Syntax Flashcards
Syntax
structures:
combinations:
Is the study of sentence structures; it concerns the arrangement of words in sentences.
It is also concerned with word combinations or groups – how words can combine to make phrases, clauses and sentences.
PHRASES
A collection of words that have grammatical relationships with each other.
They can’t exist as a complete grammatical sentence, as they lack both a subject and a predicate.
Noun and Verb Phrases
My friend works with her father.
NOUN phrases are groups of words that act as nouns
VERB phrases are groups of words that act as verbs
Prepositional Phrases
“With a reusable tote in hand, Matthew walked to the farmer’s market.”
Every prepositional phrase is a series of words consisting of a preposition and its object.
- Prepositional Phrases
- Used to help modify other parts of speech
- Begins with a preposition
Adjective and Adverb Phrases
The dog joyously and quickly ran toward me.” “Joyously and quickly, the dog ran toward me.” “The dog ran toward me, joyously and quickly.
ADJECTIVE PHRASE is a prepositional phrase that is used to modify a noun
ADVERB PHRASE is a prepositional phrase that is used to modify a verb or other adverb
CLAUSES
A word group that contains a subject (noun) and verb
Two types of clauses:
Independent: Stand by itself
Dependent: subordinate)
Independent: (main) expresses a complete thought and can stand by itself as a sentence.
Dependent: (subordinate) does not express a complete thought and cannot stand by itself as a sentence.
SENTENCES
E.G -
While it was clear that no offence was cause, the speaker still apologized profusely.
A group of words that contains at least one main clause. It makes sense as a whole, and can stand on its own to create meaning.
SENTENCE STRUCTURES
There are five sentence structures in English.
Sentence fragments Simple sentences Compound sentences Complex sentences Compound-complex sentences
Elements of Fragment
Sentence fragments never have independent clauses, but instead are dependent clauses or phrases.
e.g -‘’ the boy on the porch’’
No clauses
Elements of Simple
'’Jack and Jill went up a hill’’
One clause, no conjunctions joining clauses
Elements of Compound
'’She did not cheat on the test, for it was the wrong thing to do’’
Two or more clauses; only coordinating conjunctions joining clauses
Elements of Complex
’’ Because my coffee was too cold, I heated it in the microwave’’.
Two or more clauses; only subordinating or correlative conjunctions joining clauses
Elements of Compound-complex
Although he was wealthy, he was still unhappy.
Three or more clauses; at least one coordinating conjunction and at least one subordinating conjunction joining clauses.
ELLIPSES
Ellipses save space or remove material that is less relevant. They are useful in getting right to the point without delay or distraction
Involves removing words or phrases from an utterance, clause or sentence, in particular if they are implied or unnecessary given the context.
They often serve to reduce unnecessary repetition and increase the cohesion, and thus coherence of a text.
Nominalisation
“judgement” rather than “judge”, “development” rather than “develop”, “admiration” rather than “admire”.
Norminalisation allows for the reduction of clauses in text, as it often reduces repetition by removing unnecessary information.
Coordination and subordination
They are methods we use to combine words, phrases and clauses into sentences. Coordination uses coordinating conjunctions to combine clauses into sentences while subordination uses subordinating conjunctions to change main clauses into subordinating clauses.
Examples of Coordinating conjunctions - FANBOYS
Coordination uses coordinating conjunctions to combine clauses into sentences
For, and, nor, But, So, Yet, Or
Examples of Subordinating conjunctions
subordination uses subordinating conjunctions to change main clauses into subordinating clauses.
because, while, which, since, whether, after, than
Rules of Coordination and subordination conjunctions
If the clause can ‘stand on its own’, it’s playing a key role in providing information.
If it’s simply providing extra information or clarification of another clause within the sentence, then it relies on another clause to make sense, and therefore subordinate to the main clause.
Declaratives
- He runs.
- She sings.
- I like climbing.
Declarative sentences are simply statements that relay information. A declarative sentence states the facts or an opinion and lets the reader know something specific. It always ends with a period.
Imperatives
- Bring me a glass of water.
- Don’t ever touch my phone.
- Give me a pen and a pencil.
Imperative verbs are verbs that create an imperative sentence (i.e. a sentence that gives an order or command)
When reading an imperative sentence, it will always sound like the speaker is bossing someone around.
Interrogatives
She’s an excellent violinist, isn’t she?
An interrogative sentence is a sentence that asks a question.
Exclamatives
I got the concert tickets!”
An exclamatory sentence makes a statement that conveys strong emotion or excitement. Placing that tiny stripe above a period at the end of a sentence can really rock the boat!
Sentence types analysis
When analysing a text in relation to sentence types, you must take into account the context and setting of that text.
E.g. a highly emotive monologue may be filled with rhetorical interrogatives in order to present a speaker’s opinion as obvious and commonsense.
