things done cannot be undone.
d. A fair death honors the whole life.
e. Too much alcohol destroys health.
f. Wasting time is robbing oneself.
5． (1) In the a-sentence the speaker focuses or comments on the bees. In the b-sentence the speaker focuses or comments on the garden.
(2) The ship drowned in the sea. The sea drowned the ship.
The river teems with fish. The fish teems in the river.
(3) The subject conveys new information since a bus means there appears a new thing which is not known before hand.
6．(1) Impersonal subjects make the sentence sound more factual and objective than personal subjects.
(2) a. Tickets should be bought now.
b. Can the table be cleaned?
c. Walking on this construction site is dangerous.
7．(1) The dominant perspective is “I” perspective. The subjects are threaded by the “I” subject which appears 9 times among all 16 subjects.
(2) In sentences (1) to (7), different subjects are varied in their lengths and locations in the sentences.
(3) The same subject in sentences (7) to (10) impresses readers deeply because it creates a picture of continuous actions taken by “I” as a response to the young man and the young woman.
(4) The adverbial “last week” is more effective as a sentence opener to tell the reader the time when the story happens.
Post-Class Tasks
1. a. A b. C c. D d. A e. C f. B
2. (1) people (2) (I) (3) there [controversial, though] (4) One (5) the explanation so frequently offered (6) Marriage
3. a: (4) (8)
b: (10)(11)(13)(15)
c: (5)(6)(7) [unless for rhetorical purpose]
d: (2)
4. a. That Jack is generous is known to all. [in Chinese, no function word like “that” is necessary when we have a counterpart of the subject clause]
b. A lot of information is downloadable from the Internet for free. [give priority to notional agreement when formal agreement is necessary]
c. Diligence together with a bit luck is important to success. [fail to understand that the real subject is “diligence”; give way to notional agreement]
d. All the furniture has been sold out within a month. [give way to notional agreement; “furniture” is uncountable in English]
e. Two days is not enough for completing the project. [fail to treat “two days” as a single unit of idea]
f. The committee were going to have snacks for lunch. [fail to know that “the committee” refers to individual members rather than the group as a whole]
g. A pair of scissors was thrown on the floor. [misunderstand “a pair of scissors” to refer to a single entity]
5. a. Misunderstandings and conflicts
b. Using chopsticks
c. That the Great Wall is one of the greatest wonders of human civilization
d. Preserving the environment
e. Doing some exercises
6. a. The city where I live
b. The professor’s lecture
c. Passengers’ smoking in the aircraft
d. What to do next
e. The Jack cheated in the final exam
f. To finish the project within a month
7. a. time of action. The lost child was found in the forest at night.
b. effect of action. The mayor got the verdict after a detailed reading of numerous charges against him.
c. victim of action. The hurricane attack killed over 100 people.
d. location. 20,000 people can sit in the new stadium.
e. experiencer of action. The Spurs won a second game against the Rockets this season.
8. a. Living in big cities is sometimes inconvenient.
It is sometimes inconvenient to live in big cities.
b. The reason why Xiao Ming quitted school is known to only a few.
Only a few know the reason why Xiao Ming quitted school.
c. Smoking in public places is no longer a fashion among young people.
It is no longer a fashion among young people to smoke in public places.
d. The honest are more likely to succeed.
It is more likely for the honest to succeed.
e. Whether pursuing further studies abroad or finding a job is a dilemma for many excellent college graduates.
Many excellent college graduates are in a dilemma as to whether to pursue further studies abroad or to find a job.