Syntax Flashcards
Syntax
The study of sentence structures & the arrangement of words in sentences
Phrases
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.
Phrases
Noun phrase
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
Phrases
Verb phrase
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
Phrases
Adjective phrase
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
Phrases
Adverb Phrase
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
Phrases
Prepositional Phrase
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
Clause
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.
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.
The use of coordinating conjunctions to combine clauses into sentences
Clauses
Subordination
Combining clauses
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.
Sentence
A group of words that contains at least one main clause
E.g. I tried.
Sentences
Sentence Fragments
Sentence Structures/Fragments
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’
Sentences
Simple
Sentence Structures/Fragments
Sentences containing a single main clause
E.g. I bought three potato cakes
Sentences
Compound
Sentence Structures/Fragments
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.
Sentences
Complex
Sentence Structures/Fragments
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.
Sentences
Compound-complex
Sentence Structures/Fragments
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
Sentences
Declarative
Sentence types and their communicative function
Function to provide information, observations, or statements.
E.g. “It’s raining outside.” or “I eat dirt.”
Sentences
Imperative
Sentence types and their communicative function
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”
Sentences
Interrogative
Sentence types and their communicative function
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?”
Sentences
Interrogative tag / tag questions
Sentence types and their communicative function
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.
Sentences
Exclamatives
Sentence types and their communicative function
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.
Word order
Subject
The noun of noun phrase within a sentence that takes the action indicated by the predicator.
E.g. Nikki likes pie
Word order
Predicator/predicate
The verb is the predicator, and any modifiers are referred to as the rest of the predicate.
Word order
Object
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
Word order
Direct Object
The person or object that is involved in the action
Ex. “He gave his teacher a gift”/”He gave a gift to his teacher”
Word order
Indirect Object
Affected by the action but not directly involved.
Ex. “He gave his teacher a gift”/”He gave a gift to his teacher”
Word order
Complement
Modifiers in a noun phrase
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.
Word order
Adverbials
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.
