Complex sentences with Adverbial clauses of Comparison and Manner

Exercise 1

Classify the subordinate clauses joined by “as” into adverbial clauses of comparison and manner, time, cause or attributive clauses and state whether “as” is a conjunction or a relative pronoun.

1. Roy did as he was told, and as he felt the weight taken off his back he found it more difficult to stand (Aldridge).

2. Write that you decline to support this scheme of hers, as you hold it to be a dishonest scheme (Wilde).

3. The Coroner himself had had business relations with French persons in his capacity as a solicitor, and could assure such of the jury as had never been in France that they ought to allow for these different standards (Sayers).

4. Scotty had liked Andy just as they had all liked him, but it was clear that he liked Andy no more (Aldridge).

5. I never saw such luck as that fellow had! (Cronin).

6. Roy was so tired as he walked in the night that sleep seemed all the ultimate good that man could require (Aldridge).

7. I want you in my room and as Helen Burns is with you, she may come too (Bronte).

Exercise 2

Analise the moods of the verbs in bold type in the adverbial clauses of comparison and manner joined by “as if”, “as though”.

1. I can see her as though it were but yesterday (Maurier).

2. Stephanie continued to read as if no one else were in the room (Saxton).

3. This is the last letter I shall write to you … if I should happen to return, when we meet I will act as if this had never been written (Wilson).

4. The world saw serious and rather silent little man … going about his work as though he would go on doing it for ever (Deeping).

5. … she ‘ll proceed with her French lesson, as if nothing had happened (Bennett).

6. I found you staring at me across the kitchen table as if you’d never seen me before (Saxton).

7. She dropped the journal as if it had been a living coal of fire (Galsworthy).¹³

8. Leeds shook her head again as if she could find no words to express herself (Saxton).

9. Erik, don’t say it as if you hate me (Wilson).

10. If he is able to have dinner with you, take a book to your window as though you want to catch the light (Greene).

11. Johnny kept glancing at him as he were trying to think of something to say (Saxton).

12. And I treat a duchess as if she was a flower girl (Shaw).¹⁴

13. Are you still working for your uncle? “Oh, yes,” replied Clyde quickly, as though it would make an enormous difference to her if he were not (Dreiser).

Exercise 3

Make up complex sentences with adverbial clauses of comparison according to the models.

Model 1: Principal clause + as if Subordinate clause

as though Subjunctive mood forms of the

type “were”/”spoke”

(“had been”/”had spoken”)

e.g. She speaks (spoke) English so well as if she were a native.

She looks (looked) so pale as though she had been ill for some time.

1. He dances so well as if …

2. He treated me so badly as though …

3. … as she had never seen me.

4. She ran so fast as if …

5. The little girl behaved …

6. … as though I were a stranger.

7. I will act as if …

8. The boy was stammering as if …

Model 2: as if + indicative mood¹⁵

as though

e.g. He acts as if he is a coward.

He acted as if he was a coward.

1. He teaches them so well as if …

2. She is reciting the poem in such a hurry as if …

3. … as though he has lived here for ages.

4. They were packing so hastily as though …

5. … as if she does not know me.

6. She passed by without greeting me as if …

Exercise 4

Open the brackets using the required form of the verb.

1. I advise you to receive me as if nothing (to happen)… (Show).

2. The old man said nothing, but he folded the white square of paper as if it (to be) the legal deed of land in itself (Aldridge).

3. I lowered the boat more carefully than I (to raise) it … (Aldridge).

4. I knew you better than you (to know) me now (Saxton).

5. I don’t feel half as mean as I (to do) (Greene).

6. But it was plain that he admired Judith immediately hanging over her with a merry possessive look as though at any moment he (to pick her up) and (to slip) her into his deep coat-pocket (Walpole).

7. My mother was a very poor woman who had no reasonable choice but to do as she (to do) (Shaw).

8. … Andrews turned around at her as if she just (to occur) to him in his own mind (Aldridge).

9. Knocking out his pipe on the heel of his boot, Philip inspected it as though as though it (to demand) all his attention (Cronin).

10. Then he laughed as he never (to laugh) before (Aldridge).

11. Come, my child; you must not trifle with me as if I (to be) a stranger (Shaw).

12. She closed her eyes as though she too (to be) tired (Maurier).

13. I had to smile as though I (to know) all about it …(Maurier).

Exercise 5

Translate into English using adverbial clauses of comparison and manner. Give variants with different verb forms wherever possible.

1. Девочка говорит с матерью шепотом, как будто боится, что их кто-нибудь услышит.

2. Молодой папаша нес ребенка, как будто он боялся уронить или сломать его.

3. Эта студентка будет хорошей преподавательницей. Она уже сейчас ведет урок так, как будто преподает уже несколько лет.

4. Он так тщательно готовит доклад, как будто он должен делать его не на занятиях, а на научной конференции.

5. Он повторил свой ответ несколько раз, как будто повторение могло лучше передать значение его слов.

6. Эндрю так хорошо провел операцию в шахте, как будто он был опытным врачом, как будто у него и раньше уже были подобные случаи. (по Кронину).

7. Том красил забор так, как будто эта работа действительно доставляла ему удовольствие. Когда мальчишки попросили разрешить им помочь ему, он разговаривал с ними так, как будто это было для него очень опасно и как будто тетя Полли запретила ему делать это (по Твену).

8. Фаулер говорил Пайлу откровенно все, что думал о нем. Он даже сказал ему, что он желал его смерти, когда тот приехал к нему на линию фронта. Но, несмотря на это, Пайл смотрел на него так, как будто Фаулер шутит, и он не верит ни одному его слову (по Грину).

9. Фаулер боялся потерять Фуонг. Он скрыл от нее, что жена отказала ему в разводе. А в отношении Пайла он принял такое решение: “С ним я буду вести себя так, как будто все уладилось. Тогда он оставит Фуонг в покое” (по Грину).