syntax (needs editing!!) Flashcards
syntax
Syntax has to do with the way we put words together, or arrange them in a sentence.
subject
The subject is the person or thing the sentence is about.
predicate
The predicate is what is written or said about the subject.
phrase
A phrase is a collection of words that form a grammatical unit but are not sentences.
head word
The head word is the main word in a phrase.
modifiers
Modifiers are words that describe the head word or give more information.
noun phrases
Noun phrases usually have a noun or pronoun as their head word.
verb phrases
Verb phrases usually contain a main (lexical) verb (the head word) and any accompanying auxiliary verbs (such as is, was, have, etc).
prepositional phrase?
A prepositional phrase contains a preposition and the object.
clauses?
Clauses are a group of related words containing a subject.
independent (main) clause?
An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence.
dependent (subordinate) clause?
A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause.
relative clause?
A relative clause is a clause introduced by a relative pronoun, such as WHO, WHICH, THAT, or by a relative adverb, such as WHERE, WHEN, WHY.
adverbial clause?
An adverbial clause answers questions like how, where, when, and why about the verb.
clause elements (SVOCA)?
Clause elements include subject, verb, object, complement, and adverbial.
subject in a clause?
The subject is the main person or thing the clause is about, performing the action, and usually comes before the verb.
verb in a clause?
The verb is the doing word in the clause.
object in a clause?
The object normally follows the verb and usually answers the question ‘who or what has something been done to?’.
complement?
A complement gives more information about the subject or object.
adverbial?
An adverbial is an optional extra in a sentence, usually involving an adverb, providing information of time, place, or manner.
‘place’ refer to in a sentence?
‘Place’ refers to where something happened.
‘time’ refer to in a sentence?
‘Time’ refers to when or how often something happened.
‘manner’ refer to in a sentence?
‘Manner’ refers to how something happened.
sentence fragments?
Sentence fragments act as a sentence even though they aren’t a complete main clause, missing either a verb or a subject.
simple sentences?
Simple sentences contain only a single clause, usually having a subject and predicate.
compound sentences?
Compound sentences consist of two or more simple sentences joined by one of seven coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS).
complex sentences?
Complex sentences have one or more clauses of lesser importance than the main clause.
compound-complex sentences?
Compound-complex sentences have a minimum of three clauses: two main and one subordinate clause.
declarative sentence?
A declarative sentence provides information, observations, or statements.
interrogative sentence?
An interrogative sentence asks questions.
imperative sentences?
Imperative sentences give direct orders or instructions.
exclamative sentence?
An exclamative sentence makes an exclamation, indicating high levels of emotion.
referential function
The referential function provides description and information.
emotive function
The emotive function expresses emotion.
conative function
The conative function aims to persuade, convince, or command.
phatic function
The phatic function involves social interaction.
metalingual function
The metalingual function is to talk about language.
poetic function
The poetic function relates to the meaning or message; the art of words.
field in text analysis?
Field describes the subject matter in a text - topics.
mode in text analysis?
Mode refers to whether a text is spoken or written.
setting in text analysis?
Setting refers to where the text takes place.
tenor in text analysis?
Tenor is the relationship between the participants in a conversation or between the text producer and receiver.
text type?
Text type is a style of discourse within a text.
register in language?
Register is the variation in the style of language, often linked to formality.
morphology?
Morphology is the study of morphemes, the smallest unit of grammar, and how words are formed.
morpheme?
A morpheme is the smallest unit of language that expresses meaning.
affixation?
Affixation involves adding to the beginning or end of the root or stem word.
free morpheme?
A free morpheme can stand on its own as a word.
bound morpheme?
A bound morpheme cannot stand on its own as a word and must be attached to other morphemes.
inflectional morphemes?
Inflectional morphemes are known as grammatical morphemes because they give grammatical information (always suffixes).
derivational morphemes?
Derivational morphemes change the class of the word.
roots in language?
Roots are words in their simplest or earliest form, from which many English words are made by joining word elements.
conversion in language?
Conversion occurs when words change class without the addition of an affix.
blends in language?
Blends are formed by combining part of one word with another word (e.g., motel).
acronym?
An acronym is a word formed from the initial letters of existing words.
initialism?
An initialism is an item pronounced as a sequence of letters.
hypocoristic suffix?
In Australia, a hypocoristic suffix often shortens words and ends them in a vowel.
semantic domains?
Semantic domains refer to a range of words that have related meanings and lexical relationships with each other.
field in relation to semantic domains?
Field describes the subject matter in a text, related to semantic domain, but is more broadly the topic overall.
