1. Verb patterns.

His parents   named   him   Andrew.
    VERB   +NOUN   +NOUN
These verbs follow the same pattern:
  • name
  • call
  • make
  • appoint
  • elect
  • vote
  • consider
  • declare
For example:
We called our daughter Vera.
My firm appointed me sales manager.
People consider the new Government a disaster.

Are these facts true or false?

2. Word order.

Put the words in order to make sentences.

For more information about verb + noun + noun patterns see the Grammar Reference.

3. Sentence writing.

Change the following sentences to make new sentences using the verb beside each box.

For example:

They gave him the name of Siddhartha.
(name) They named him Siddhartha.

4. Discourse features: ellipsis.

In this sentence the words in brackets are not necessary.
There is a large number of Andrew Marshalls in the world and quite a few (of the Andrew Marshalls) are writers and journalists.

Some words have been removed from these sentences because they were unnecessary.


Type the words that have been removed.

For example:

I liked the film, but Jackie didn't.
I liked the film, but Jackie didn't like it.

For more information about ellipsis see the Grammar Reference.

5. Practise ellipsis.

Shorten these sentences by removing the suggested number of words (in brackets).

Delete the words you want to remove from the text box below each question. Be careful not to delete the full stop.

6. Substitution.

In these examples the words in blue substitute for the words in bold:

I'd like a coffee. Would you like a coffee?
I'd like a coffee. Would you like one?

"Did you watch the news?"
"Yes, I watched the news."
"Did you watch the news?" "Yes, I did."

"Do you think it will rain?"
"No, I don't think it will rain."
"Do you think it will rain?" "No, I don't think so."


In these sentences, what is the meaning of the words in bold?

7. Substitution.

Substitute the words in bold with one word.

For example:

One Andrew Marshall is a journalist and another Andrew Marshall writes comedies.
One Andrew Marshall is a journalist and another one writes comedies.

For more information about substitution see the Grammar Reference.

8. Rewriting a text.

Using the features you have practised in the previous exercises (ellipsis and substitution), shorten this text by either removing (leaving the box empty) or substituting the words in the boxes.

Now compare your text with the original one.

See text