TRANSFORMATION OF SENTENCES

TRANSFORMATION OF SENTENCES

71. The student has already learnt that a phrase can be expanded into a clause and a

clause contracted into a phrase; that is, the form of a sentence can be changed without

changing the meaning. In this chapter we shall show some other ways of changing the

form of a sentence.

The conversion or transformation of sentences is an excellent exercise as it teaches

variety of expression in writing English.

1. Sentences containing the Adverb “too”

72. We can change the form of a sentence containing the adverb “too”, as shown below:-

1. The news is too good to be true.

The news is so good that it cannot to be true.

2. These mangoes are too cheap to be good.

These mangoes are so cheap that they cannot be good.

3. He drove too fast for the police to catch.

He drove so fast that the police could not catch him. Exercise 59. Rewrite the following

sentences so as to get rid of the Adverb 'too':-

1. It is never too late to mend.

2. He is too proud to beg.

3. My heart is too full for words.

4. He was too late to hear the first speech.

5. He is too ignorant for a postman.

6. The boy was too old for whipping.

7. This tree is too high for me to climb.

8. He speaks too fast to be understood.

9. He is far too stupid for such a difficult post.

10. She was sobbing too deeply to make any answer.

11. This fact is too evident to require proof.

12. The work is too much for any man to do single-handed.

13. That shirt is too small for me.

14. The bag was too heavy for me to carry.

2. Interchange of the Degrees of Comparison

73. As the following examples show, it is possible to change the Degree of Comparison

of an Adjective or Adverb in a sentence, without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Positive. -- I am as strong as him.

Comparative. -- He is not stronger than me.

Positive. --This razor is not as sharp as that one.

Comparative. -- That razor is sharper than this one.

Positive. -- Few historians write as interestingly as Joshi.

Comparative. -- Joshi writes more interestingly than most historians.

Positive. -- No other metal is as useful as iron.

Comparative. -- Iron is more useful than any other metal.

Superlative. -- Iron is the most useful of all metals.

Superlative. -- India is the largest democracy in the world.

Comparative. -- India is larger than any other democracy in the world.

Positive. -- No other democracy in the world is as large as India.

Superlative. -- Mumbai is one of the richest cities in India.

Comparative. -- Mumbai is richer than most other cities in India.

Positive. -- Very few cities in India are as rich as Mumbai.

Superlative. -- Usha Kiran is not the tallest of all the buildings in the city.

Comparative. -- Usha Kiran is not taller than some other buildings in the city.

OR

Some other buildings in the city are perhaps tatter than Usha Kiran.

positive. -- Some other buildings in the city are at least as tall as Usha Kiran.

OR

Usha Kiran is perhaps not as tall as some other buildings in the city.

Superlative. -- Naomi is not one of the cleverest girls in the class.

Comparative. -- Some girls of the class are cleverer than Naomi,.

OR

Naomi is less clever than some other girls of the class.

Positive. -- Naomi is not so clever as some other girls of the class.

Exercise 60.

Change the Degree of Comparison without changing the meaning:-

1. Abdul is as strong as his brother.

2. Akbar was one of the greatest kings.

3. Some boys are at least as industrious as Karim.

4. Mahabaleshwar is cooler than Mysore.

5. No other bowler in the eleven is so good as Rama.

6. Very few cities in India are as big as Chennai.

7. No other story-book is so popular as The Arabian Nights.

8. This pony is better trained than yours.

9. This Church is the biggest in Mumbai.

10. This newspaper has a bigger circulation than any other morning paper.

11. Helen of Troy was more beautiful than any other woman.

12. The airplane flies faster than birds.

13. Hyderabad is one of the biggest of Indian cities.

14. Some beans are at least as nutritious as meat.

15. Samudra Gupta was one of the greatest of Indian kings.

16. Australia is the largest island in the world.

17. Very few Indo-Anglian novelists are as great as R.K. Narayan.

18. This is one of the hottest districts in India.

19. It is better to starve than beg.

20. He loves all his sons equally well.