Grammar : An Intensive Self- Practice

1). Analyse the morphological structure of the underlined words indicating processes
of word formation, category of stems and function of affixes.
- We are not much worse in America than people anywhere, but we are not much
better either, and our shared national moral life, and therefore the destinies of countless
others affected by our choices, hangs perpetually in a kind of uneasy balance, slanted
toward violence but checked by decency.
- Indisputably, the only unanswerable proof of the fact that the food was unwholesome
had been withdrawn.
- Actually, the only unanswerable proof of the fact that the food was unwholesome had
been withdrawn.
- Traditional sources of employment have been thoughtlessly forgotten.
- It was unthinkable for the two tired bricklayers to finish their work on time.
- It is unbelievable that the involved landlady could have taken a nap after she received
such a shock.
- I expected that the trainees would behave as if they were at the lab helping us with
our latest research.
- Because we are so awfully self-possessed, some people find difficulty saying good-bye
when paying a visit or making a call.
2). Provide the argument structure and the theta-grid of each of the predicates in the
following sentences:
- It is quite unlikely that her husband will ever accept her terms because he is rather
envious of her success.
- Hand your papers to the captain immediately!
- It was unexpectedly interesting to watch him write all those letters to his friends.
- It might be utterly horrifying to even attempt to see the birds we caught rip each
others flesh to death.
- It was useless to expect the girl wed saved to do us such a favour, because she had
noticed that we were eager to take her home
- It was pointless to expect the woman wed met at the cemetery to do us such a favour.
- The girl Id sent my regards to didnt notice that we were eager to take the baby home.

- Fiona may have found it impossible to expect Albert to bring her the parcel in such a
bad weather.
- It was useless to expect Melpomenus Jones, who would never lie, to find the courage
to tell his guests to let him go.
- It is important to understand that in this part of the world Tailoring remains at the
heart of the artistic world, for tailors still work hard to satisfy their customers, who
always ask them to choose their best creations for them.
3). Indicate which alternative is closest in meaning to the sentence including a modal
auxiliary in each set:
a) She might have to call the police.
I. Perhaps it was necessary for her to call the police.
II. Perhaps it will be necessary for her to call the police.
III. She was given permission to call the police.
b) He may have had to call the police.
I. It is possible that he was obliged to call the police.
II. It is possible that it was not necessary for him to call the police.
III. He might have called the police if he could.
c) He cant have called the police.
I. It is impossible for him to call the police.
II. It is very unlikely that he called the police.
III. He cant find the means to call the police.
d) It would be quite wrong for you to lock us out.
I. You mustnt lock us out.
II. You shouldnt lock us out.
III. You cant lock us out.

e) I know. Why dont we go out to eat instead?

I. I know. We must go out to eat instead.
II. I know. Weve been allowed to go out to eat instead.

III. I know. We could go out to eat instead.

f) It is very unlikely that he wrote this book.

I. He shouldnt have written this book.
II. He cant have written this book.
III. He couldnt write this book.
4). Analyse the syntactic structure of the following sentences :
- Sally had just brought them a huge piece of cake from the counter but the dwarf did
not want them to eat it right then.
- Sally never wanted to ask that stupid gardener to help us find the way.
- She said the parcel wed sent in May arrived untouched when we were in Kashmir
- We must accept the fact that we will exceptionally depend on what other people
expect when they have found the mechanisms that they were once fond of completely
obsolete.
- When Cornelia appeared between the hanging clothes and looked down at me with a
cruel smirk on her face, I wanted to slap her as I had the first day I had come to work at
the house.
- Marys brothers, whose behaviour had usually been unobjectionable, decided to
inquire what to do in order to find the way to make the children theyd met keep the
letters where nobody could find them.
- We must convey the certainty that she will always pay attention to what other people
say because she considers the procedures we are using completely obsolete.
- Fred expected Moe to disclose the plans they had just made, though, if they had
chosen to stay where we lived, Moe would have understood that Peter, who had
persuaded Fred to kill the old man, would not say a word.
- Sally had always wanted the old lady to ask that stupid gardener to bring us some
flowers every morning.
- Obviously, they considered it inappropriate to accept our offering right then.
- Although Jim would have liked Meg to reveal the plans they had made, he had the
certainty that his sister, who had persuaded Bill to kill the old man, would not say a
word.
- When Tom asked Pat to disclose the secret they shared, she wondered if her cousin,
whom she loved dearly, was aware of the fact that Walter had gone where the police

would not find him.

- The unambitious caretaker must have tried to tell his daughter to expect us to do them
this favour.
- Although our plans will succeed if we are cautious, we must accept the fact that we
may exceptionally depend on what the others will expect when they have found the
mechanisms they were once fond of completely obsolete.
- We were all standing in his tiny bedroom when the oldest of his three sons came to
him in order to complain that the oven theyd just bought wasnt working properly.
- Presumably, the strict headmistress would have liked the teachers to have all helped
her design the annual syllabus with a higher degree of committment.
- Who do you expect to call you?
- Who do you expect to call?
- Apparently, the notorious criminals had both expected their lawyers to persuade the
stubborn judge to let them leave the state prison at the end of the year, by means of a
less severe sentence.
- Under what circumstances would you lie?
- Although fear will paralyse them if they act impetously, they should try to confirm our
suspicion that the old lady sitting on the blue couch would invariably communicate what
Harris had expected to hear since he learnt that the authorities had found the
methodology we were fond of completely inadequate.
- Although Mary had told the women to relax, she panicked at the thought that they
would both be wondering what would happen when they came to the barred room they
had been sent to.
- Throughout this, Vargas, our beloved leader, brilliantly adopted a policy of watchful
waiting, which he executed by bravely standing by the fireplace where cedar logs burnt.
- The editors would have both liked me to allow them to publish some portions of these
sad Memoirs during my lifetime.
- What will those ambitious politicians try to do for money?
- Before his marriage proposal, I had urged him to come to the department store to look
at that gorgeous wedding gown.
- Fred does not expect the girls from the pub to have all remained at the lab in order to
show him the results of their latest research.
- What do you want Alice to tell me?
- By that time, the furious union leaders will have all urged the authorities to take

measures to persuade the hungry people to come to an agreement.

- Do you wish your parents to lend you their car to go to the party?
- Which time-consuming activity have oyu decided to advise your unerterprising
employees to try to avoid at once?
- The seemingly concentrated blonde girl always lets the almighty telephone interrupt
her to show her parents her rebellious nature.
- Trying to understand her reasons for leaving him, I could only gather some sentences to
persuade my disappointed brother to forget her.
-Which boy did they all expect to ask them to dance?
- Sally would not have liked the old lady to persuade that quarrelsome gardener to take
the blooming roses into a separate flower bed.
- Change began slowly when a group of influential business leaders went to Zambia to
hold talks with Govans son, who was now playing an increasingly influential role in the
way (in which) the affairs were handled, as this meant that what had resulted from
previous arrangements was now being ignored.
- Which suit did the tailor persuade the old woman to wear on that special occasion?
- The creative dress makers may all have wanted their customers to wear the best
clothes to go to such posh party
- Which course of action do you advise him to take?
- The proprietors will both have tried to tell the anxious clergyman to leave the house
immediately.

5). Account for the ungrammaticality of the following sentences and provide a tree
diagram for a grammatical version:
- Johns wife has known each other for many years.
- We have found anything nice.
- Mary's father didn't want to help each other.
- Anyone isnt helping me.
- Both they refused to come to the party.
- I wanted that he listened my complaint.
- Billy will lift a finger to help his mother.

- It is money what makes the world go round.

- It was doing the household chores what she found most unnerving.
- Not wanting to get sunburnt, the shade of the parasol looked like an oasis to me.
- My parents expect their niece to appreciate themselves.
6). Indicate which of the following statements belong(s) to a Descriptively Adequate
Grammar of English:
. The categorial identity of a word is based upon morphological evidence.
. Non-finite clauses must have a covert subject.
. Only transitive verbs and transitive prepositions permit an accusative pronoun as
complement.
. Yes/No interrogative sentences are formed by inverting the verb with the subject.
. Infinitive particles take only uninflected base form of verbs as complement.
. Polarity expressions are inherently restricted to occurring in non-assertive contexts.
. Some intransitive prepositions permit an accusative pronoun as complement.
. Reciprocals must be c-commanded by an appropriate antecedent.
. Infinitive particles take only uninflected base form of verbs as complement.
. Transitive verbs and transitive prepositions permit an accusative pronoun as
complement.
. The categorial identity of a word is based upon syntactic evidence.
. Some verbs are unable to check accusative case with their internal argument.
. Polarity expressions occur only in non-assertive contexts.ences are formed by inverting
the verb with the subject.
. Some prepositions allow an interrogative noun clause as complement.
. Yes/No interrogative sentences are formed by inverting the verb with the subjec
. Transitive prepositions may select an accusative pronoun as complement.
. Intransitive verbs do not select internal arguments.
. Infinitive clauses may have an overt subject.
. Some free adjuncts are semantically classified as reduced adverbial clauses of
CAUSE..

. Certain Small Clauses take an accusative subject.

. Certain predicative adjectives select a Noun Clause as complement.
. Certain abstract nouns select a Noun Clause as complement.
. DPs headed by a null determiner are interpreted as nominals with specific reference.
. Defining and non-defining Relative clauses merge as adjuncts to NP and DP
respectively.
. All subordinate clauses are headed by a Q affix.
. Epistemic Modality is concerned with knowledge.
. All sentences containing negative adverbials feature inversion.
. ECM subjects always have nominative case features.
. Floating quantifiers must remain stranded in the specifier position of the VP where they
have originated.
. Suitable antecedents must always be c-commanded by reciprocal or reflexive
pronouns.
. Finite clauses may have covert PRO subjects.
7). What type (and subtype) of modality does each of the following sentences
express?
A. I will not be buried in this cemetery.
B. Keep an eye on him, will you?
C. He will leave his socks lying around all over the place, and it drives me mad.
D. You will probably already be a member of the government.
8). Which PREPOSITIONS in the following sentences are transitive and which are
intransitive?
A. Try that hat on for size.
B. Lets talk about something else
C. Unexpectedly he gave up smoking
D. What do you want a doctor for?
E. By the time he came down again lunch was on the table
F. She shut the door after him in despair and lay down on the couch.

9). Recasting :
a) Provide two modalised versions of the following sentence, one expressing epistemic
modality (hypothetical), and the other one expressing deontic modality (prohibition).
Use MOOD in both cases
- She smokes in my room.
b) Provide an inverted version of the following sentence:
- He did not figure out what he wanted to do in life until he had left University.
c) Provide two different paraphrases, expressing absence of obligation in the past amd
negative logical necessity in the present continuous progressive form. Indicate which
type of modality each of your example expresses.
- She plays the harpsichord
10). Provide sentences expressing
- Perfective Prospective Aspect
- Two different uses of the Simple Present Tense, conveying different aspectual meaning
in each case.
- Reduced Noun Clause functioning as complement to a transitive verb
- Reduced Adverbial Clause of Concession
- Two expressions of willingness (deontic modality). Use the subjunctive mood in one of
them and the modal auxiliary may in the other.
- Inversion triggered by a negative element
- Inversion in the concessive construction
- Inversion in a conditional clause.
- Reduced relative clause.
- Two different uses of the Simple Present tense, conveying different aspectual meaning
in each case.
- Two different uses of the Present Continuous Progressive tense, conveying different
aspectual meaning in each case.
- Non-restrictive reduced relative clause.
11). Recast the following sentences using inversion. Keep the meaning of the original
sentences.
- Despite her anxiety, Gillian managed to persuade her clients to moderate their

demands.
- As soon as we reached the top of the hill, a tremendous explosion was heard.
- If they hadnt recognized Hermione, they would have sent her off the local caf.
- The very moment Hermione left home without a penny in her purse, she realized that
what awaited her wouldnt be any easy.
- Hermione knew little how unfriendly people could turn out to be when they encounter
a scrounger.
- The people in the local caf will not let anybody leave without paying under any
circumstances.
- Harry missed the train, and he also lost his case.
- I realised only then that I had lost my keys.
- I wouldnt have got wet if Id had an umbrella with me.
- Although this building project seems attractive, it would be a mistake to spend so much
money on it.
- A minister can rarely have been faced with such a problem.
- As soon as the painting dried, van Ruijven took it away.
- If he has cheated, he will have to be punished.
- Although the tree was young, it was uprooted by the force of the storm.
- We hardly ever see him bringing dog food to his most beloved boxer.
- Gatsby learnt a lot from his father, and he also respected him a great deal.
- Gatsby realised only then that he had made a terrible mistake.
- Gatsby wouldnt have been the victim of so many bores if he hadnt reserved all
judgments to himself.
- Although those people seemed interesting, Gatsby didnt want to be involved with
them.
- If Kath had known what would happen to them at the Cottages, she would have
objected to it from the start.
- The veterans hardly ever mentioned students who must have been their friends.
- They would not utter a word about the courses even if we tried to persuade them to
do so.
- We felt supported at the Cottages; life was extremely hard there, though.

12). Recast the cleft sentences that you can identify in the following list into
acceptable pseudo-cleft sentences:
It is probable that the tourists may visit the art gallery this afternoon.
It must have been Pete that persuaded them to make amends.
It was coming closer and closer to a point that was directly above his head.
It was so windy that we had to stop next to the wall and wait.
It was a quarter to eleven when she finally rang her sister up.
It is a decision that should be pondered upon before it is carried out.
It was very unusual that they should have chosen to read a letter right then.
It was still drizzling when we ran into Margarets daughter.
It was making the beds and doing the washing-up that she hated most.
It was freezing so hard that she didnt dare to walk out of the room.
It was quite surprising that they should have chosen to say those words in front of Mr.
Jarret.
It was answering the phone and dealing with stubborn customers that she hated most.
It may have been he that left the letters outside the box.
It was raining so hard that we didnt dare to drive to the next town.
was freezing when we bumped into Josephs fiance.
It is a project that should be analysed very carefully before it is carried out.
It was raining so hard that she felt compelled to go back into the shack.
It was dressing up and going to parties that she enjoyed most.
It was inevitable that she should feel lonesome in such an environment.
Its no use that we should try to wake him up.
It was still very early in the morning when I was informed about the accident.
It was not until I opened the door that I realised my house had been broken into.
It is very likely that hell arrive in no time.
It was so expensive that I couldnt afford it.
It was doing the household chores that she found most unnerving.

It was his unpredictable reactions that she couldnt possibly put up with any longer.
It was Miss Eyre that left her home one morning without a penny to try her luck.
It was on December 13th that she went through that experience.
It is an idea that people without money have to think of.
It is no surprise that Hermione Eyre left her home without a penny.
It wasnt because she didnt have any financial problems that she decided to live as a
derelict for one day.
It is a fact that poor people are often discriminated.
It was I, for some reason, who felt differently about him.
It is no wonder that the editors should have rejected her manuscript.
It must have been while we were playing in the attic that Cornelia hid my comb.
It was a trick of the devil, or something Catholic I did not understand.
It was their limousine that Miss Brown had rented in order to drive her to the Cathedral.
It was picking up her masters things and putting them back in place that annoyed
Catharina most.
It was widely known that Catharina used salt too sparingly.
I though it must have been Catharina who wanted many children, not her husband.
It was Gatsby who, for some reason, felt differently about people.
It is no wonder that Gatsby would be unjustly accused of being a politician because of
his reserved nature.
It must have been while they were talking in the pub that Gatsby became aware of how
important his fathers advice would be all throughout his life.
It was a trick of the devil, or something that Gatsby did not understand.
It was quite unlikely that they could put up with such heavy weight on their shoulders.
It was the big hush that descended around the veterans that struck us as unusual.
It wasnt long before we were told to pack our stuff and leave.
It was a secret that they wouldnt share with us.
It might have been their closest friends that they talked to.
13). Recast the following sentences using an appropriate modal auxiliary in each case

(keep the same meaning), and say what type and subtype of modality is expressed in
each of the sentences:
Perhaps it will be necessary for us to tell a lie.
Perhaps it was necessary for him to call Cynthia.
It is possible that he was obliged to tell the truth.
We have no wish to repeat their mistakes.
Hes been given permission to leave the room.
It was impossible for them to find a taxi.
It is very unlikely that Peter wrote her a letter.
14). Account for the difference in meaning of the modal auxiliaries in each of the
following pairs. State the type and subtype of modality expressed in all cases.
a) The back door must be locked so that burglars dont get in.
The back door must be locked because I cant open it.
b) Jill and Tom may not see each other any longer because Jills father doesnt consider
Tom reliable.
Jill and Tom may not see each other any longer because they havent been seen
together lately.
c) Should you make contact with the editor, tell him the documents have already been
sent.
Should we make contact with the editor if we want the paper published?
15. Read the following paragraphs and:
a. Analyse the argument structure and theta-roles of each of the predicates
b. Account for the categorisation of the words in bold providing morphosyntactic
evidence.
" The editors would have both liked me to allow them to publish some portions of these
sad Memoirs during my lifetime, but I prefer to speak from the depths of my tomb. The
voices of my narrative will appear in every human soul."
" While Aesop worked indoors, Master Yehudi and I spent our days in the fields. In a fit
of optimism after his arrival, he'd announced to us at dinner that he wouldn't be
planting any crops that year. There was a general rejoicing over this new policy. The tide
had turned after my breakthrough and Master Yehudi was so confident that he would let
the farm go to hell."

" TIME-EATERS AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT THEM

The refrigerator door opened. I turned on the TV so that I could listen. Bottles rattled.
Annie closed the fridge-door. Heather came from upstairs to her homework.
In business or in homework, you waste your time thinking of something that has slipped
your mind, so you drop everything to complete your tasks before somebody has to warn
you to try to finish them soon or before you decide to put all your energy on a more
appealing activity.
Whats the solution for the time-consuming activity of interrupting yourself? Firstly,
remember that you get more done if you group like activities and execute them all in
one time frame. When you intersperse activities, you are winding uo and down, reducing
your concentration and not functioning at peak mental effectiveness."
" After long hours of suffering, the ropes that held me were loosened, and I was allowed
to sit. I felt that my senses were leaving me. I heard the judges say that I would die;
these were the last sounds to reach my ears, and then the voices disappeared. I saw the
black clothes of the officials. The white lips of the judges moved they were of course
ordering the executioner the details of my death and I trembled because I could hear
nothing."
"Hanks sense of exhaustion was growing. He realised that it was boredom. He owed
them the courtesy of hiding it. Sitting motionless, he fought a desire for sleep that was
turning into physical pain. Some minutes later, he got up. His exhaustion had gone after
he organised his business and shouted at the people in his living-room: Do you expect
me to ask Jim to help me?"
"As you must understand by now, Mrs Witherspoon is a woman of manifold charms. I
might have won a special place in her heart, but I cant have been the only man who was
allowed to carry the torch for her. Her suitors lurk behind every fencepost. One of them,
Orville Cox, has asked her if she would marry him five times this year. Marion rebuffed
him, of course, although she knew she should have accepted his proposal. Need I say
more?"
"Between Regent Street and New Bond Street is a little region that is curiously quiet. It
does not seem as if anything is being sold in this part of the world. Whatever the season,
no Sales are held there."

16). Complete each sentence in any suitable (i.e. grammatical and coherent) way:
a) Little what has been going on in her absence.
b) No sooner we realised wed left our suitcases on the platform.
c) Not until I asked a passer-by where I was.
d) On no account while I am in a meeting.

17) Read the following paragraphs and:

a. Identify the aspectual value of each of the expressions containing an underlined
verb.
b. Find and describe any instance of modality in the text.
c. Identify: (1) a Contact Declarative Noun Clause; (2) a Free Relative/Adverbial Clause
of Time; (3) a Root Interrogative Clause; (4) a Defining Relative Clause; and (5) a
Pseudo-Cleft Sentence.
"I wish I could tell you what I feel when I see the face of the woman who has always
inspired me to make even greater efforts. But you cant have turned up here to hear
that. Thats not what youve come here for.
She said: I came here to ask you a question: when you told those reporters that you had
gone to New York to witness the farce, which farce were you talking about?
He laughed aloud, like a man who seldom finds a chance to enjoy the unexpected.
Thats what I like about you, Dagny. There are seven million people in New York, at
present. Out of seven million people, you are the only one to whom it could have
occurred that I was talking about the Vail divorce scandal."
a. Identify the aspectual value of the expressions containing an underlined verb.
b. Analyse every instance of Modality.
c. Identify three different subordinate clauses. Specify their types and syntactic
distribution.
d. Represent the syntax of the bracketed sentence by means of an x-bar theory tree
diagram.
" From the moment our daughter emerged, we didnt have to pretend she was Mrs
McNeils niece. She was a kinder, softer, feminized version almost entirely of me, and I
was not going to give her up. Good Lord. Where Karens genes may have been put, we
shouldnt wonder. Karen went through the birth with just a flicker of higher brain
function, which we must all have secretly been prying for. And {although Mrs McNeil
still thought of how she would handle her new motherhood, she had almost
completely forgotten Karen the moment she pressed her nose against the glass wall of
the nursery window}. Before we realised, she was hugging the baby tight in her arms
and wouldnt let go of her."
a Analyse every instance of Modality.
b. Identify three different subordinate clauses. Specify their types and syntactic
distribution.
c. Represent the syntax of the bracketed sentence by means of an x-bar theory tree
diagram.

Ive never cared about audiences, van Ruijven announced, but I should be pleased to
be in the painting. I will play the lute. After a pause, he added, I want her in it too. I did
not have to look at him to know he had gestured at me. While van Ruijvens wife
remained oblivious, my master noted everything. When I served him, he searched my
face as if he were looking for the answer to how a simple maid could cause so much
trouble. He did not want me to speak. I wondered why they had asked me upstairs at all
when they were so afraid of what I might say. Catharina, you must not get yourself into
a state, he whispered to me. Van Ruijven will take the painting away as soon as it dries,
and you can put it from your mind.
a. Identify the aspectual value of the expressions containing a verb in bold.
b. Analyse every instance of Modality.
c. Identify three different subordinate clauses. Specify their types and syntactic
distribution.
d. Represent the syntax of the bracketed sentence by means of an x-bar theory tree
diagram.
The veterans were always coming out with funny anecdotes about characters theyd met
on trips to White Mansion; but they hardly ever mentioned students who, right up until
just before wed arrived, must have been their friends. Another thing I noticed and I
could see it tied in was the big hush that would descend around certain veterans when
they went off on courses which even we knew had to do with becoming carers. [After
they had been away for a couple of days, when they finally arrived at the Cottages, we
remained silent because we all knew they would not utter a word about it even if we
tried to persuade them to share their secret with us]. I suppose they might have talked
to their closest friends for it was quite unlikely that they could put up with such heavy
weight on their shoulders for long. Now, how long could we wait until someone
eventually told us when we should pack our stuff to leave the Cottages for good?
a. Identify the aspectual value of the expressions containing an underlined verb.
b. Analyse every instance of Modality.
c. Identify three different subordinate clauses. Specify their types and syntactic
distribution.
d. Represent the syntax of the bracketed sentence by means of an x-bar theory tree
diagram.
In my younger and more vulnerable years, my father gave me a piece of advice that Ive
been thinking about ever since. He told me that whenever I fancied criticizing anyone I
should remember that all the people in this world havent had the same experience
that Ive had. He wouldnt say any more, but weve always been keen for ourselves to be
unusually communicative in a reserved way, which made me come to the conclusion
that he must have meant a great deal more than that. In consequence, Im inclined to
reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also

made me the victim of not a few veteran bores. The abnormal mind may be quick to
detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person, and so it
came about that in college I was unjustly accused of being a politician because I was
privy to the secret grieves of wild, unknown men.
a)

Identify the aspectual value of the expressions containing a verb in italics.

b)

Analyse every instance of modality.

c) Identify three different subordinate clauses. Specify their types and syntactic
distribution.
d) Represent the syntax of the bracketed sentences by means of x-bar theory tree
diagrams.
MONEY MATTERS
{How much money does anyone need when they feel they can go through life with a
spring in their step?} How had could it be to live on your wits in London for the day?
Hermione Eyre left home one sunny morning without a care in the world-or a penny in
her purse I step out of the front door into a bright morning. Ive left my cash, credit
card, wallet and phone on my bed and emptied my pockets of loose money. All I have is
a warm scarf and a springy step. Im off to try my luck on the streets of London for a day.
On this fine morning, I feel that I must entrust myself to the charity of those who live in
this city. {I hope that they will show sympathy for a person who doesnt have the looks
of a beggar}, but who is one in fact. First objective: I have to get some breakfast. I trot
into my local caf, which I probably visit every other morning. Its a fashionable little
place specializing in high quality pastry. They cant welcome a scrounger like myself, I
think. Yet, I decide to go in and see what happens.
18). Recast the following into sentences containing abridged (i.e. reduced) clauses.
Make any necessary changes.
a. We remained silent because we knew we could not utter a word.
b. How long could we wait until someone eventually told us when we should pack our
stuff.
c. Another thing I noticed was the big hush that would descend around certain veterans.