Introduction to Syntax

What is the term for the information about complement types selected by particular verbs?

Which of the following is NOT a test of constituency?

Which phrase structure rule correctly represents a noun phrase (NP)?

What is the process of including one sentence within another called?

What do transformational grammar rules accomplish?

What allows sentences to be theoretically of unlimited length?

Which of the following is an example of a tag question?

Which type of phrase structure rule includes a verb phrase (VP) expanding to include complements?

Which part of the sentence 'The doctor prescribed some aspirins for the patient' serves as the direct object?

What is indicated by the term 'function' in syntax?

In the context of syntax, what is a head of a phrase?

Which of the following correctly represents the word order in English?

What does the term 'complement' refer to in the framework of sentence structure?

Which of these is an example of a functional category in syntax?

Which statement about verb complements is true?

Which of the following constituents makes up the phrase 'for him'?

Syntax

Syntax is the part of grammar that shows how speakers know about sentences and their structures.
Three aspects of syntax are:
- Grouping/Constituency
- Function
- Word order

Grouping/Constituency

Sentences are made of smaller units called constituents.
Constituents are phrases, not just single words.
Examples:
- "Animals breathe" is made of "animals" and "breathe" as constituents
Sentences can be broken down into smaller parts.
Example: "The doctor prescribed some aspirin for him" can be broken into constituents (the doctor)(prescribed some aspirin)(for him)

Function

Function shows relationships between noun phrases, verbs, and other words.
Syntactic functions/grammatical relations include:
- Subject
- Predicate
- Direct object
- Object of preposition
Syntactic categories, like noun phrase (NP) and verb phrase (VP), are identified by their heads (the key word).

Word Order

Word order is the correct order of words in a language.
English word order is usually SVO (Subject-Verb-Object).

Category Selection

Verbs take complements (parts) to complete their meaning.
Some verbs require a noun phrase (e.g., "eat").
Some verbs need an adjective.
Other parts of speech also select the parts of speech that come after them.
This information is called c-selection or subcategorization.

Tests of Constituency

Constituents can stand alone in sentences or be replaced.
Constituents can be combined with conjunctions (and, or, but).
Constituents can be replaced with pronouns.

Recursion

Sentences can grow in length because of recursion (the ability to add parts to phrases or clauses).
This adds to the flexibility of a language.

Phrase Structure Rules (PSR)

Rules define the structure and components of phrases.
Example: "Noun Phrase" → (Article) (Adjective Phrase) Noun (Prepositional Phrase).
These rules are used to create sentence structures.

Explore the essential components of syntax including grouping, function, and word order. This quiz will help you understand how sentences are structured and the relationships between different parts of speech. Test your knowledge of syntactic functions and constituents in English grammar.