7 Questions
What is the part of grammar that studies the way in which words are combined and grouped to form larger sequences?
Syntax
What are the types of phrases found in the study of syntax?
SN, SV, SAdj, SAdv and SPrep
What is an immediate constituent in the context of syntax?
It is a noun phrase whose nucleus agrees in person and number with the nucleus of the verbal phrase.
What is an example of a feature of Spanish as a 'prodrop' language?
It allows the ellipsis of the subject pronoun.
What do impersonal sentences lack?
Impersonal sentences lack a grammatical subject.
Syntax is the part of grammar that studies the way in which words are combined and grouped to form larger sequences (phrases, sentences), as well as the functions they perform within them. Phrases are words or groups of words that are articulated around a nucleus and can perform a syntactic function. Each constituent has a nucleus (they carry the most important information of the phrase). The types of phrases we find are: SN, SV, SAdj, SAdv and SPrep. IMMEDIATE CONSTITUENTS _______
Subject noun
Subject It is a noun phrase whose nucleus agrees in person and number with the nucleus of the verbal phrase, although there are times when the subject is not NP: The non-explicit or elliptical subject occurs in sentences in which the subject is not implicit in the sentence but it is understood what it is due to the agreement with the verb. This is because Spanish is a 'prodrop' language, that is, it allows the ellipsis of the subject pronoun; It is situated in front of 'non-pro-drop' languages, which need an explicit subject. Impersonal sentences lack a grammatical _______.
Subject
Study Notes
Syntax
- Syntax is the part of grammar that studies the way words are combined and grouped to form larger sequences (phrases, sentences), as well as the functions they perform within them.
Phrases
- Phrases are words or groups of words that are articulated around a nucleus and can perform a syntactic function.
- Each constituent has a nucleus, which carries the most important information of the phrase.
Types of Phrases
- There are five types of phrases: SN (Noun Phrase), SV (Verbal Phrase), SAdj (Adjectival Phrase), SAdv (Adverbial Phrase), and SPrep (Prepositional Phrase).
Immediate Constituents
- Immediate constituents are the smallest parts of a phrase that can be broken down into smaller units.
Subjects in Syntax
- A subject is a noun phrase whose nucleus agrees in person and number with the nucleus of the verbal phrase.
- In some cases, the subject may not be an NP (Noun Phrase).
- Non-explicit or elliptical subjects occur in sentences where the subject is not implicit in the sentence but is understood due to verb agreement.
Pro-drop Language
- Spanish is a 'pro-drop' language, meaning it allows the ellipsis of the subject pronoun.
- This differs from 'non-pro-drop' languages, which require an explicit subject.
Impersonal Sentences
- Impersonal sentences lack a grammatical subject.
Test your knowledge of syntax with this quiz based on an introduction to language sciences, focusing on the way words are combined and grouped to form larger sequences like phrases and sentences.
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