Syntax

Question 1

Syntax

Answer 1

The study of sentence structures & the arrangement of words in sentences

Question 2

Phrases

Answer 2

A collection of words that have a grammatical relationship, but cannot exist as a complete grammatical sentence due to lack of a subject and predicate.

Can contain one, or none, but not both.

Question 3

Phrases

Noun phrase

Answer 3

A phrase containing and noun and other related words that describe the noun - typically modifiers or determiners

E.g. I ate a shiny red apple

Question 4

Phrases

Verb phrase

Answer 4

A main verb, plus any related words such as auxiliaries, complements or other modifiers.

E.g. the song was loudly played to the audience

A verb phrase can be the whole predicate of a sentence

Question 5

Phrases

Adjective phrase

Answer 5

A group of words functioning as an adjective, typically consisting of an adjective and it’s modifiers.

E.g. He wore a brightly colored fuzzy red coat

Prepositional phrases can also function as adjective phrases - referred to as adjectival phrases

Question 6

Phrases

Adverb Phrase

Answer 6

An adverb or words acting as adverbs in a sentence.

E.g. Time passed so slowly

Prepositional phrases can also function as adverb phrases - referred to as adverbial phrases

Question 7

Phrases

Prepositional Phrase

Answer 7

A presposition and the object of the preposition, plus any other modifiers, generally beginning with the presposition and ending with a noun phrasez.

E.g. I will see you in the morning

They act in place of adjectives or adverbs

Question 8

Clause

Answer 8

A subject and a verb (noun and verb phrase).

E.g. the cat meowed, or; she yelled \ because she was angry

Clauses that stand alone are main or independent, those that can’t are subordinate or dependent.

Question 9

Clauses

Coordination

Combining clauses - not only for providing necessary or appropriate information, but also for creating rhythm and tempo in text, to maintain the audiences’ attention, and changing emphasis of a sentence.

Answer 9

The use of coordinating conjunctions to combine clauses into sentences

Question 10

Clauses

Subordination

Combining clauses

Answer 10

The use of subordinating conjunctions to change main clauses into subordinating clauses.

Often uses; because, while, by, after, although, than, whether, since, who, which and that.

Question 11

Sentence

Answer 11

A group of words that contains at least one main clause

E.g. I tried.

Question 12

Sentences

Sentence Fragments

Sentence Structures/Fragments

Answer 12

Typically used in informal or casual written texts, acting as a sentence even though they aren’t a complete main clause.

E.g. Potato cakes 3 for $1 - no verb so no clause

AKA ‘minor sentences’

Question 13

Sentences

Simple

Sentence Structures/Fragments

Answer 13

Sentences containing a single main clause

E.g. I bought three potato cakes

Question 14

Sentences

Compound

Sentence Structures/Fragments

Answer 14

Containing at least two main clauses joined together by a coordinate conjunction. All clauses must have equal prominence within the sentence.

E.g. I bought a potato cake and you bought chips.

Question 15

Sentences

Complex

Sentence Structures/Fragments

Answer 15

Contain a single main clause and one or more subordinate clauses.

E.g. The man who works at the shop made me a potato cake.

The main clause is dominant. Sometimes subordinate clauses are embedded within a main clause, most often with relative clauses.

Question 16

Sentences

Compound-complex

Sentence Structures/Fragments

Answer 16

Contains at least three clauses - with at least two main clauses and one or more subordinate clauses.

E.g. I got two fish and she got a burger because we were hungry

Question 17

Sentences

Declarative

Sentence types and their communicative function

Answer 17

Function to provide information, observations, or statements.

E.g. “It’s raining outside.” or “I eat dirt.”

Question 18

Sentences

Imperative

Sentence types and their communicative function

Answer 18

Function to give direct orders or instructions, by omitting the subject of the sentence especially if the subject is known or is the person being addressed

E.g. “Leave me alone” or “Add a cup of sugar”

Question 19

Sentences

Interrogative

Sentence types and their communicative function

Answer 19

Used when framing questions. Function to elicit responses (unless rhetorical). Always end in a question mark.

E.g. “Do you like eggs” or “How are you?”

Interrogative tag or tag questions are when the main clause of an imperative or declarative is inverted into negative form and attached to the end. E.g. “That wasn’t nice, was it?”

Question 20

Sentences

Interrogative tag / tag questions

Sentence types and their communicative function

Answer 20

When the main clause of an imperative or declarative is inverted into negative form and attached to the end.

E.g. “That wasn’t nice, was it?”

Used to add a rhetorical force to a sentence, as they have a preferred response. Often used deliberately to persuade an audience to agree with the speaker’s arguments.

Question 21

Sentences

Exclamatives

Sentence types and their communicative function

Answer 21

Used to make exclamations by indicating high levels of feeling or emotion and emphasis the utterance.

E.g. “Argh!” or “What a catch!”

Written exclamatives end in exclamation marks, whereas in spoken texts there will likely be shift in prosodic features such as increased volume, change in pitch (usually higher), or changes in stress and intonation. Interjections, discourse particles, and curses are often exclamatives.

Question 22

Word order

Subject

Answer 22

The noun of noun phrase within a sentence that takes the action indicated by the predicator.

E.g. Nikki likes pie

Question 23

Word order

Predicator/predicate

Answer 23

The verb is the predicator, and any modifiers are referred to as the rest of the predicate.

Question 24

Word order

Object

Answer 24

The noun or noun phrase that has not taken the action indicated by the verb - often the person or thing that is being acted upon.

E.g. Nikki likes pie

Question 25

Word order

Direct Object

Answer 25

The person or object that is involved in the action

Ex. “He gave his teacher a gift”/”He gave a gift to his teacher”

Question 26

Word order

Indirect Object

Answer 26

Affected by the action but not directly involved.

Ex. “He gave his teacher a gift”/”He gave a gift to his teacher”

Question 27

Word order

Complement

Modifiers in a noun phrase

Answer 27

A phrase or clause that provides extra information about an element, which has already been mentioned in a sentence/clause, such as a subject or object.

Ex. “The water is quite warm”, “My dog is 2”, “This is mine”

Can be adjective phrases, noun phrases, pronouns, proper names and numbers.
Come after copular verbs/linking verbs (to be). Semi-copular: seem, become, consider, appear, look, feel, grow, prove.

Question 28

Word order

Adverbials

Answer 28

Single words, phrases or clauses that provide information about an element, typically in relation to time, place or manner.

Can be found by asking: How? When? Where? etc.
Can be adverb phrases, single adverbs, prepositional phrases, subordinate clauses (when I fell), and sometimes nouns/noun phrases (today, this morning).
Different to complements as their descriptions are not obligatory, but rather to provide clarification. Removing them does not fundamentally change the meaning of the sentence.