Verb Phrases & Formation of Collocations SS3 English Studies Lesson Note

LISTENING TO DIRECTION AND FOLLOWING THEM

Directions are instructions about how to get from one place to another.

Words that indicate directions are:

• Left turn
• Right turn
• Straight ahead
• Roundabout
• Specific  sign posts
• Landmarks(buildings, trees etc)

Evaluation and Assignment

1. What are antonyms?
2. Supply the answers(antonyms) of the following words and use them in making good and correct sentences.

Words of  opposite meaning

b)temporarily———–

c)bold——————

d)deplete——————-

*Words of nearly opposite meaning

a)sickly—————–

b)elevated——————-

c)confidential——————-

d)respect——————–

*Using the correct prefix or suffix, give opposite of:

a)ambitious b)fortune c)discern  d)audible d)harm   e)limit

*Read( pages 116/117,127/128)of  New Concept  English BK1 for more  on antonyms.

(3)Your friend living in Enugu state wants to visit you in your school at Awka during your “Visiting Day” but doesn’t know the way. Describe to him how to locate your school using specific sign posts, landmarks, left/right direction, and other things deemed necessary.

PARAPHRASING PROSE

Practical to Approach Summary Writing.

There are two approaches to summary writing: the précis and the question-answer type. For the sake of WAEC, we will look at the rules guiding the second one. 

Rules of Summary

1. Read the passage twice or three times and make sure you understand it before attempting the questions.
2. Answers to summary questions must be as short as possible. You will be penalised for wordiness.
3. You must write your answers in your own words; lifting attracts zero.
4. Avoid the inclusion of extraneous materials in your answers.
5. Your answers must be written in sentences and numbered. Answers in phrases will attract a penalty.
6. Ensure your answers are error-free. Grammatical errors will also be penalised.
7. Avoid ambiguous expressions in your answers. Be as clear as possible.

EVALUATION

Read the passage on page 212 to 214 and answer the summary questions on page 215 of Effective English book 1.

READING ASSIGNMENT

Page 111 – 112 of Countdown English (Revised Edition)

REVISING VERB AND VERB PHRASE

Verb can be seen as a word or group of words that expresses action, existence or occurrence, that is, what the subject of a sentence does,is, and what action the subject receives.A verb combines with a subject to make a statement,give a command or ask a question.It is the most important part of speech,for it is the heart of the sentence.It gives meaning to the sentence.

Verb phrase is the combination of the auxiliary verb,also known as the helping verb, and a main verb.

 Types of Verb Phrases

1. Finite and non finite :Finite verb shows a relationship with the subject of the sentence, that’s , it’s limited to a particular number of persons.Eg.I am;We are;They are;He/She/It;David studied Law.

Non finite verb includes the gerund(eating),participle (water)and the infinitive (to go).Eg.Dancing is a good exercise;I want to eat et

1. Transitive and Intransitive verbs:Transitive verbs have a direct object.It needs an object to complete its meaning.Eg.She ate the rice.;She gave them the ball.

Intransitive verb needs no object to complete its meaning.It is complete in itself.Eg.She sleeps;She lay down;God is love.It is also called  linking verbs examples;appear,feel,grows,lay,look,prove,smell, sound,taste,turn,seem,set etc.

Functions of Verb phrase

1.To show complete action(perfected aspect ).Egs

a.I have eaten the yam(present perfect).

b.She has eaten the   yam(past perfect).

2.To show a continuous action(continuous/progressive aspect).Egs

a.I am writing (present continuous).

3.To indicate the future.Egs.

a.She will go to school tomorrow.

b.He shall wake up at 9.am.  

4.To indicate the conditional sentence.Egs.

a.John would sing if you gave him ten naira.

b.He would buy a new bag if he has enough money.

5.To show emphasis in a sentence.Egs.

a.My mother did visit the girls.

b.I did read the novel.

c.I did eat the food.

6.To indicate a negative sentence.Egs.

a.My father did not visit the hospital.

7.To indicate passive voice.Egs.

a.The food was eaten by Ogo.

b.The junior girls were beaten by the senior girls. 

COLLOCATION

The definition of collocation refers to a group of words that often go together or that are likely to occur together. In linguistics, collocation is the way that some words occur regularly whenever another word is used.

Two words that often go together, such as light sleeper or early riser are an example of collocation.

Collocations starting with the verb ‘do’

•       Do me a favour
•       Do the cooking
•       Do the housework
•       Do the shopping
•       Do the washing up

Collocations with the verb ‘break’

•       Break the law
•       Break a leg
•       Break a promise
•       Break a record
•       Break someone’s heart

Collocations with the verb ‘make’

•       Make a difference
•       Make a mess
•       Make a mistake
•       Make a noise

Collocations with the verb ‘catch’

•       Catch the bus
•       Catch a ball
•       Catch a cold
•       Catch a thief

Collocations with the verb ‘keep’

•       Keep the change
•       Keep a promise
•       Keep a secret
•       Keep an appointment

Collocations related to business English

•       Annual turnover
•       Keep in mind
•       Break off negotiations
•       Close a deal
•       Close a meeting
•       Come to the point
•       Dismiss an offer
•       Draw a conclusion
•       Draw your attention to Classifiers
•       a ball of string
•       a bar of chocolate
•       a bottle of water
•       a bunch of carrots
•       a cube of sugar
•       a pack of cards
•       a pad of paper

FORMATION OF COLLOCATIONS

There are several different types of collocation made from combinations of verb, noun, adjective etc. Some of the most common types are:

• adverb + adjective: completely satisfied (NOT downright satisfied)
• adjective + noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating joy)
• noun + noun: a surge of anger (NOT a rush of anger)
• noun + verb: lions roar (NOT lions shout)
• verb + noun: commit suicide (NOT undertake suicide)
• verb + expression with preposition: burst into tears (NOT blow up in tears)
• verb + adverb: wave frantically (NOT wave feverishly)

There are several different types of collocation. Collocations can be adjective + adverb, noun + noun, verb + noun and so on. Below you can see seven main types of collocation in sample sentences.

1. adverb + adjective

•       Invading that country was an utterly stupid thing to do.
•       We entered a richly decorated room.
•       Are you fully aware of the implications of your action?

2. adjective + noun

•       The doctor ordered him to take regular exercise.
•       The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage.
•       He was writhing on the ground in excruciating pain.

3. noun + noun

•       Let’s give Mr John a round of applause.
•       The ceasefire agreement came into effect at 11 am.
•       I’d like to buy two bars of soap please.

4. noun + verb

•       The lion started to roar when it heard the dog barking.
•       Snow was falling as our plane took off.
•       The bomb went off when he started the car engine.

5. verb + noun

•       The prisoner was hanged for committing murder.
•       I always try to do my homework in the morning, after making my bed.
•       He has been asked to give a presentation about his work.

6. verb + expression with preposition

•       We had to return home because we had run out of money.
•       At first her eyes filled with horror, and then she burst into tears.
•       Their behaviour was enough to drive anybody to crime.

7. verb + adverb

•       She placed her keys gently on the table and sat down.

Mario whispered softly in Jamie’s ear.

•       Ivaguely remember that it was growing dark when we left.

How to learn Collocations

•       Try to recognize collocations when you see or hear them.
•       Treat collocations as single blocks of language. Consider them as individual blocks or chunks, and type learn strongly support, not strongly + support.
•       When you learn a new word, write down other words that collocate with it (remember rightly, remember vaguely, remember distinctly, remember vividly).
•       Reading is an excellent way to learn vocabulary and collocations in context and naturally.
•       Revise and Practise using new collocations in context as soon as possible after learning them.
•       You could learn collocations by topic (time, number, weather, money, family) or by a particular word (take action, take a chance, take an exam).
•       You can find information on collocations in specialised dictionaries of collocations.

EVALUATION: Identify five ways of types of collocations

ASSIGNMENT: Fill in the blanks with appropriate time and do/make collocations and complete the questions.

1. You’ll forget it _________ by.         
2. My husband   __________ grocery shopping.
3. What do you do in your __________   time? 
4. What do you__________ for a living?
5. Can you __________ for me this weekend?
6. They have no time. They work __________ dusk. 
7. We couldn’t finish because we  __________ time 
8. Have you    __________   your homework yet?
9. The Internet was developed in the __________ century. 
10. There have been several burglaries in the __________ weeks.  
11. Have you __________ a decision yet?
12. I __________ time, and now doth time waste me.  
13. Amber __________ badly in her geography exam.
14. If we take this short cut we’ll __________ some time.    
15. The children __________   a mess in the kitchen.
16. We are having guests tonight, so please __________ your bed. 
17. I only    __________ one mistake in my English test.
18. I’d like to ask you to __________   me a favour.
19. He arrived exactly at 11am, __________ on time.