Chapter 8 : Syntax


 The Essence of Syntax

        The study of syntax focuses on the rules and procedures that determine sentence structure. By using a limited set of constraints to produce an unlimited number of sentences, it illustrates the relationships between various sentence patterns and assists in differentiating between them.

Surface vs. Deep Structure
        Sentences' surface structure describes their various forms, yet their deep structure communicates the sentences' underlying meaning. For instance, "The child ate the cake" and "The cake was eaten by the child" have different surface structures but the same underlying structure.

Structural Ambiguity
        Sentences may have multiple meanings, which makes them unclear. For example, "The professor discussed the book with the student" could indicate that the professor and the student discussed the book together, or that the book was the topic of discussion.

Syntactic Analysis

        Syntactic analysis uses abbreviations like NP (noun phrase) and VP (verb phrase). Phrase structure rules define how these elements combine to form sentences.

Phrase Structure and Lexical Rules
        The construction of phrases is governed by phrase structure rules, which state that a sentence (S) is made up of both NP and VP. Words that fall into these categories—for example, "teacher" or "author" for nouns—are determined by lexical rules.
Tree Diagrams
        One of the most effective methods for putting underlying grammatical structure into visual form. When we make a depiction of how each portion fits into the overall structure of phrases, we can utilize the symbols introduced earlier to mark sections of the tree. 

 Tree Diagrams of English Sentences

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