The Attribute

Exercise 1 p. 199. Underline the attributes, state whether they are loose or close and state what they are expressed by.

1. Roger had a high forehead and the freshest colour of any of the Forsytes. (Gls.) 2. He knew him as intimately as he knew Henry Brace Bridge, of Cleveland, and George Knoweles, of Cincinnati. (Dr) 3. When she returned he was still standing there like a man of stone. 4. Amongst the last of the departing guests the fourth and fifth brothers, Nicholas and Roger, walked away together, directing their steps alongside Hyde Park. (Gls.) 5. She thought of the night, nearly two years ago, when she came back by this train with the news of Hubert's release and found her father sitting up, grey and worn, in his study. (Gls.) 6. Through Aunt Ann's compressed lips a tender smile forced its way. (Gls.) 7. Old Jolyon has got nobody else to leave his money to. (Gls.) 8. It was a warm, alive face, very womanly. (Mlt) 9. There came a girl with a face beautiful and attractive. (Mlt) 10. Roger was that remarkable Forsyte who had conceived and carried out the notion of bringing up his four sons to a new profession. (Gls.) II. Recalling that never-to-be-forgotten day, they always exchange understanding smiles. 12. The glimps of her, all unaware of him, soothed Wilfrid. {Gls.) 13. There was something easy and sufficient about him. (Dr) 14. But for the sweetness of the family gossip, it must indeed have been lonely at that family gathering. 15. Denny, now abroad, knew nothing of the new degree. (Crn) 16. Her face had the hardness of a face on a coin. (Gls.)

Exercise 2 p. 200. Analyse the adverbial meaning, if any, of the loose attributes referring to the subject. Pay attention to their position in the sentence. Translate the sentences.

1. A man of action, forced into a state of thought, is unhappy until he can get out of it. (Gls.) 2. Tall, straight-shouldered, neither lean nor stout, he was an imposing figure. (Dr) 3. Captain Slots, standing beside him, was unknown. (Ald) 4. Furious, he did not answer, feeling himself in an utterly false position. (Crn) 5. And on Monday morning, weary, he began the new week's work. (Lnd) 6. Brissenden lay sick in his hotel, too feeble to stir out. (Lnd) 7. Wilfrid, lying on the divan m a dark dressing-gown, sat up. (Gls.) 8. Baumer took a deep breath. Then, low-voiced, he replied, "I knew it." (Mlt) 9. Of an age which refused to declare itself, short and square, with a deep soft voice, he had an appearance of complete detachment. {Gls.) 10. Dead, he would have been safe; wounded, he was caught like a rat in a trap. (Mlt) 11. Faced by Ferse's fate — what would one do? (Gls.)

Exercise 3 p. 200. Find the proper place for the attribute in brackets. Put commas where necessary.

1. ... the voice ... came back to him .... (rich and resonant). 2. He said it in a ... voice .... (full of exclamation stops). 3. ... he was a man .... (with the Calvin type of face). 4. ... the thin, dark, smallish man ... grinned. (with a face rather like a bird's) 5. ... he was a handsome man .... (blond, fair-skinned, with clean, strong, chiselled features). 6. He saw a small hard man ... arguing with an old woman .... (in grey pants and short sports jacket). 7. ... to me ... it seemed as if he were a magician .... (sitting at. his feet). 8. ... Grey curls banded her forehead, curls that ... had extinguished in the family all sense of time, (unchanged for decades). 9. There was ... something ... in her ... little ... household, {very charming). 10. We saw him ... in the company of a ... girl .... (gay and elated; young and pretty).