1. What is the role of a grammar in linguistics? It provides a reference work on common difficulties in a language It tells people how to speak and write correctly It accounts for all the correct sentences in a language and only correct sentences It tries to provide a scientific verdict on matters like whether or not one may split infinitives

2. Which of these provides the *most accurate* description of the adverb as a part of speech? Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs and clauses Adverbs modify verbs by adding detail on "who, how, why and where" Adverbs modify adjectives and other adverbs All these descriptions are inaccurate

3. All words in English (and in other languages) can be assigned to one or other of the traditional eight parts of speech. True False

4. In which of these phrases is the order of adjectives grammatical? A yellow, tall, brick, ugly chimney ... The order is a purely stylistic matter A brick, yellow, ugly, tall chimney ... An ugly, tall, yellow, brick chimney ...

5. Which of these provides the most accurate defintion of "subject of a clause"? The subject is the agent of the verb The subject is what comes first in a statement The subject gives more information about the topic of a clause The subject is the element that establishes person, number (and grammatical gender) in a clause

6. " 'Do you think they're telling the truth?' 'Yes, I think so'. " What of these best describes the role of "so" in this context? (Hint. Try paraphrasing the word "so"). An adverb A word functioning as a pronoun An adjective It falls outside the parts of speech

7. All pronouns have an antecedent in the text (in writing) or discourse (in speech). True False

8. Since the 1950s linguistics has shown a renewed interest in "linguistic universals", that is, in characteristics shared by all living natural languages. Which of these is NOT a universal? Subject - verb - object is the fundamental order in statements One can create completely new sentences It is possible to talk about things and events not present at the time of speaking New words can be created or borrowed if needed

9. One sometimes finds the statement: "Nouns are 'naming' words". Does any other part of speech also "name"? Yes No

10. In 1921, a government commissioned report appeared in Britain on "The Teaching of English in England ..." It includes this passage: "The great difficulty of teachers in Elementary Schools in many districts is that they have to fight against the powerful influence of evil habits of speech contracted in home and street. The teachers' struggle is thus not with ignorance but with a perverted power". What is the most bizarre aspect of this claim? The authors seem preoccupied with 'foul language' It appears to credit language with quasi supernatural powers The snobbery None of these is bizarre