Test on English Grammar: Complementation and Word Classes

Question 1: The complementing function can relate to a premodifier even when that premodifier is separated from its complementation by the head of a phrase.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: The study materials state that 'the complementing function may relate to a premodifier which is separated from its complementation by the head' of a phrase, contrasting it with the modifying function which 'always relates to the head of a phrase'.

Question 2: According to the provided text, which characteristic primarily defines 'closed-class' items in English grammar?

A. They typically refer to entities that are regarded as stable.

B. They are only exceptionally extended by the creation of additional members.

C. They are typically dynamic, fitted to indicate action, activity, and changing conditions.

D. They can be rather freely created by onomatopoeia, like nonce interjections.

Explanation: Section 2.39 states that 'CLOSED-CLASS items... are 'closed' in the sense that they are only exceptionally extended by the creation of additional members'. The other options describe open-class items, semantic characteristics of certain word classes, or interjections.

Question 3: All morphological forms in English are capable of realizing more than one lexical item across different word classes.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: While some morphological forms like 'play' or 'round' can realize more than one lexical item across different word classes, the study materials explain that specific derivational affixes, such as '-ness' for nouns (e.g., kindness) or '-less' for adjectives (e.g., helpless), mark an item as a member of a particular word class, preventing it from being applicable to all morphological forms.

Question 4: The suffix -ness serves as a derivational affix that typically indicates a word belongs to the adjective word class.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: The suffix -ness marks an item as a noun, as seen in examples like kindness and happiness, not an adjective.

Question 5: Based on the provided study materials, which statements accurately describe an 'unmarked' form in English grammar?

A. It is characterized by the presence of an inflectional suffix.

B. It is often more neutral or general in its usage or meaning.

C. It is the form that lacks an inflection when a morphological distinction is present.

D. The plural form of regular nouns is an example of an unmarked form.

Explanation: According to the study materials (2.35, Note [C]), when a grammatical or semantic distinction is realized morphologically by a contrast between the presence and the absence of an inflection, the word-form with the inflection is termed MARKED, and the form without it UNMARKED. Therefore, lacking an inflection is a characteristic of an unmarked form. The text also states that 'The unmarked form is also frequently the term which is more neutral or general in use or meaning.' Option 0 is incorrect because it describes a 'marked' form. Option 3 is incorrect as the study material explicitly states, 'Thus the plural forms of regular nouns, in contrast to their singular forms, are marked by the -S ending.'