sentence auction! pedagogical grammar 1 rules play in teams of 2 - 4 people each team starts the...

Sentence Auction!Pedagogical Grammar 1

RULES• Play in teams of 2 - 4 people• Each team starts the auction with £ 10• There are 15 sentences. Look at each sentence and decide if it contains 1 or 2 errors.•First, you MUST put in at least £ 1 per sentence just to play each round. You can’t win this back. This is for the bank. You must play each round – you can’t sit out!

• Then you will see the sentence. You have 1 minute to discuss the sentence, the possible errors, and the rules with your partner. After that you MUST place your bid immediately. Write down the correction(s) and the rule(s) as quickly as you can!

• Bidding: you may put in an additional £ 1 for each error correction and each rule if you think you can identify either of them the error (and the correction) and the rule.

So if you think the sentence has two errors and you think you can correct both of them AND name the rules, you can bid £ 4 (£ 2 for two corrections and £ 2 for two rules).

• You must write the correction(s) and the rule(s) on paper. We will check each sentence together. If you don’t write anything down, you can’t win anything!!!

You win back twice your bid if your corrections and rules are accurate!If your correction or rule is not accurate, you lose your bid money.

Practice sentence!First, you have to put in £ 1 to play.

The mother of Marilyn Monroe never knew of her beautiful daughter’s fame and despair.

In the auction, you have 1 minute to think about the sentence and the error(s). Then you can choose to bid

£ 1 for each error (correction) and rule.

AnswerThe mother of Marilyn Monroe never knew of her beautiful daughter’s fame and despair.

Marilyn Monroe’s mother…Use a genitive, not an of-phrase, with proper nouns denoting people (names)

You had to put in £ 1 to play. If you had also bid £ 2 and you had the error/correction AND the rule, you would have got £ 4 back from the bank.

Questions? Ready…GO!

Sentence 1First, put in £ 1 to play!

Sven performed the song good, but he has played the piano since fourteen years, so the performance actually should have been better.

Sentence 1 answerSven performed the song good, but he has played the piano since fourteen years, so the performance actually should have been better.

1 …performed the song well…Well is the adverb form. (How did he perform?)

2 …he has played the piano for fourteen…Since refers to a starting moment in time; for

refers to a period of time

Sentence 2 First, put in £ 1 to play!

The export company has made a huge profit last year in bananas and kiwi’s, which meant that it could expand its business in the Caribbean.

Sentence 2 answerThe company has made a huge profit last year in bananas and kiwi’s, which meant that it could expand its business in the Caribbean.

1 …madeClear indication of past time (last year)

2 …kiwisNo apostrophe with plural nouns (with the exception

of numbers, individual letters, and abbreviations)


We would have taken the Thalys from Rotterdam to the centre of Paris if we would have heard in advance that all of the airport personnel were on strike.

Sentence 3 answer

We would have taken the Thalys from Rotterdam to the centre of Paris if we would have heard in advance that all of the airport personnel were on strike.

1 …had heard

Non-reality in the past: No “would” in an adverbial clause of condition


Julie’s stepmother is always telling her that she should be toleranter of that unemployed friend of her father.

Sentence 4 answer

Julie’s stepmother is always telling her that she should be toleranter of that unemployed friend of her father.

1 … more tolerantThree-syllable adjectives always get

more/most in the comparative/superlative2 … friend of her father’s Post-genitive: of-phrase plus ‘s/s’ after the

noun


After we won thousand dollars in the lottery, they hypocritically greeted us friendlily every time they saw us.

Sentence 5 answer

After we won thousand dollars in the lottery, they hypocritically greeted us friendlily every time they saw us.

1 …a thousand

Use an indefinite article before hundred and thousand

2 …in a friendly way

The adverb form of friendly is an exception; you can’t add –ly. Use in a friendly way/manner


The alive avalanche victims have been airlifted from Mount Rosa to hospital near Malpensa airport.

Sentence 6 answer

The alive avalanche victims have been airlifted from Mount Rosa to ___ hospital near Malpensa airport.

1…surviving / victims who are still aliveNo use of these (a-) adjectives before the noun:

alive, asleep, awake, alone, etc.

2 …the hospitalUse the definite article when the location or building

is meant, rather than the use of the building


After Sunday’s victory over Italy, the Brazilian team have to report for individual drug testing and each player has to personal hand in a 1.000 millilitre sample.

Sentence 7 answerAfter Sunday’s victory over Italy, the Brazilian team have to report for individual drug testing and each player has to personal hand in a 1.000 millilitre sample.

1 …personallyAdverb: How do they have to hand it in?

2 …1,000 Use a comma, not a full stop, between the thousands and

the hundreds in an English number of four places or more.

N.B. “the Brazilian team have to…” is not an error, because the collective noun team can take either a singular or plural verb! Either the team members each have to report, or the team has to report as a group. It’s not clear from the sentence, so have to is OK.


Of all of the teachers who corrected the English exams last week, three-fifths used a red pen and fewer than the half used a pencil and eraser.

Sentence 8 answer

Of all of the teachers who corrected the English exams last week, three-fifths used a red pen and fewer than the half used a pencil and eraser.

1 … --- half

No definite article before half


How more dangerous the extreme sport, how more James enjoys telling his worried parents how much times he has done it!

Sentence 9 answer

How more dangerous the extreme sport, how more James enjoys telling his parents how much times he has done it!

1 …The more…the moreHoe…hoe in Dutch is the…the in English.

2 …manyUse much with noncount nouns; many with plural

nouns. Times is a plural noun here (one time, two times, three times…)


Malficosa, the Mafia boss, has been found guilty of grand theft; he will be spending the next eight years in prison together with his fellow thiefs.

Sentence 10 answer

Mr Malficosa, the Chicago Mafia boss, has been found guilty of grand theft; he will be spending the next eight years in prison together with his fellow thiefs.

1 …thieves

Irregular plural: -f changes to -ves


Meet me at the train station; the most taxis are on the west side and I wait there until 10:00 for you.

Sentence 11 answer

Meet me at the train station; the most taxis are on the west side and I wait there until 10:00 for you.

1… --- most taxisNo definite article before “most” when it means the

greater part (majority) of

2 …I will wait (am going to wait)Use the present future tense, not the present

simple, for future actions


We’re going to the national park “de Veluwe” to enjoy a few hours peace in the nature this weekend.

Sentence 12 answerWe’re going to the national park “de Veluwe” to enjoy a few hours peace in the nature this weekend.

1…a few hours’ The genitive with expressions of time and distance must have

an apostrophe (the apostrophe comes after a plural noun)(also acceptable: a few hours of peace: an of-phrase can be

used here instead of the genitive because it refers to a non-living thing and it is not a fixed genitive time expression)

2 …--- natureNo definite article before certain nouns when used in a

general sense


Until last week’s tennis tournament, Molly has always thought that she was the most professional trained junior player in the club.

Sentence 13 answer

Until last week’s tennis tournament, Molly has always thought that she was the most professional trained junior player in the club.

1…had always thoughtUse the past perfect (past before the past), not the

present perfect, because the thinking took place in the past before something else in the past.

2…professionallyAdverb, not adjective. (How was she trained?

professionally describes the adjective trained)


Thanks to the new laws, there are a lot less smokers in discos than there have been ten years ago.

Sentence 14 answer

Thanks to the new laws, there are a lot less smokers in discos than there have been ten years ago.

1.…fewer

Use fewer with count nouns; use less with noncount nouns

2. …were

Past simple: clear indication of past time (ten years ago): remember LAWDY?


There was decided to cancel the match of Manchester United due to this morning’s heavy rainstorm.

Sentence 15 answer

There was decided to cancel the match of Manchester United due to this morning’s heavy rainstorm.

1. ...They/The officials/It was decided that...

No passive structure with ‘there’ (unlike Dutch ‘er’)

2. ...Manchester United’s match

Use the genitive with proper nouns

THE END

Count up your auction winnings.

How did you do?

What do you need to work on?

Study hard and good luck!

sentence auction! pedagogical grammar 1 rules play in teams of 2 - 4 people each team starts the...

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