Syntax Vocabulary Module 6 Flashcards
Syntax
Defines the set of rules for using words, phrases, clauses, and punctuation, within sentences.
Diction
Defines the style of written or spoken language, representing the choices a speaker or writer makes within the rules of grammar and syntax.
misplaced modifier
Modifiers change or modify parts of a sentence, when they are misplaced they make a sentence unclear, usually by modifying multiple subjects.
Independent Clause
An independent clause is a clause that can stand alone as a full sentence.
Dependent Clause
A dependent clause cannot be a full sentence. Dependent clauses need to combine with other dependent clauses or independent clauses to form a full sentence.
run-on-sentence
A sentence that should be split into 2 separate sentences to be grammatically correct.
sentence fragment
Is a fragment that does qualify as a full sentence, much like a dependent clause.
Oxford comma
the comma that precedes the “and ____” portion of a list. Oxford commas are not mandatory, but are generally acceptable in most style guides.
subject-verb agreement
matching the tense of subjects and verbs so they are grammatically correct.
grammar
refers to the complete system of phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic information and rules that speakers of a given language possess
syntactic argumentation
the different kinds of reasoning that can be used to justify syntactic analyses.
constituents/phrases
a component of a sentence that functions as a unit
pronominalisation
the substitution of a constituent by a
pronoun (e.g. “they” for “many people”)
pro-form
an interchangeable term for the word “pronoun”
coordination test
a test that proves certain words are constituents because they can be joined by the coordinating conjunction “and”. this test is to be used when other tests are not applicable.
gapping
the process of creating a slot in a sample sentence to use the sentence to enact a test.
sentence-fragment test
a test that checks if fragments can be labeled constituents if they are grammatically correct within certain sample sentences.
structural ambiguity
when the syntactic structure of a sentence has multiple correct interpretations.
head
the most important element of a phrase.
noun phrases
phrases headed by a noun or nominal slot.
prepositional phrases
a phrase that begins with a preposition in order to modify a noun or subject in the wider sentence.
adjective phrase
a phrase that acts as an adjective in a sentence to give more information about a noun.
verb phrase
a phrase that contains a verb, auxilary verbs, and any direct or indirect objects, without the subject.
adverb phrase
a phrase that functions adverbially to modify other words
word-classes, syntactic categories, parts-of-speech, or lexical categories
different structure classes of words that function in different ways (including nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs)
determiners
a word that precedes a noun to clarify how many nouns you are referring to.
demonstrative pronouns
demonstrative pronouns are a type of pronoun used to represent additional information about the noun it is describing, words include this, that, these, those, etc.
possessive nouns
are nouns that show ownership or a direct connection between two words.
phrase structure rules
a set of rules that generates proper grammatical structure for sentences.
subordinate clauses
A clause that needs to combine with another clause or sentence to be grammatically correct.
clause
a syntactic unit that consists of a verb phrase and its subject.
predicate
the words in a sentence or clause that describe the action but not the subject
ditransitive
a verb that takes a direct object and an indirect object.
direct object
a noun phrase denoting a person or thing that is the recipient of the action of a transitive verb
indirect object
is the word or phrase that receives a direct object
complement
a word, phrase, or clause that is necessary to complete the meaning of a sentence
predicative complements
a complement that specifically completes a sentence by elaborating on a noun or pronoun.
transitive verbs
a verb that requires a direct object to complete its meaning.
intransitive verbs
a verb that can stand alone without a direct object and be grammatically correct.
adverbial
a word or phrase functioning as an adverb.
