ANSWER KEY
William O’Grady
Contemporary
Linguistic Analysis
An Introduction
Ninth Edition
William O’Grady
John Archibald
, Contents
Chapter 1: Language............................................................................................................ 1
Chapter 2: Phonetics............................................................................................................ 3
Chapter 3: Phonology………………………………………….......................................... 8
Chapter 4: Morphology…………………........................................................................... 15
Chapter 5: Syntax……………………………………........................................................ 22
Chapter 6: Semantics……………………………………................................................... 46
Chapter 7: The Classification of Languages......................................................................... 48
Chapter 8: Historical Linguistics…………………………………….................................. 50
Chapter 9: Indigenous Languages in Canada ....................................................................... *
Chapter 10: First Language Acquisition* ............................................................................ 56
Chapter 11: Second Language Acquisition........................................................................... 60
Chapter 12: Bilingualism and Bilingual Acquisition............................................................ 62
Chapter 13: Psycholinguistics……………………………………....................................... 65
Chapter 14: Brain and Language .......................................................................................... 67
Chapter 15: Language in Social Contexts ............................................................................ 69
Chapter 16: Writing and Language ...................................................................................... 70
Chapter 17: Communication in other species........................................................................ 71
*Chapter 9 is not included because it does not contain practice exercises.
Copyright © 2021 Pearson Canada Inc.
ii
, Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Language
1. (a) dance in a hip hop style
(b) travel on a sled pulled by a dog team
(c) ride on a unicycle
(d) install solar panels
(e) made his way across the park using a hula hoop
(f) travel in a Tesla (a type of electric car)
(g) clean with Ajax (a cleanser)
(h) clean with Windex (a window cleanser)
(i) wear your hair in dreadlocks
(j) put in a carton
2. Answers will vary.
3. (a) impossible (e) possible
(b) possible (f) possible
(c) impossible (g) impossible
(d) impossible (h) impossible
4. Answers will vary.
5. (a) Binh’s mother left him with nothing to eat.
(b) Miriam is eager to talk to someone. OR Miriam is easy to talk to.
(c) acceptable
(d) acceptable
(e) Is the dog hiding [or some other transitive verb] the bone again?
(f) Adisa prepared a cake for Zena.
(g) acceptable
(h) acceptable
(i) Ahmed cleaned it up.
(j) I hope (that) you’ll leave. OR I want you to leave.
(k) That you like liver surprises me.
Copyright © 2021 Pearson Canada Inc.
1
, Chapter 1
6. Note: At this early point in the course, we do not expect technical explanations for
the unacceptability of these sentences. Student answers need not include the actual
terminology employed here.
(a) The form of the verb should be doesn’t when the subject is singular.
(b) The form of the verb should be were when the subject is you.
(c) In a sentence with pre-verbal there, the form of the verb should be are when the
following noun is plural.
(d) The form of the verb break should be broken, not broke.
(e) A pronoun in subject position should have the ‘nominative’ form (me should be
I); gonna and campin’ are too colloquial.
(f) A sentence should not end in a preposition (compare: With whom did you come?).
(g) The past tense form of see is saw, not seen.
(h) The form been can only occur with the auxiliary has (compare: He has been
lost ...).
(i) The verb needs should be followed by either to be cleaned or cleaning; because
should not be contracted to’ cause.
(j) The word ain’t is substandard, as is get in the sense of ‘have’; a double negative
(n’t and none) is unacceptable (compare: Julie doesn’t have any).
(k) Since somebody is singular, the pronoun should be his (or her), not their.
(l) The reflexive pronoun should be himself, not hisself.
See pp. 7–8 for a discussion of the problems with prescriptive approaches to language.
7. It’s yours.
It’s his.
It’s hers.
It’s ours.
It’s theirs.
All other pronouns in the underlined positions end in s. The process of regularization
therefore adds an s to mine, giving mines.
Copyright © 2021 Pearson Canada Inc.
2
William O’Grady
Contemporary
Linguistic Analysis
An Introduction
Ninth Edition
William O’Grady
John Archibald
, Contents
Chapter 1: Language............................................................................................................ 1
Chapter 2: Phonetics............................................................................................................ 3
Chapter 3: Phonology………………………………………….......................................... 8
Chapter 4: Morphology…………………........................................................................... 15
Chapter 5: Syntax……………………………………........................................................ 22
Chapter 6: Semantics……………………………………................................................... 46
Chapter 7: The Classification of Languages......................................................................... 48
Chapter 8: Historical Linguistics…………………………………….................................. 50
Chapter 9: Indigenous Languages in Canada ....................................................................... *
Chapter 10: First Language Acquisition* ............................................................................ 56
Chapter 11: Second Language Acquisition........................................................................... 60
Chapter 12: Bilingualism and Bilingual Acquisition............................................................ 62
Chapter 13: Psycholinguistics……………………………………....................................... 65
Chapter 14: Brain and Language .......................................................................................... 67
Chapter 15: Language in Social Contexts ............................................................................ 69
Chapter 16: Writing and Language ...................................................................................... 70
Chapter 17: Communication in other species........................................................................ 71
*Chapter 9 is not included because it does not contain practice exercises.
Copyright © 2021 Pearson Canada Inc.
ii
, Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Language
1. (a) dance in a hip hop style
(b) travel on a sled pulled by a dog team
(c) ride on a unicycle
(d) install solar panels
(e) made his way across the park using a hula hoop
(f) travel in a Tesla (a type of electric car)
(g) clean with Ajax (a cleanser)
(h) clean with Windex (a window cleanser)
(i) wear your hair in dreadlocks
(j) put in a carton
2. Answers will vary.
3. (a) impossible (e) possible
(b) possible (f) possible
(c) impossible (g) impossible
(d) impossible (h) impossible
4. Answers will vary.
5. (a) Binh’s mother left him with nothing to eat.
(b) Miriam is eager to talk to someone. OR Miriam is easy to talk to.
(c) acceptable
(d) acceptable
(e) Is the dog hiding [or some other transitive verb] the bone again?
(f) Adisa prepared a cake for Zena.
(g) acceptable
(h) acceptable
(i) Ahmed cleaned it up.
(j) I hope (that) you’ll leave. OR I want you to leave.
(k) That you like liver surprises me.
Copyright © 2021 Pearson Canada Inc.
1
, Chapter 1
6. Note: At this early point in the course, we do not expect technical explanations for
the unacceptability of these sentences. Student answers need not include the actual
terminology employed here.
(a) The form of the verb should be doesn’t when the subject is singular.
(b) The form of the verb should be were when the subject is you.
(c) In a sentence with pre-verbal there, the form of the verb should be are when the
following noun is plural.
(d) The form of the verb break should be broken, not broke.
(e) A pronoun in subject position should have the ‘nominative’ form (me should be
I); gonna and campin’ are too colloquial.
(f) A sentence should not end in a preposition (compare: With whom did you come?).
(g) The past tense form of see is saw, not seen.
(h) The form been can only occur with the auxiliary has (compare: He has been
lost ...).
(i) The verb needs should be followed by either to be cleaned or cleaning; because
should not be contracted to’ cause.
(j) The word ain’t is substandard, as is get in the sense of ‘have’; a double negative
(n’t and none) is unacceptable (compare: Julie doesn’t have any).
(k) Since somebody is singular, the pronoun should be his (or her), not their.
(l) The reflexive pronoun should be himself, not hisself.
See pp. 7–8 for a discussion of the problems with prescriptive approaches to language.
7. It’s yours.
It’s his.
It’s hers.
It’s ours.
It’s theirs.
All other pronouns in the underlined positions end in s. The process of regularization
therefore adds an s to mine, giving mines.
Copyright © 2021 Pearson Canada Inc.
2
