Week 6 Syntax

Question 1

What is syntax

Answer 1

* knowledge of the structure of phrases and sentences
* determining the correct word order at the clause level

Question 2

What is form based criteria when determining word classes?

Answer 2

Using morphological affixes and distribution (islands of reliability)

Question 3

What are determiners?

Answer 3

* Articles (the, a, an)
* Demonstratives (this, that, those, these)
* Possessives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their)

Question 4

When do determiners usually occur? (Distribution)

Answer 4

Usually before a noun - might be other modifiers in between

Question 5

Define pronouns

Answer 5

A word that can be substituted with another word or a group of words
• Those black pigeons are so annoying.
• Those pigeons are so annoying
• Pigeons are so annoying.
• They are so annoying

Question 6

What is a reflexive pronoun?

Answer 6

What is a reflexive pronoun?

All the pronouns that end in –self or –selves.

• You have outdone yourself
• She always cooked for herself
• Mary cooked that cake herself

Question 7

What is an interrogative pronoun?

Answer 7

Occur in question forms

• Who, what, which, what, whose
• Who is the boy? What is he eating? Which apple did he eat? Whose apple is this?

Question 8

What is a demonstrative pronoun?

Answer 8

English has four demonstrative pronouns: this/that (singular) and this/these (plural).

• I like this. (pron)
• I like this cat. (det)

Question 9

What is a possessive pronoun?

Answer 9

These pronouns express ownership

• This recipe is mine.

Question 10

What are prepositions?

Answer 10

• Simple prepositions: in, from, near, under
• Complex (multiword) prepositions: in front of, on top of, in addition to.

Question 11

What are grammatical/function words?:

Answer 11

Also known as closed class words

pronouns, prepositions and conjunctions, articles/determiners, auxiliaries

Question 12

What are lexical/content words

Answer 12

Also known as closed class words

nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs

Question 13

What are primary auxiliaires?

Answer 13

Premodifiers - Primary Auxiliaries

• (to) be, (to) have, (to) do
• They help with the grammatical structure.

*I eating. I am eating

*I eaten. I have eaten

Question 14

What re modal auxiliaries?

Answer 14

• Pre-modifiers
• convey aspects of probability, ability, intentionality, and obligation
• Only one modal per verb phrase.

Eg. can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, and must.

Question 15

What are conjunctions?

Answer 15

words that link words, phrases, clauses or parts of clauses, or linguistic units, together

Question 15

What are conjunctions?

Answer 15

words that link words, phrases, clauses or parts of clauses, or linguistic units, together

Question 16

What are co-ordinator conjunctions?

Answer 16

Co-ordinators link units that are of equal status in the sentence, such as two noun phrases, two clauses etc.

• and, but, or

E.g: The cat and the dog. I love cat but I hate dogs.

Question 17

What are subordinator conjunctions?

Answer 17

Subordinators link units which do not have the same grammatical status to be explored in complex syntax.

• E.g. We can’t go if the shops aren’t open

Question 18

Distribution check

All grammatical clauses must contain a #######

Auxiliaries may occur in front of the #######

Answer 18

main verb

Question 19

Distribution check

Adjectives may occur in front of a ###### or by themselves after a ######

Answer 19

……..noun……. verb

Eg.

• The handsome man is looking at me.
• The man is handsome.

Question 20

Distribution Check

Adverbs can be ######

Answer 20

shifty

eg.

• We finally understand syntax.
• We understand syntax finally.
• Finally, we understand syntax.

Question 21

What are intensifier adverbs?

Answer 21

Intensifier adverbs that modify adjectives or other adverbs will occur in front of the adjective or adverb.

• The lecture was very enjoyable.
• The boy ran very quickly.

Question 22

What are constituents?

Answer 22

All the words and phrases that make up a sentence are said to be constituents of that sentence. A constituent can be a morpheme , word , phrase, or clause.

Question 23

What is a phrase

Answer 23

A phrase is a level between words and sentences.

• Noun phrases
• Adjective phrases
• Verb phrases
• Adverb phrases
  
  • Preposition phrases

Question 24

What are the tests for phrases?

Answer 24

• Movement (Moving around groups of words. Eg. On their finest couch is where her cat annoyingly sleeps on.)
• Substitution - (Replacing (a group of) words by a single word within the same constituent. Eg. It annoyingly sleeps on their finest couch!)
  
  • Stand alone question (Eg. Who is sleeping on their finest couch? … Her cat) (Only works on certain types of phrases)

Question 25

Structure of phrases

Answer 25

• Head word
  
  • Modifiers (optional elements that add to the meaning) E.g., The ugly cats (noun phrase) modifier: the (determiner); ugly (adjective)

Question 26

Different types of phrases

Answer 26

Noun Phrases

Preposition Phrases

Adjective Phrases

Adverb Phrases

Verb Phrases

Question 27

Headword in a noun phrase

Answer 27

noun or pronoun

Question 28

Premodifiers occur before noun in a noun phrase

(Yes or No)

Answer 28

Yes

Eg these determiners

I like the** cows. I like **my** cows. I like **some** cows. I like **all cows.