Final

Sentence Combining using

a. Participial Phrases

There are two types: Present (where the verb ends in -ing) and Past (where the verb ends in -ed/-d/-t/irregular past participle).

Every phrase must begin with a present (ing) or past (ed) participle otherwise it becomes something else (like an adjective clause or adverb clause).

The phrase can usually be placed before or after the noun/pronoun it modifies, and sometimes it can be placed at the end of the sentence.

When doing the exercises, don't forget to insert commas where necessary or leave capital letters in the middle of the sentences.

To combine sentences, find the verb and its phrase in one sentence, turn it into the correct form (past or present), then add the phrase to the correct place in the other sentence.

e.g. Wanting to improve your written ability, we will focus on combining sentences using these phrases in tests and exams.

b. Adjective clauses

There are two types of clause, necessary (to identify the noun) or not necessary (for identifying the noun). Necessary clauses don't have commas; unnecessary clauses do.

Every clause must begin with a relative pronoun RP (who, whose, whom, which, that) and contain a verb.

The clause must be placed after the noun/pronoun it is modifying.

To combine sentences, identify the common subject in the sentences, delete the one subject, choose the correct RP, and add the remaining clause in the correct place.

e.g. The test and exam questions, which we hope will improve your written ability, will focus on combining sentences using these clauses.

c. Adverb Clauses

These are subordinate clauses that describe a verb, adjective, or adverb in the sentence.

Every clause begins with a subordinating conjunction (e.g. before, after, because, therefore)

They are sometimes separated from the main clause by a comma.

To combine sentences, work out what is the relationship (time, cause, effect, condition, etc) between the two sentences then connect them with a suitable conjunction.

e.g. The test and exam questions will focus on combining sentences using these clauses since we want to improve your written ability.

Revising/Changing sentences

a. Beginning with a phrase

Sometimes a phrase (like a prepositional phrase or a participial phrase) can be moved to the beginning of a sentence.

For example, Eminem is a controversial white rapper who has recently burst onto the music scene.

can be written as:

A controversial white rapper, Eminem has recently burst onto the music scene.

Bursting onto the music scene recently, Eminem is a controversial white rapper.

b. Beginning with a clause

In the same way that phrases can be moved to the front of a sentence, a sentence can be rearranged so that noun and adverb clauses also begin a sentence.

Eminem is controversial because he has insulted a large number of famous people and people that he knows personally.

can become: Because he has insulted a large number of famous people and people he knows personally, Eminem is controversial.

Wishing & Preferences

Wishes

About Myself	About Others
About now (use past tense)
I wish I was/were at home. If only I was/were at home.	I wish she was/were at home. If only she were at home
I wish I was/were taller. I wish I was/were taller.	I wish she was/were taller. If only she was/were taller.
About the past (use past perfect tense)
I wish I had been at home. If only I had been at home.	I wish he had been at home. If only he had been at home.
I wish I had been taller as a child. If only I had been taller as a child.	I wish he had been taller as a child. If only he had been taller as a child.
When I am impatient or something is overdue (use past tense)
It's time I fixed my broken watch. It's about time I fixed my broken watch. It's high time I fixed my broken watch.	It's time he fixed his broken watch. etc.

Preferences

About Myself	About Others
About now
I'd rather be at home. I'd sooner be at home.	I'd rather he was at home. (use past tense) I'd sooner he was at home.
About the past (use past perfect tense tense)
I'd rather have been at home. I'd sooner have been at home.	I'd rather Williamhad been at home. I'd sooner William had been at home.
Short Responses
I'd rather I didn't. I'd rather I hadn't. (past tense)	I'd rather he didn't. I'd rather he hadn't. (past tense)

Advisability

Advice (for future) You should drive slowly. You ought to drive slowly.	You shouldn't drive fast. You outghtn't drive fast.
Warning (for future) You had better pay your 'phone bill.	You had better not forget to pay your phone bill.
Necessity You must eat to live.	You musn't stop on the motorway. You can't stop on the motorway.
Present events	Past events
Not necessary You don't have to answer every question. You needn't answer every question. You haven't got to answer every question.	I didn't have to answer every question. I needn't have answered every question. I didn't need to answer every question.
	Criticism You shouldn't have bought me a present. You oughtn't to have bought me a present.

Habits

Ways of saying that someone has (or had) a habit.

	He used to get up early.
	He was used to getting up early.
	He would get up early.
	Did he use to get up early? (We drop the 'd' sound off "use" because it is used in "did".)
	He will often get up early. (only refers to a habit that is still practised)

"Dare"

Challenge	I dare you to eat worms. Milly dared Cathy to eat worms.
Courage	Few people dare eat worms. Cathy is the only one who dares eat worms.
No courage	No-one dares eat worms. I don't dare eat worms.
Outrage	How dare you eat my worms! You dare eat my worms!

Usage Errors

Make and Do

Make = to create where there wasn't something before

Do = to follow a routine or pattern

See if you can detect a pattern in the following sets of words.

Make	Do
money, profit, loss, offer	business, trade, work, homework
mistake, error,	damage, wrong, an injury, harm
enquiries, apologies, excuses, a complaint, a confession	repairs, justice, a service, a favour
discovery, journey, trip	duty, one's best, ones' worst, a good job, a bad job
peace, love, war, friends,
room for, way
certain, a choice

Grow, Get, Go

Grow - used with something that happens slowly (grow old, angry,

Get - used with something take happens quickly (impatient, hot, cold,

Go - used with negative conditions (go lame, blind, deaf, insane, bald, etc.)

or with colours (go red (angry or embarassed), go white (afraid), go pale (afraid or sick), go green (with jealousy), etc.

Bring, Take, Fetch, Carry

Bring - move from where you are to where I am.

Take - move away from from where I am to another place.

Fetch - leave me and move from another place to where I am.

Carry - move in your arms or by hand from some place to another.

Wait for, Hope, Expect, Look Forward to

Wait for - Passing time before some event we are sure will happen

Hope - wanting something to happen, but not certain if it will.

Expect - 90% sure the event will happen.

Look Forward to - thinking of the pleasure of some event.

Examples

I am waiting for the bell to ring.

I am hoping to finish my work in the next hour.

I expect I shall finish if no-one interrupts me.

I am looking forward to relaxing after the job is done.

Avoid, Prevent

Avoid - to keep myself away from

Prevent - to keep another person away from

Examples

I avoid eating too much, staying up too late, talking nonsense.

I prevent my dog from biting people, I prevent the noise level from rising too much.

Rob, Steal

Rob [person/place] of [thing]

Steal [thing] from [person/place]

I robbed a bank of $1000000. I robbed my sister of her fluffy pen. (also I robbed my sister)

I stole $1000000 from a bank. I stole a fluffy pen from my sister. (also I stole my sister's fluffy pen)

Nationalities

Region	Country	name we give to a person from there	adjective we use to describe something from there
Arabian Countries around the Gulf	Saudi Arabia	Saudi (use the ee sound as in Arabic)	e.g. A Saudi city
	Oman	Omani	Omani
	Emirates (UAE)	Emirati	Emirati
	Bahrain	Bahraini	Bahraini
	Qatar	Qatari	Qatari
	Kuwait	Kuwait	Kuwait
	Iraq	Iraqi	Iraqi
	Yemen	Yemeni	Yemeni
Other Middle Eastern Countries	Egypt	Egyptian (use the ian sound)	e.g. An Egyptian city (use the ian sound)
	Jordan	Jordanian	Jordanian
	Syria	Syrian	Syrian
	Palestine	Palestinian	Palestinian
	Iran	Iranian	Iranian
	Armenia	Armenian	Armenian
	Israel (exception)	Israeli	Israeli

European countries that end in -land	Poland	Pole (remove the -land)	Polish (add the -sh sound)
	Finland	Finn	Finnish
	Switzerland	Switzer/Swiss	Swiss
	Scotland	Scot	Scots/Scottish
	Ireland	Irishman/woman	Irish
	Holland	Hollander	Dutch
Other European Countries	France	Frenchman/woman	French
	Spain	Spaniard	Spanish
	Portugal	Portuguese	Portuguese
	Turkey	Turk	Turkish
	Germany	German	German
	Hungary	Hungarian	Hungarian
	Norway	Norwegian	Norwegian
	Denmark	Dane	Danish
	Wales	Welshman	Welsh
	Greece	Greek	Greek

Professions

Description	Occupation	Description	Occupation
		sells meat	butcher
		sells tickets on a bus/train	conductor/conductress
looks after sick people	nurse (male and female)	sells fruit & vegetables	green grocer
operates on sick people	surgeon	sells fish	fish monger
cures sick people	doctor	cultivates the land	farmer
sells medicines	chemist/pharmacist	obtains minerals from the ground	miner
administers the law	judge	cuts hair	hairdresser (for styling); barber (simply cuts)
sees something happen	witness	works on s ship	sailor (& many others)
controls traffic	traffic warden (gives tickets)/ pointsman/policeman	carries luggage	porter (coolie in India)
investigates crimes	inspector/detective/private eye	makes wooden furniture	carpenter
		carves statues	sculptor
		makes bread	baker

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Last modified: Monday May 26, 2003.