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ESY611S - ENGLISH SYNTAX - 2ND OPP - DECEMBER 2025 |
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nAmlBIA UnlVERSITY
OF SCI En CE Ano TECH n OLOGY
FACULTY OF COMMERCE, HUMAN SCIENCES AND EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGES
QUALIFICATION: BACHELOR OF ENGLISH AND LINGUISTICS
QUALIFICATION CODE: (07BENL)
LEVEL: 6
COURSE CODE: ESY611S
COURSE NAME: English Syntax
SESSION: DECEMBER 2025
TIME:
3 HOURS
PAPER: THEORY
MARKS: 100
EXAMINER(S)
SECOND OPPORTUNITY EXAMINATION PAPER
Dr Sylvia N lthindi
MODERATOR: Dr C Sibalatani
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Answer ALL the questions.
2. Read all the questions carefully before answering.
3. Number the answers clearly
THIS QUESTION PAPER CONSISTS OF 4 PAGES, INCLUDING THE COVER PAGE
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QUESTION 1
[20]
1.1 Indicate whether the follow ing sentences are true or false .
(10)
(a) Morphology, phonology, semantics, and syntax are all conside red elements of grammar.
(b) The meaning of a sentence can sometimes change depending on its syntactic structure.
(c) The relationship between syntax and semantics is entirely arbitrary; sentence structure has
no bearing on meaning.
(d) A simple sentence can contain multiple independent clauses as long as they are joined by a
coordinating conjunction.
(e) A prepositional phrase must always consist of a preposition followed by a noun phrase .
(f) An adjective phrase (AP) can have an adjective as its head, but it can also include modifiers
like adverbs (e.g., "very intelligent").
(g) Concord means the agreement between subjects and verbs, or between nouns and
pronouns, in number, gender, or person.
(h) The noun phrase (NP) and verb phrase (VP) are the two essential components of a simple
English sentence .
(i) A phrase is a group of words that has both a subject and a predicate .
(j) A complex sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.
1.2 The following paragraph contains several concord errors. Read it carefully and correct each
error. Copy the table in your answer book and underline what has been corrected.
(10)
Everybody in the departments of History and Literature were excited for the lecture series. The
committee have announced their final decision on the keynote speaker. A group of visiting
scholars from Japan was presenting their research, and neither the professo r nor the students
has seen the findings yet. The criteria for selection seems unusually strict this year. Each of the
proposed topics require approval, and there is many factors to consider. The data are conclusive,
and the statistics shows a clear trend. Everybody must subm it their proposal by Friday, but
nobody seem to remember the exact deadline.
QUESTION 2
[20]
2.1 Name the elements of clause structure. For each of the elements, write a sentence in which
you underline that element.
(10)
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2.2 Using the word "father" construct five (5) different sentences that demonstrate its use in the
grammatical roles specified below. Avoid repeating the same sentence structure.
(10)
(a) verb
(b) noun
(c) adjective
(d) Noun
(e) adjective
QUESTION 3
[20]
3.1 Name any five (5) types of English phrases. For each type, construct a sentence of your own and
underline the phrase used.
(10)
3.2 Analyse the following sentences. For each sentence, identify the adverb, and name the type of
adverb used.
(10)
(a) She sings beautifully.
(b) They will arrive tomorrow.
(c) The children are playing outside .
(d) He almost finished the race.
(e) We usually eat dinner at seven.
QUESTION 4
[20]
4.1 Read the following sentences carefully and identify the tense type represented by each
sentence.
(10)
(a) She visited her grandmother last weekend .
(b) They have completed the assignment successfully.
(c) This time tomorrow, I will be travelling to Windhoek.
(d) He had been studying for hours before the electricity went off.
(e) We will attend the workshop next week.
4.2 By adhering to the phrase structure rules, draw a tree diagram analysing the following sentence.
(10)
Mary met a tall man.in the garden.
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QUESTION 5
[20]
5.1 Analyse the sentences below carefully and identify the type of sentence demonstrated by each
one.
(5)
(a) When the sun set, the sky turned orange, and the birds returned to their nests.
(b) The dog barked loudly, and the cat ran up the tree.
(c) Although it was raining, we went for a long walk in the park.
(d) I like reading books.
(e) She finished her homework, but she forgot to submit it, so she had to redo it.
5.2 Write a short essay of approximately 150 words in which you discuss two types of clauses in
English. Clearly differentiate between them and provide your own sentences to illustrate each type.
(15)
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