Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow. Untouchable, a…
2024
Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow.
Untouchable, a charming French comedy about two friends who have almost nothing in common, has been a huge international success. But before the story became a cinematic sensation, how exactly did a rich French aristocrat and an Algerian immigrant with a criminal past become good friends? Philip and Abdul first met in Paris in 1993 when Philip was looking for a nurse. He was from a very wealthy family. At one time he had been a successful business man, living a life of great luxury. Then he had a terrible paragliding accident and lost the use of his arms and legs. Life in a wheelchair was lonely and boring. Philip was struggling to imagine the future, and he needed practical help with his day-to-day life.
Philip interviewed more than 80 people for the job of a nurse. But none of them seemed right. Then he met Abdul, who had quit a life of crime in Algeria and moved to France to look for work. He was lively, intelligent and quick-thinking, with a crazy sense of humour. Philip got on with Abdul immediately, and he offered him the job. The two men didn't have much in common. Abdul loved pop music, but Philip preferred classical music. Philip loved modern art, but Abdul hated it. Philip's family was sure that he had made a bad choice. They believed that Philip needed someone much more sensible. Meanwhile, Abdul wasn't planning on staying in the job for long.
However, their working relationship quickly developed into a close friendship. Abdul gave Philip the support he needed. More importantly, his energy and sense of humour brought fun and excitement back into Philip's life. Abdul helped Philip make trips to other countries. Both of them now live in different countries, each with a wife and family. They keep in touch regularly. All that really matters to their friendship, though, it is their shared love of laughter and adventure.
Identify the parts of speech of the underlined words.
However, their working relationship quickly developed into a close friendship.
- A.
adjective, adverb
- B.
verb, adverb
- C.
adjective, verb
- D.
noun, adverb
Attempted by 6 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
An adjective describes a noun by showing what kind, which one, or how many, and it typically sits directly before the noun it modifies, including as a premodifier inside a noun phrase. An adverb describes how, when, where, or to what degree an action happens, and it typically modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. A present-participle (-ing) word placed directly before a noun, as part of that noun phrase, usually functions as an adjective rather than as the clause's own verb, and a word ending in -ly that answers 'how' about a verb functions as an adverb.
In the sentence 'their working relationship quickly developed into a close friendship', the finite verb of the clause — the word carrying the tense and completing the action — is 'developed'.
'working' sits inside the noun phrase 'their working relationship' as a premodifier of the noun 'relationship', answering the question 'what kind of relationship?', so it modifies the noun and functions as an adjective.
'quickly' sits directly before the verb 'developed' and answers the question 'how did it develop?', so it modifies the verb and functions as an adverb.
Combining the two functions gives the classification adjective, adverb for the underlined words.
Checking 'working' against the noun-phrase test confirms it occupies a premodifier position inside 'their working relationship', directly describing 'relationship' — a position a verb form does not occupy — while the clause's own finite verb, 'developed', already supplies the tense. Checking 'quickly' by substituting another manner adverb such as 'rapidly' keeps the sentence's meaning and structure intact, confirming its function as an adverb rather than a verb.
verb, adverb: treating 'working' as a verb does not fit, since it occupies a premodifier position inside the noun phrase 'their working relationship' rather than the clause's verb position, and it carries no tense of its own.
adjective, verb: treating 'quickly' as a verb does not fit, since it carries no tense and only describes the manner of 'developed'.
noun, adverb: treating 'working' as a noun does not fit, since it directly modifies 'relationship' as a premodifier rather than naming a separate thing.