Grammar in EAP

Exercises

Nouns: Identifying Postmodifiers

noun + postmodifier

relative clause – students who have no previous experience

to-clauses – the ability to succeed; the question to be debated

ing-clauses – a brake consisting of a drum divided into twelve compartments

ed-clauses – canoes preserved by a hard plaster; a brake consisting of a drum divided into twelve compartments; the curve shown

prepositional phrase (preposition + nominal group)- we need to bring to the box a special tool with a ready-compressed spring

adverb (or adverbial group) – the road back; the people outside

adjective (or adjectival group) – varieties common in India, the festival proper, something different

Identify the Postmodifiers in the following texts

Example:

Embryology proper really began a century later with Aristotle … (adverb)

1. … an extreme example of this kind of distortion (prepositional phrase)
2. … for flights going on as part of the fifth freedom. (-ing clause)
3. … in a ward with less emphasis on the differences between night and day (prepositional phrase)
4. Another major problem that we must consider is …  (relative clause)
5. … the President’s speech yesterday. (adverb)
6. … the solution to the problem of inflation. (to-clause)
7. … of actions required by authority … (ed-clause)
8. … continually facing a problem which is very familiar to anthropologists …: (relative clause)
9. … figure including a space between three lines … (-ing clause)
10. … its rooms and gardens full of refuse (adjectival group)