Applied English for Linguistics
Summer 2005
Syntax

syntax = analysis of sentence structure (from Greek: put in order)

syntax (noun), syntactical (adjective)

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The excellent students have been studying very hard, and they have learned a lot about linguistics in their class.

A phrase (NP, AP, VP, or PP):

(1) must have a head = core (for example, the head of a noun phrase is a noun)

(2) may have a specifier = a word (1) that makes the meaning of the head clearer, and (2) marks the beginning or end of a phrase

• determiners specify a noun = for example, the, a, these, that
• adverbs = specify a verb = for example, always, often, never
• degree words (degree means "how much") = specify an adjective or a preposition = for example, very, quite, really

(3) may have a complement that gives information that is missing

• complements are usually other phrases
• for example: in the verb phrase: "studies at the library", at the library is the complement = it gives information that is missing.