Syntax

LI 2013 NATHALIE F. MARTIN

SYNTAX

Table of Content

I. Grammatical vs. UngrammaticalII. The SentenceIII. Phrases

IV. Tree Diagrams /Labelling Phrases V. InflectionVI. Syntax & AmbiguityVII. Deep Structure vs. Surface Structur

eVIII.Moves

Rowe & Levine (2012):

p. 115-155 .

O’Grady & Archibald (2009)

p. 146-189.

Definition: Syntax

A child’s definition “All the money collected at church from sinners”

(Taken from

Laughing Matters, by Phil Callaway)

Syntax: The analysis of sentence structure

Grammatical vs Ungrammatical

Grammatical or Ungrammatical?

1. The boy found the ball

2. The boy found quickly

3. The boy found in the house

4. The boy found the ball in the house

5. David slept the baby

6. David slept soundly

KEEP IN MIND

Written versus spokenFormal versus informal (or even slang)

Right or wrong?

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

TO THE SENTENCE

The Sentence

PERSPECTIVES

What do you see? How would you describe

it?

Why different answers: Perspectives/background Different descriptions

PHRASE TYPES

PHRASE STRUCTURE

Phrase

1st Perspective of the Sentence

The most minimal view. Constituents:

Subject (topic of the sentence) Predicate (comment or assertion made about

the topic)

Ex: The cat is the most beautiful in the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGN_NxKIIFM


Types of sentences based on grammatical construction

A. Simple sentence:

1 Subject + 1 Predicate

Ex: The boy went swimming.

(Subject &

Predicate)



B. Compound sentence: (Subject & Predicate) + (Subject & Predicate)

= Subject + CONJ + Subject + predicate

= Subject + predicate CONJ + predicate

(Subject &

Predicate)



B. Compound sentence:

Ex: (The boy went swimming) + (The girl went swimming)

= The boy and the girl went swimming.

(Subject &

Predicate)

(Subject &

Predicate)1st Perspective of the Sentence


C. Complex sentence: • (Simple: Subject & Predicate) +

SUBORDINATING CONJ + (Dependant: Subject & Predicate) (Etc.)

Ex: The cat slept WHILE the dog ate.Ex: The cat slept WHILE the dog ate.



D. Compound-Complex sentence:

Ex:

Although I like to go camping (Dep clause),

I haven't had the time to go lately (Ind clause), AND

I haven't found anyone to go with (Ind clause).

(Subject &

Predicate)

nd Perspective of the Sentence

Types of sentences based on meaning, purpose or voice: DeclarativeInterrogativeImperativeExclamatoryNegativeActive or passive voice

3 rd Perspective of the Sentence

Study of the sentence based on grammatical construction.

Phrases: Heads of phrases + dependants

(specifiers + complements)• Nouns, verbs, prepositions, adjectives, etc.

PHRASE TYPES

PHRASE STRUCTURE

Phrase

Let’s Try it Out

How would you divide this sentence?

a)The children put the brand new toys in the box.

Definition of “phrases”: independent linguistic objects with their

own characteristics and internal structure

From Phrase Structure to Sentence Structure

We form sentences by combining words into phrasal constituents, phrases into larger constituents, and these constituents into sentences.

Phrase types

Noun Phrase (NP): Functions like a noun

Ex. The car, a clever student

Verb Phrase (VP): Functions like a verb

Ex: study hard, play the guitar

Phrase types

Adjective Phrase (AP): Functions like an adjective

Ex: pretty, very tall, quite certain

Adverb Phrase (AdvP): Starts with an adverb / modify verbs

Ex: all day, for many days, at noon, like a child, to prove her intelligence

Phrase types

Prepositional Phrase (PP): Starts with preposition (Prep) [in, on, with, etc.]

Ex: in the class, above the earth

Phrase Structure Rules

NP (Det) N (PP)PP P NP

The bus (NP)

The

NDet

bus

The bus in the yard

NP

The

NDet

bus

PP

in

NPP

the

Det N

yard

Phrase Structure Rules

VP V (NP) (PP)S NP (Aux) VP

took the money (VP)

took

NPV

took the money from the bank

VP

took

NPV PP

from

NPP

the

Det N

bank

the

Det N

money

the

Det N

money

Head Types

In Noun Phrase (NP): Functions like a noun, head is noun (N) Ex. The car, a clever student

In Verb Phrase (VP): Functions like a verb, head is verb (V) Ex: study hard, play the guitar

In Adjective Phrase (AP): Functions like an adjective, head is adjective (Adj) Ex: very tall, quite certain

In Prepositional Phrase (PP): Head is preposition (Prep) [in, on, with, etc.] Ex: in the class, above the earth

Phrase Structure

Phrase (XP)

{Specifier} Head (X) {Complement(s)}

The specifier narrows the meaning of the head. The complements give more information about the head.

• All phrases have the same basic structure:

Specifier types

In NPs, specifiers are determiners like a, the, this, that, these, those.

In VPs, specifiers are adverbs like always, never, seldom, often.

In APs, specifiers are degree words like very, quite, too, so.

In PPs, specifiers are adverbs like almost, nearly.

Complement types

In NPs, complements can be PPs: cabin by the lake, book on the table.

In VPs, complements can be NPs or PPs: ate the cookies, ate at the park.

In APs, complements can be PPs: happy about the new job.

In PPs, complements are NPs: at the park.

Sentence structure

The basic English sentence (S or IP) structure is:

S (or IP)

NP (Subject)

For this course, we will use either IP (for “inflection”) found in your textbook or S (for sentence)

VP (Predicate)

Simple Sentence

The NP and VP might only contain a head (no specifiers or complements):

S

NP VP

N V

Bill swims

Simple sentence 1

S

NP VP

Det N V

The boy swims

The boy swims.

Simple sentence 2

S

NP VP

Det N V PP

Prep NP

Det N

The boy swims in the stream

The boy swims in the stream.

Simple sentence 3

S

NP VP

Det N PP V PP

Prep NP Prep NP

N Det N

The boy from Ohio swims in the stream

The boy from Ohio swims in the stream.

Tree Diagrams /Labelling Phrases

Example with brackets

How would you devide this sentence into phrases?

The children put the toys in the box

[The children] [put [the toys] [in [the box] ] ]

The Main Phrase Structure Rules

1. S NP VP

2. NP (Det) (AP) N (PP)

3. VP (Aux) V (NP)

4. PP (Deg) P (NP)

Up Side Down Trees

Phrases

(Phrases)

Words

Sentence(+ Infl)

Syntactic Categories

O’Grady, p. 181

How to build trees structures:

Example - Phrase Tree (1)play with the toy

V

play

VP

NP

the

Det N

toy

How to Build a Tree (O’Grady, p. 181)

VP

PP

P

with

Draw the tree Structure of phrase

1. repair the telephone

2. the success of the program

3. a film about pollution

4. move towards the window

5. The end of the road

Example – Sentence Tree (2)He likes the toy.

VN

likes

S

NP VP

He

NP

the

Det N

toy


Example – Sentence Tree (2)The children like the toy.

V PP

in

NPP

the

Det N

boxThe

N

put

S

NP VP

Det

children

NP

the

Det N

toy


Example – Sentence Tree (3)The children put the toy in the box.

V PP

in

NPP

the

Det N

boxThe

N

put

S

NP VP

Det

children

NP

the

Det N

toy


Draw the structure trees for the following sentences

Draw the tree structure of the following sentences:

a) Those guests should leave.b) Maria never ate a brownie.c) That shelf will fall.d) The glass broke.e) The student lost the debate.f) The manager may offer a raise.

Question # 5 (a–f) p. 187 (O’Grady)

THE TENSE OF THE SENTENCE

TENSE

Tense of a Sentence?

What is the tense of this sentence?

a)He plays.

b)He will play.

c)He has played.

What marks the tense of the sentence?What characterises these sentences?Modal auxiliary

« Inflection » or TENSE

Abstract category dubbed « tense » and sometimes « Infl » for inflection that indicates the tense of the sentence.

Within the VP

Example (1)The old tree will sway in the wind.

old

V PP

in

NPP

the

Det N

windThe

N

sway

S

NP VP

Det Adj

tree

Aux

Past (- Pst)

will

Future

Infl

Example (2)The old tree swayed in the wind.

old

V PP

in

NPP

the

Det N

windThe

N

swayed

S

NP VP

Det Adj

tree

Past (+ Pst)

(Past tense)

Infl

TENSE

Circle the elements which occupy the “tense”

Underline the VP

a) Jane did solve the mystery.b) Jane will patiently wait for John in the

garden.c) Marilou was snoring again in the kitchen.


a) Those guests should leave.


Those guests should leave.

NP

S (IP)

V

VP

AuxNDet


b) Maria never ate a brownie.


NP

N

VP

V

N

S (IP)

Maria never ate a brownie

NP

Det

Adv

AdvP

What was Understood?THOUSAND DOLLAR BILLS ARE FINE FOR LITTERING.

How can we change this sentence to make it clear?

What should we add?

A 1000$ FINE FOR LITTERING.

(YOU CAN RECEIVE A 1000$ FINE FOR LITTERING IF

CAUGHT)

Syntax &Ambiguity

Ambiguity: a word, phrase or sentence with multiple meanings

Synthetic buffalo hides (NP) Synthetic buffalo hides (NP)

Synthetic buffalo hides Synthetic buffalo hides

Buffalo hides that are synthetic. Hides of synthetic buffalo.

Ambiguities often lead to humorous resultsAmbiguities often lead to humorous results

For sale: an antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers. what does “thick legs and large drawers” refer to? The desk or the lady?

Structural Ambiguity (1)The boy saw the man with the telescope

V PP

with

NPP

the

Det N

telescopeThe

N

saw

S

NP VP

Det

boy

NP

the

Det N

man

Structural Ambiguity (2)

The boy saw the man with the telescope

V

PP

with

NPP

the

Det N

telescopeThe

N

saw

S

NP VP

Det

boy

NP

the

Det N

man

« Inflection »

TENSE

Deep Stucture and Surface Structure

Transformation

1. How can we interpret “all mimsy were the borogroves”?

2. How can we find the category of “mimsy”?

3. How can you transform the sentence to make it more understandable (syntactically)?

Can You Find the Deep Structure

Draw the deep structure of the following sentences (adapted from #10 & 11, p.242)

1. Will the boss hire Hillary?2. Is that player leaving the team?3. Who should the director call?4. What is Joanne eating?

DECLARATIVE – INTERROGATIVE

YES-NO QUESTIONS

DO INSERTION

WH MOVEMENT

Transformation

Transformation

Movement TransformationDeletion TransformationInsertion TransformationSubstitution Transformation

From One Sentencfe to The Other

Look at these sentences:

1.What do we need to do to transform it from one sentence structure to the other?

a)Will the boy leave?

b)Which car is your’s?

Declarative – Interrogative

Move the auxiliary to the left of the subject.

The boy will leave.

S

VPNP

DetAux

N

The boy will leave

Will the boy leave?

S

VPNP

Det

Aux

N

the boyWill leave

The deep structure The surface structure

V V

The Wh Movement

Surface structure: Which car should the man repair? Deep structure:

V

N

carThe

N

repair

S

NP VP

Det

man

NP

which

Det

Aux

should

Ask Your Own Wh- Questions

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