TASK 1 (20 marks)
Making reference to our discussion on syntactic constraints as appropriate, explain the well-formedness or ungrammaticality of the following four clauses. For this task, you need NOT draw any trees, but you need to be as explicit as possible making use of the appropriate syntactic jargon. For each sentence you need to provide a short description/analysis as appropriate, making sure you include only relevant information.
Every farmer who owns a donkey1 beats it1. (6 marks)
Mary1 claimed that Helen doesn’t really appreciate her1. (6 marks)
*The students assumed (4 marks)
*The magician disappeared the girl. (4 marks)
TASK 2 (50 marks)
Consider the following extract and name the 10 subordinate clauses in brackets providing syntactic/grammatical/formal and, when necessary/available, semantic evidence to support your verdict, making use of the appropriate linguistic jargon. For each clause, you will need to write a small paragraph as appropriate, making sure you are as explicit as possible but including only relevant information.
SARS-CoV-2 belongs to a family of single-stranded RNA viruses 1[known as coronaviridae], a common type of virus 2[which affects mammals, birds and reptiles]. In humans, it commonly causes mild infections, similar to the common cold, and accounts for 10–30% of upper respiratory tract infections in adults. More serious infections are rare, although coronaviruses can cause enteric and neurological disease.
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SARS-CoV-2 is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. Although the incubation period of this strain is currently unknown, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate 3[that symptoms may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure]. Chinese researchers have indicated that SARS-CoV-2 may be infectious during its incubation period.
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It is currently unclear 4[where the virus has come from]. Originally, the virus was understood 5[to have originated in a food market in Wuhan and subsequently spread from animal to human]. Some research has claimed that the cross-species transmission may be between snake and human; however, this claim has been contested.
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Increasing numbers of confirmed diagnoses, including in healthcare professionals, has indicated that person-to-person spread of SARS-CoV-2 is occurring. The preliminary reproduction number is currently estimated to be between 1.4 to 2.5, 6[meaning 7[that each infected individual could infect between 1.4 and 2.5 people] ].
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Similarly to other common respiratory tract infections, MERS and SARS are spread by respiratory droplets 8[produced by an infected person] when they sneeze or cough. Measures 9[to guard against the infection] work under the current assumption 10[that SARS-CoV-2 is spread in the same manner].
[5 marks each=50 marks]
TASK 3 (15 marks)
Consider the following three pairs of subordinate clauses (underlined for you already). Each pair consists of two clauses which, superficially, at first sight, seem to be of the same type. Your task here is to provide a short description/analysis for each pair, where you (a) name each clause type, and more importantly, (b) explain why the two clauses in each pair—despite their apparent similarity—are actually different. Your argumentation can involve grammatical and/or semantic evidence, as appropriate.
(a) He rejected the claim that his opponents had made.
(b) He rejected the claim that he had stolen money.
(a) The players asked what they could have done differently.
(b) The players really enjoyed what their managed said.
(a) They don’t love each other like they used to.
(b) It appears like they used to love each other.
[5 marks each pair=15 marks]
TASK 4 (15 marks)
In approximately 400 (+/-10%) words write a short reflection on your experience on the module overall. Think about how you felt during and after, what went well and why, what you could have done differently and why, and what you gained from it. In doing so, consider the module’s learning aims as well as professional, practical and subject specific skills that you can find right below. Please remember to consult the ‘reflective writing’ document available on Blackboard (in ‘Assessment 2’).
END OF COURSEWORK TASKS
