The Communicative Grammar of English Workbook - Edward Woods, Rudy Coppieters 2002

7.21. Role, standard and point of view
Unit seven. Adverbs, adverbials and prepositions

Section 224

A gradable word can have its meaning qualified in terms of

• role: Anna is very good at swimming. / As a swimmer, she is very good.

• standard: Anna is a good swimmer for a twelve-year-old.

It is also possible to specify the point of view from which a word or phrase is understood: Anna is a good swimmer in a technical sense./Morally, it was a difficult problem.

Task one *

Identify the expressions indicating role, standard and point of view, determining to which of the three categories each expression belongs.

1. In theory, most of our environmental problems can be solved.

2. Britain is bad at dealing with extreme weather conditions.

3. If you inadvertently wander off the footpath, you are technically trespassing.

4. For a man aged over sixty, running such a distance was quite an achievement.

5. We have become successful by being expert at solving problems.

6. As a football player, David Beckham is unbeatable.

7. In a political sense the uninsured hardly formed a group at all.

8. The coach said we did well for such a young team.

9. On paper, this set of rules looks impressive.

10. Six out of ten is not too bad for a beginner.

11. Ms Carpenter is excellent as a teacher and trainer.

12. Objectively, this war is terrifying. Subjectively, it remains strangely uninvolving.

Task two **

Rephrase each of the above sentences in at least one alternative way.