UNIVERSIDADE ESTADUAL DE MONTES CLAROS

DEPARTAMENTO DE COMUNICAÇÃO E LETRAS

INTRODUÇÃO À SINTAXE DA LÍNGUA INGLESA

STUDENTS’ NAMES: ___________________________________________________________________

SCORE: _________

AVALIAÇÃO 2

CONTEÚDO: Tempos e aspectos verbais em língua inglesa.

INSTRUÇÕES:

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▶A avaliação terá duração máxima de uma hora e trinta minutos (1h30). Ao final deste prazo,
todos deverão entregar as avaliações, mesmo que incompletas. O professor/avaliador os
notificará nos 10 e 5 minutos finais.

▶Este é um documento oficial, e, portanto, deverá ser preenchido a tinta (preta ou azul);

▶Todas as questões devem ser respondidas em inglês.

▶É permitido a consulta à materiais e dicionários (físicos) durante a realização da prova.

▶A avaliação poderá ser realizada em duplas.

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EXERCISES


1) Read the following extract from a text outlining the recent history of archaeology.
Twelve verb structures have been underlined in the text. Write down the tense and aspect
in each case and then discuss the author’s choice in using such tenses and aspects. [6,0]



The New Archaeology
Over 20 years ago, Old World archaeologists recognized (1) that the chronologies of European

prehistory, which had been based on the radiocarbon dating method, were (2) incorrect owing to
flaws in the method. Another chronology has been proposed (3) that has resulted (4) not simply
in the redating of individual monuments but rather, in terms defined by British archaeologist
Colin Renfrew, in the establishment of a new approach to prehistoric cultural development.

Previously, cultural achievements such as the development of metallurgy were thought (5) to
have radiated from a single point of invention in the Middle East. Now, multiple sites of invention
have been posited (6), leading to a conception of humans as much more innovative than
previously supposed.

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Since the 1980s, archaeologists in North America, Australia, and New Zealand have increasingly
been called upon (7) to adapt their research strategies to the wishes and interests of indigenous

peoples, who have not only demanded (8) the return and reburial of human skeletal remains and
certain artefacts but also insisted (9) that their cultural values be respected when excavations are
conducted. The accommodation of scientific research strategies to traditional cultural sensitivities

marks (10) a new direction in archaeological practice and is a development that was scarcely
contemplated (11) a few decades ago, when it was assumed (12) that rigidly scientific objectivity
would soon dominate archaeology.
TENSE-ASPECT

1) …………………………………….. 7) ……………………………………..
2) …………………………………….. 8) ……………………………………..

3) …………………………………….. 9) ……………………………………..

4) …………………………………….. 10) ……………………………………..

5) …………………………………….. 11) ……………………………………..

6) …………………………………….. 12) …………………………………….. 



Why did the author choose to use such tenses? 

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2) The following theater review is written in two main time frames. What are they? What is
the purpose of the time shifts? [6,0]

The Pittsburgh Public Theater production of The Pirates of Penzance presented their audience
with a lighthearted theatrical experience that could be enjoyed by theater goers, young and old
alike. Written over one hundred years ago by the legendary operetta team Gilbert and Sullivan,
Pirates has enjoyed great success with each new incarnation. Pittsburgh Public managed to hold
to this tradition once again by bringing this ageless piece of musical theater to life with freshness
as well as a salute back to the days of theater past. This look back to the theater of Victorian
England was most evident in the set design of Michael Schweikardt.

When the audience first enters the theater their eyes are drawn to a large, false proscenium
painted bright red to resemble a large red curtain found in an old opera house. At the top of the
proscenium are the stylized letters “G&S” to acknowledge the plays creators. Hanging from the
ceiling are two gaslight chandeliers helping to transport the viewers back in time to the world of
Gilbert and Sullivan. The playing area in front of the proscenium is painted in a fashion which
resembles the lobby of a grand opera house. Disrupting this grand Victorian vision are two brown
boulders placed on either side of the stage, foreshadowing the scene that is to be staged. These
aspects create a mood for the audience by acknowledging them and allowing them to just enjoy
the show.

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As the curtain rises, the audience views the backdrop depicting a rocky beach with a ship
anchored in the distance. Set in front of the backdrop is a rocky hill indicating that the action will
take place on a flat of land above the beach. Cut into the hill is a tiny cave which will serve as a
hiding place later in the act. The actors’ entrances are made coming over this rocky structure and
entering onto the stage. I felt that Michael Schweikardt’s design was very effective in meeting the
needs of this scene. We must take into account that most of the action takes place in front of this
set and allows the twenty-member cast to move freely within their world. Once again, the image
of a late nineteenth-century production is perceived with the use of the simplistic structures and
the simply painted backdrop.

I feel that Mr. Schweikardt’s challenge in designing this production would be to provide a
functional set without taking away from the spirit of this timeless tale. The Pirates of Penzance was
written for a different audience from today’s. In a time when landing helicopters on stage and
giant chandeliers come crashing down dramatic finales, audiences expect more. By focusing the
spectacle of his set to bring the audience into the time this operetta was first produced, the
audience is satisfied from the beginning. They can better understand why there is still a demand
for century-old productions like The Pirates of Penzance and enjoy the experience today.

This writer begins in past tense to talk about a specific production of the play. Then he shifts into
present to make the reader feel like an observer watching the play unfold. Then he shifts back to
past tense when making a comment about the play—something he felt when he was watching it.
Then he shifts again to present tense in the final paragraph to state his overall evaluation of the
play.
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3) Check the following sentences for confusing shifts in tense. If the tense of each
underlined verb expresses the time relationship accurately, write S (satisfactory). If a shift
in tense is not appropriate, write U (unsatisfactory) and make necessary changes. In most
cases with an inappropriate shift, there is more than one way to correct the inconsistency.
Reading the sentences aloud will help you recognize differences in time. Numbers 1 and 2
are done for you as examples. [6,0]


_U_ 1. If the club limited its membership, it will have to raise its dues. (change will to would)

_U_ 2. As Barbara puts in her contact lenses, the telephone rang. 


(change puts to put) OR As Barbara puts in her contact lenses, the telephone rings. (change
rang to rings to illustrate ongoing action) 



__ 3. Thousands of people will see the art exhibit by the time it closes.

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__ 4. By the time negotiations began, many pessimists have expressed doubt about them.

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___ 5. After Capt. James Cook visited Alaska on his third voyage, he is killed by Hawaiian
islanders in 1779.

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___ 6. I was terribly disappointed with my grade because I studied very hard.

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___ 7. The moderator asks for questions as soon as the speaker has finished. 

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___ 8. Everyone hopes the plan would work.

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___ 9. Harry wants to show his friends the photos he took last summer.

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____ 10. Scientists predict that the sun will die in the distant future.

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____ 11. The boy insisted that he has paid for the candy bars.

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___ 12. The doctor suggested bed rest for the patient, who suffers from a bad cold.

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4) Read the following paragraph through, and determine the main tense. Then reread it
and circle the three verbs that shift incorrectly from the main tense. [6,0]

For the past seven years, I have called myself a swimmer. Swimming, my one sport, provides a
necessary outlet for my abundant energy. I have always drawn satisfaction from exertion,
straining my muscles to their limits. I don't know why pushing forward in the water, as my
muscles cried out in pain, sets off a booming cheer in my head. Many times when I rounded the
turn for the last lap of a race, my complaining muscles want to downshift and idle to the finish.
My mind, however, presses the pedal to the floor and yells, "FASTER!" The moment that I
touched the wall my muscles relax; the pain subsides. I am pleased to have passed the point of
conflict.

(adapted from Brendon MacLean, "Harder!")




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5) Mark the following passages with a vertical line (/) to indicate when the time frame
changes. The first one has been done to you as an example. [6,0]

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