Read the two excerpts below from L. Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland and answer the questions that follow each excerpt.
Excerpt 1.
Alice was beginning to (1) get very (2) tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her (3) sister was reading, but it (4) had no (5) pictures or (6) conversations in it, ‘and what (7) is the use of a book’ thought Alice (8), ‘without pictures or conversation?’ So she was considering in her own mind (as well (9) as she could (10), for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether (11) the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of (12) getting up (13) and picking the daisies, when (14) suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her (15). (L. Caroll, Alice in Wonderland)
(a) Identify the part of speech of the items in italics.
(b) Consider the form have as it is used in the excerpt (underlined forms). Is it finite or non-finite? Is have used as a main verb or as an auxiliary?
(c) Identify the relative clause that features in the excerpt; is it restrictive or non-restrictive?
Excerpt 2.
‘Take some more tea,’ the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
‘I’ve had nothing yet,’ Alice replied in an offended tone, ‘so I can’t take more.’
‘You mean you can’t take less,’ said the Hatter: ‘it’s very easy to take more than nothing.’
‘Nobody asked your opinion,’ said Alice. ‘Who’s making personal remarks now?’ the Hatter asked triumphantly. (L. Caroll, Alice in Wonderland)
(a) Identify all the quantifiers. Are these determiners or pronouns?
(b) Find an example of a lexical verb that is non-finite, a lexical verb that is finite, a modal auxiliary, and be functioning as a progressive marker.
