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Unique Features of West Indian Languages: Grammar and Syntax

Description: This quiz assesses your knowledge of the unique features of West Indian languages in terms of grammar and syntax.
Number of Questions: 15
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Tags: west indian languages grammar syntax
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Which of the following is a characteristic feature of West Indian languages?

  1. The use of double negatives

  2. The use of the definite article before proper nouns

  3. The use of the subjunctive mood in conditional sentences

  4. The use of the future tense to express probability


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Double negatives are commonly used in West Indian languages to emphasize a negation. For example, in Jamaican Patois, the sentence "Me no see nutten" means "I didn't see anything".

In West Indian languages, the verb "to be" is often omitted in present tense sentences. Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct in West Indian English?

  1. He is a doctor.

  2. He doctor.

  3. He be doctor.

  4. He am doctor.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

In West Indian English, the verb "to be" is often omitted in present tense sentences, especially when the subject is a pronoun. Therefore, the sentence "He doctor." is grammatically correct.

Which of the following is a common syntactic structure in West Indian languages?

  1. Subject-Verb-Object

  2. Subject-Object-Verb

  3. Verb-Subject-Object

  4. Object-Subject-Verb


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The Subject-Verb-Object word order is the most common syntactic structure in West Indian languages. This means that the subject of the sentence comes first, followed by the verb, and then the object.

In West Indian languages, there is often a distinction between singular and plural forms of nouns. Which of the following nouns has a distinct plural form?

  1. Book

  2. Table

  3. Chair

  4. Water


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

In West Indian languages, nouns that refer to countable objects typically have distinct singular and plural forms. For example, the singular form of "book" is "book", while the plural form is "books".

Which of the following is a common tense-aspect marker in West Indian languages?

  1. Done

  2. Been

  3. Going

  4. Have


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The tense-aspect marker "done" is commonly used in West Indian languages to indicate that an action has been completed. For example, in Jamaican Patois, the sentence "Me done eat" means "I have eaten".

In West Indian languages, there is often a distinction between standard and non-standard forms of language. Which of the following is a non-standard feature of West Indian English?

  1. The use of double negatives

  2. The use of the definite article before proper nouns

  3. The use of the subjunctive mood in conditional sentences

  4. The use of the future tense to express probability


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The use of double negatives is a non-standard feature of West Indian English. It is considered to be grammatically incorrect in standard English.

Which of the following is a common way to express possession in West Indian languages?

  1. Using the possessive pronoun

  2. Using the possessive adjective

  3. Using the genitive case

  4. Using the preposition "of"


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

In West Indian languages, possession is commonly expressed using the possessive pronoun. For example, in Jamaican Patois, the sentence "Dis is mi book" means "This is my book".

Which of the following is a common way to express future tense in West Indian languages?

  1. Using the future tense marker "will"

  2. Using the future tense marker "going to"

  3. Using the present tense

  4. Using the modal verb "can"


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

In West Indian languages, the future tense is commonly expressed using the future tense marker "going to". For example, in Jamaican Patois, the sentence "Me going to school tomorrow" means "I am going to school tomorrow".

Which of the following is a common way to express past tense in West Indian languages?

  1. Using the past tense marker "did"

  2. Using the past tense marker "been"

  3. Using the present perfect tense

  4. Using the modal verb "could"


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

In West Indian languages, the past tense is commonly expressed using the past tense marker "been". For example, in Jamaican Patois, the sentence "Me been to school yesterday" means "I went to school yesterday".

Which of the following is a common way to express conditional sentences in West Indian languages?

  1. Using the conditional mood

  2. Using the subjunctive mood

  3. Using the future tense

  4. Using the modal verb "can"


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

In West Indian languages, conditional sentences are commonly expressed using the conditional mood. For example, in Jamaican Patois, the sentence "If me did have money, me would buy a car" means "If I had money, I would buy a car".

Which of the following is a common way to express commands or requests in West Indian languages?

  1. Using the imperative mood

  2. Using the subjunctive mood

  3. Using the future tense

  4. Using the modal verb "can"


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

In West Indian languages, commands or requests are commonly expressed using the imperative mood. For example, in Jamaican Patois, the sentence "Come here!" means "Come here!".

Which of the following is a common way to express questions in West Indian languages?

  1. Using the question mark

  2. Using the rising intonation

  3. Using the modal verb "can"

  4. Using the word "question"


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

In West Indian languages, questions are commonly expressed using the rising intonation. For example, in Jamaican Patois, the sentence "You going to school tomorrow?" is a question because of the rising intonation at the end.

Which of the following is a common way to express negation in West Indian languages?

  1. Using the negative particle "not"

  2. Using the negative particle "no"

  3. Using the negative particle "ain't"

  4. Using the negative particle "never"


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

In West Indian languages, negation is commonly expressed using the negative particle "no". For example, in Jamaican Patois, the sentence "Me no like it" means "I don't like it".

Which of the following is a common way to express emphasis in West Indian languages?

  1. Using the emphatic particle "very"

  2. Using the emphatic particle "really"

  3. Using the emphatic particle "surely"

  4. Using the emphatic particle "indeed"


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

In West Indian languages, emphasis is commonly expressed using the emphatic particle "very". For example, in Jamaican Patois, the sentence "Me very happy" means "I am very happy".

Which of the following is a common way to express comparison in West Indian languages?

  1. Using the comparative degree

  2. Using the superlative degree

  3. Using the equative degree

  4. Using the modal verb "can"


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

In West Indian languages, comparison is commonly expressed using the comparative degree. For example, in Jamaican Patois, the sentence "Me taller than you" means "I am taller than you".

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