SINTAXIS DEL INGLÉS – MOCK EXAM
INSTRUCTIONS:
This document is both a mock exam and the last set of tasks of the subject. The last set
of tasks, however, comprises exclusively Parts 2 and 3 of the mock exam, that is, you
only have to submit the answers to the exercises in those two parts. Part 1 is here just to
show you the type of theoretical questions that you will have to answer in the exam.
Part 1 (10%): Select the correct answer. (1 point each)
1. Syntax is concerned with…
a) the meaning of sentences. b) the pronunciation of sentences.
c) the structure of sentences. d) the structure of words.
2. True or false: When a sentence breaks the rules of grammar of a language, we say that
it is grammatical, and we indicate this with an asterisk (*).
3. What does the concept constituent structure refer to?
a) The idea that constituents belong a b) The idea that constituents perform
limited range of categories. specific functions within larger units.
c) The idea that sentences have parts d) The idea that phrases are the smallest
which themselves may have parts. units that have syntactic structure.
4. The main syntactic feature of nouns is that…
a) they function as heads of noun phrases. b) they can be classified into countable
and uncountable.
c) they refer to concrete or abstract d) they can be inflected for number and
entities. case.
5. True or false: There is in principle no limit to the number of modifiers that can occur
in a NP.
6. Internal dependents within a NP occur…
a) Inside the Determiner b) Outside the nominal
c) Inside an AdjP d) Inside the nominal
7. Which two types of dependents can be found within a VP?
a) Complements and modifiers b) Object and prenucleus
c) Subject and object d) None of the options are correct
8. The main difference between objects and predicative complements is that…
a) an object can never become the subject b) an object can take the form of a singular
of a passive clause. bare NP.
c) an object takes the form of a NP and a d) an object refers to a participant while a
predicative complement that of an AdjP. predicative complement ascribes a
property to a participant.
9. When can we coordinate two (or more) elements?
a) When they belong to the same syntactic b) When they are equally complex: simple
category. clauses with simple clauses, and complex
clauses with complex clauses.
c) When they would have performed the d) None of the options is correct.
same function in the clause if they had
occurred individually.
10. In declarative content clauses, the subordinator that is obligatory…
a) when the content clause is a b) in formal contexts of use.
complement of a preposition.
c) with short and common verbs. d) when the content clause is the subject
of the matrix clause.
1. 6.
2. 7.
3. 8.
4. 9.
5. 10.
Part 2 (20%):
A) Identify the major clause construction exemplified in the following clauses. (5 points)
1. I had a frightening dream.
2. He revealed his secret to me.
3. That man is a spy.
4. This book will sell.
5. Mary is resting.
6. He is calling me names.
7. It is freezing.
8. I named my son John.
9. She skipped across the room.
10. Can you teach me French?
1. 6.
2. 7.
3. 8.
4. 9.
5. 10.
B) Identify the syntactic category of all the words in the following sentences. (5 points)
1. She exercises every morning.
2. His dog barks loudly.
3. I don’t want anything to drink.
4. They take the bus to work.
5. The little girl played in the playground.
1. 4.
2.
3. 5.
C) Identify the function of each the following underlined NPs: subject, direct object or
predicative complement. (4 points)
1. I’ve just seen your father.
2. The old lady lived alone.
3. Sue wrote that editorial.
4. She’s the editor of the local paper.
5. Yuri didn’t feel any pressure from the president.
6. Isn’t someone championing this more?
7. With two years of experience, Pounds had multiple offers from which to choose.
8. Mr. Barakat’s work supplying dental care to needy people in the Middle East has
become one powerful antidote.
1. 5.
2. 6.
3. 7.
4. 8.
D) Classify the underlined clauses into main and subordinate. If they are subordinate,
write the type of subordinate clause according to their form/structure. (6 points)
1. Lara is in London but Sam is in Manchester.
2. The dog ran across the road while the man chased it.
3. Having been through a similar experience myself, I sympathize.
4. More people came than had been invited.
5. The court rejected the suggestion that the witness made.
6. The court rejected the suggestion that the witness lied.
7. She likes holding the baby.
8. I know it’s fake.
1. 5.
2. 6.
3. 7.
4. 8.
Part 3 (30%): Provide a complete syntactic analysis of the following sentences. (10
points each)
A) This is the house that Jack built.
B) When does the game start?
C) None of the copies was as legible as the original.
How will Part 3 be graded in the exam?
• Each error or piece of missing information will entail losing points. For instance,
if you erroneously identify a NP as an AdjP or simply if you do not write the
category of the constituent, this means you will lose points. Similarly, if you
erroneously or omit the function of a constituent, you will lose points.
• If you do not identify the main structure of the sentence correctly, this will mean
a zero in that sentence. For instance, if you do not identify correctly the subject
and the predicate, the prenucleus(es) from the head clause, or the main structure
of the VP (i.e., the complements of the main verb), you will get 0 points in that
sentence.
• We have studied three essential principles of English syntax: constituent structure,
syntactic categories and syntactic functions. The systematic omission of
information pertaining to any of these three principles will also mean a zero in
that sentence. For example, if you systematically do not show the internal
structure of NPs or any other phrases, you will get 0 points in that sentence. Also,
if you systematically omit the syntactic categories or functions of constituents,
you will get 0 points in that sentence.
