ENG 227 Midterm, Fall 2011

English 227, Section 3 (May Mikati) Midterm November 2011 PART I Comprehension Questions – Choose three out of four. (15 points each) 1.        Early this semester two Human Language Series videos were displayed in English 227: Part I: “Colorless Green Ideas” and Part II: “Acquiring the Human Language”. Discuss two main points you recall, one from each, providing concrete support. 2.        a. What topic are you considering for your English 227 documented essay, and why? b. The course Moodle web site includes links to online resources that supplement the chapters in your textbook. Refer to one or more resources (links) that you have found useful in understanding explained concepts; if possible, relate the concepts to the topic you may be writing about. Do not worry if you cannot recall exact titles. 3.        SLI and developmental dyslexia were discussed in the same chapter in your textbook; why do you believe this is so? What do the two phenomena illustrate/have in common exactly? Explain with reference to the chapter in general. 4.        What did the article “How I Met My Wife” illustrate? Link your explanation to a relevant chapter/concept, providing at least two specific examples that you recall from the article. PART II Application Questions – Choose five out of six. (11 points each) 1. For the following words, identify all roots (base words). 1-dragged 6-unassuming 2-deactivated 7-redness 3-impossible 8-auctioneers 4-thumbtack 9-cloudiness 5-hopefully 10-exceptionally 2. Identify the component morpheme(s) of each word. How many morphemes does each word contain? If there are affixes, what are the meanings or functions of the affixes? For words with affixes, give an example of another word that has the same affix. a) stupidity f) paper b) unreliable g) sleeping c) classroom h) embed d) ugly i) magazine e) unfairly j) sandwich 3.        Words such as “unrip” and “unloosen” illustrate a different point about morphology than words such as “unzippable”. Explain the different cases, providing trees to illustrate your point. 4.        All of the following words end in ‘er’.  Is ‘er’ a morpheme in all of the words? Is it the same morpheme in all of the words? Provide proof of your answers. To do a morphological proof, you must (1) point out which elements of the word you believe to be morphemes; (2) prove their morphemehood: first, give the meaning of each morpheme you find in the word and, second, give one more example of a word that contains the same bound morpheme with the same meaning. Words: taller, river, shorter, farmer, either, smarter, caller, painter, finger, sweeter, other, never, teacher, cover Do the same, using the following words, which all end in ‘en’ : Words: soften, broken, taken, even, whiten, eaten, sudden, widen, harden, open, deepen, oven 5.        Draw the phrase structure trees for these sentences: The police caught the thief. We know that he will pass the test. 6.        The sentence “We discussed sports with the teacher” illustrates a point about syntax.  What is this point? Explain it using trees. Good luck!