Syntax
Syntax
Definition:
a set of rules that
govern how words are
combined to form
longer strings of
meaning meaning like
sentences.
Building Blocks
Morphemes combine into
Words combine into
Phrases combine into
Clauses combine into
Sentences
What are the rules in a language
for using these building blocks?
Sentences
There are over 200 definitions of the
term “sentence.”
Two of the most commonly used apply
to written sentences :
1. Has a subject (noun/noun phrase)
and a predicate (something that is
said about the subject)
2. By punctuation: begins with a
capital letter, ends with a full stop
(.?!)
Spoken language makes it more
difficult to define “sentence”.
Phrases
Three examples of types of phrases;
1. Noun phrases = a noun and its
modifiers
2. Verb phrases = a verb and its
modifiers
3. Prepositional phrases = a
preposition, it’s object and
modifiers
Noun Phrases
Act as a subject in a sentence
The cute little boy threw John the ball.
boy + the cute little
Act as a direct object in a sentence
The cute little boy threw John the ball.
ball + the
Act as an indirect object in a sentence
The cute little boy threw John the ball.
John
Verb Phrases
Is made up of the verb and its
modifiers.
Joan walked quickly and quietly.
walked + quickly and quietly
Clauses
Definition:
a group of two or more words
which include its own subject
and predicate within the
expression, but as a whole
form only a part of a complete
sentence
Types of Clauses
Independent clauses are simple
sentences
Eg. Sarah patted the dog.
Sarah (subject) + patted (verb) + dog (object)
Dependent Clauses cannot stand
alone
Eg. When Sarah patted the dog, . . .
Concordance Rules
(Also known as agreement)
Units within a sentence must match
each other
Eg. Number: plural subject noun
requires plural person verb
Short-Hand Symbols
Syntactic Categories
Subject = S, Verb = V, Object = O
NP = Noun Phrase, VP = Verb Phrase,
PP = Prepositional Phrase, etc.
S+V
S+V+O
NP+VP+PP
Etc.
Displaying Sentence
Structure
• Line Analysis
• Bracket Analysis
• Chinese Box Diagramming
• Diagramming
• Tree Diagram Analysis
• Phrase Marker Structure
Line Analysis
Bracket Analysis
Chinese Box Diagram
Compound
Sentence
Diagramming
Tree Diagram Analysis
Phrase Marker Analysis
(P-marker)