SYNTAX

The Structure of Simple Sentences

I. Introduction
EXERCISE: Make a sentence out of each of the following sets of words:
(a) sleeps, a, bab, newborn
(b) in, house, li!e, green, the, a, people
(c) the, kicked, bo, ball, a
II. Simple Phrases
A. Three ways to identify phrases
E"a#ple: Mary swims.
EXERCISE: $one of the following string of words follows the rules of English
snta"% Change the order of each so that it is a gra##atical sentence%
(a) &as been eating the chocolate cake the old #an%
(b) 'he old #an the chocolate cake has been eating%
(c) &as been eating the old #an the chocolate cake%
Phrases ( )roups which #o!e as whole units and are inter#ediate between words and
sentences%
'hree tests to identif which groups of words in a sentence are phrases:
*% #o!e#ent
+% #eaning
,% substitution
E"a#ples:
(a) The old man ate the chocolate cake
(b) -hat the old man ate was the chocolate cake%
(c) The chocolate cake was eaten b the old man%
Ingl.s I/ 0esson on Snta" 1 'he Structure of Si#ple Sentences *
(a) 2It was #an the chocolate cake which old ate%
(b) 2'he the cake was eaten b chocolate old #an%
3hrases do not 4ust for# gra##atical units, but also for# units of #eaning% 'he
following se5uences of words all ha!e a coherent identifiable #eaning:
(a) the old #an, the chocolate cake,
(b) the large e!il leather alligator,
(c) in a bad #ood,
(d) unbelie!abl boring,
(e) 5uite large,
(f) is reading a book%
Each one of these se5uences is a phrase%
E"ercise 6*: In each of the following sentences identif se5uences of three or #ore
words which are phrases%
(a) 7n ancient #onu#ent fell down during the bo#bing%
(b) Se!eral oung 0at!ian artists danced gracefull before the E#press%
EXERCISE: 0ook at the following sentences and substitute another phrase for each of
the italici8ed phrases%
Davina sold petrol esterda at the corner store%
E"a#ple sentences:
( My old friend John sold tulips esterda in the market%
( The angry tenants sold all of the furniture of the apartment block esterda out of
spite%
Ingl.s I/ 0esson on Snta" 1 'he Structure of Si#ple Sentences +
B. Heads and Modifiers
'he fi!e #a4or le"ical categories (parts of speech):
( noun
( !erb
( ad4ecti!e
( ad!erb, and
( preposition
9Distribution or 9Distributional properties ( the order in which sntactic
constituents co#e%
E"a#ple: in a train
(a) )ran!ille #et his belo!ed in a train%
(b) :ou alwas get an odd range of s#ells in a train%
(c) 'he e#ergenc cord in a train should not be touched without good reason%
If we take a phrase like a train it cannot fit in these places:
(a) 2)ran!ille #et his belo!ed a train%
(b) 2:ou alwas get an odd range of s#ells a train%
(c) 2'he e#ergenc cord a train should not be touched without good reason%
E"a#ple: the noun phrase gorgeous looking Bentleys with walnut dashboards
;;;;;;;;;;;;; #ake Cli!e drool%
Cli!e lo!es ;;;;;;;;;;;;;%
E"a#ple: the noun phrase the witches discovery of the secrets of life
Ingl.s I/ 0esson on Snta" 1 'he Structure of Si#ple Sentences ,
E"ercise 6+: <sing the properties of phrases, find the heads of the following phrases% $ote that in so#e
cases there are phrases within these phrases% :ou should find onl the word which is the head of the whole
phrase, and not the heads of an of the phrase=s other constituents%
(a) the great big elephant
(b) se!eral !er old books
(c) all the wo#en in the #oon
(d) e"cellentl presented #aterial on 0ad &a!isha#
(e) rather thick in the head
(f) #ost awfull pleasant
(g) delighted b their arri!al
(h) sitting in the roo#
(i) bored out of his skull
(4) ha!ing delaed writing to ou
(k) sncopated rhth#s of 7frica
(l) !er lo!el
(#) in trouble with the law
(n) al#ost out of the woods
(o) right abo!e his neighbour=s house
(p) singularl uni#pressed with >effer
(5) is eating a big dinner
E"ercise 6,: Identif the gra##atical categor (part of speech) of the heads of the following phrases%
(a) out of the stratosphere
(b) gi!en his intransigence
(c) ccled to work
(d) dreadfull slowl
(e) 5uite inappropriatel large
(f) tawdr work b the a#ateur painters
(g) right up in Scotland
(h) so nearl correct
(i) genuinel sill about his aunt=s fortune
(4) right beside a dirt factor
Ingl.s I/ 0esson on Snta" 1 'he Structure of Si#ple Sentences ?
C. Noun Phrase
0ook at the following phrases:
(a) the dog
(b) a #oderatel short progra##e
(c) so#e !er old cars
(d) si" bags of whole#eal flour
(e) !er dirt #arks on the walls
-e can see an i#portant gra##atical process at work within these phrases, na#el that a
phrase can function within another phrase% 'his process is ter#ed embeddin@ one
phrase is said to be e#bedded within another%
-e can represent e#beddedness with a tree diagra#%
7 #oderatel short progra##e
$oun phrase
ad4ecti!e phrase noun
ad!erb ad4ecti!e
a #oderatel short progra##e
Ingl.s I/ 0esson on Snta" 1 'he Structure of Si#ple Sentences A
E"ercise 6?: -rite tree diagra#s for the two noun phrases below%
(a) so#e !er old cars
(b) si" plants in the shop
(a) so#e !er old cars
$oun phrase
7d4ecti!e phrase noun
ad!erb ad4ecti!e
so#e !er old cars
(b) si" plants in the shop
noun phrase
prepositional phrase
noun preposition noun phrase
si" plants noun
in the shop
Ingl.s I/ 0esson on Snta" 1 'he Structure of Si#ple Sentences B
Determiners ( a and the
E"a#ple: I have a new car.
E"a#ple: I saw the teacher yesterday.
Demonstrati!es: this that these and those
"uantifiers: many most some all few several and both
E"a#ples:
( all the cars and both the students
( some red boats
( many soldiers%
E"a#ples of possessi!e noun phrases:
Joans car
an old buildings fences
a parks si! tall trees
an old buildings rather green fences
o!ens yoke
the old mill by the streams green fences
E"ercise 6A: 3ick out the heads and #odifiers in the following noun phrases%
(a) 'he old gre #are down in the paddock%
(b) M uncle with the fish and chip shop%
(c) 'hese three intelligent bus dri!ers I #et esterda%
(d) 7nother person who# I don=t know%
(e) Si" goblins in green%
Ingl.s I/ 0esson on Snta" 1 'he Structure of Si#ple Sentences C
1. Pronouns
E"a#ple: Most teachers work very hard and they earn all the money they get.
Antecedent 1 Dstands forE
Most teachers is the antecedent of the pronoun they%
E"a#ple: "ll the older teachers at #$% work very hard and they earn all the money
they get.
'he pronoun they has the noun phrase all the older teachers at #$% as its antecedent%
#orms of $nlish pronouns:
( nu#ber
( person
( gender
Possessi!e Pronouns:
E"a#ple: The old steam train travelled to its nearest destination.
The old steam train travelled to the old steam trains nearest destination%
E"ercise 6B: Find the pronouns in the following passage and for each pronoun indicate
its nu#ber, person, and gender%
Marie and her brother had worked together for a long time in the family business while it
was developing. I had known them since school and you must have known them too. &e
was a short fellow while she was much taller.
7nswers:
&er 1 ,
rd
pers, poss%, fe#, sing%
It 1 ,
rd
pers, sub4, neut, sing
I 1 *
st
pers, sub4, sing%
'he# 1 ,
rd
pers, co#p, plur
:ou 1 +
nd
pers%, sub4, singGplur,
'he# 1 ,
rd
pers, co#ple, plur
&e 1 ,
rd
pers, sub4, #asc, sing
She 1 ,
rd
pers, sub4, fe#, sing
Ingl.s I/ 0esson on Snta" 1 'he Structure of Si#ple Sentences H
D. Ad%ecti!e Phrase
E"a#ples:
(a) 5uite old
(b) #oderatel e"pensi!e
(c) 5uite #oderatel long in the ar#s
Iraw labelled tree diagra#s for the following two ad4ecti!e phrases:
( 5uite old
( 5uite #oderatel long in the ar#s
7nswers:
5uite old
7d4ecti!e 3hrase
ad!erb phrase ad4ecti!e
degree ad!erb
5uite old
5uite #oderatel long in the ar#s
7d4ecti!e 3hrase
7d!erb phrase ad4ecti!e prepositional phrase
7d!erb phrase ad!erb preposition noun
phrase
Iegree ad!erb deter#iner noun
Ingl.s I/ J&3 on Snta" 1 'he Structure of Si#ple Sentences K
Luite #oderatel long in the ar#s
Ingl.s I/ J&3 on Snta" 1 'he Structure of Si#ple Sentences *M
E"a#ples of 7d4ecti!e phrases in two places:
(a) the very old goat the goat was very old'
(b) the rather dreadful holiday the holiday which was rather dreadful
'he first position is ter#ed 9attributi!e position and ad4ecti!es which are located in this
position are called attributi!e ad%ecti!es%
'he other position is ter#ed predicate position and the ad4ecti!es which are located in
this position are called predicate ad%ecti!es% It is the position an ad4ecti!e phrase takes
when it co#es after !erbs%
Differences between the attributi!e and predicate positions for ad%ecti!es:
*% 7ttributi!e ad4ecti!es ha!e a preferred se5uence while predicate ad4ecti!es do
not%
E"a#ples: a friendly former conductor
a small blue car 2a car is small blue
The car is small and blue% The car is blue and small.
+% 7ttributi!e ad4ecti!e phrases cannot ha!e constituents after their heads, whereas
in predicate position #odifiers after the head are allowed%
E"a#ples: 2the long in the arms young man
the young man is long in the arms
E"ercise 6C: Identif the ad4ecti!e phrases in the following passage%
In other ways he was a very hard man. &e was big and rather clumsy(looking with big
heavy bones and long flat muscles and he had a big e!pressionless broken(nosed face.
)et he moved with surprising ease and silence as well as having a gift for stillness.
(M%N% >oseph, " *oldiers Tale)
Ingl.s I/ J&3 on Snta" 1 'he Structure of Si#ple Sentences **
E. Ad!erb Phrase
E"a#ples: very +uickly +uite slowly, +uite moderately slowly
7d4ecti!e and ad!erb phrases can be ter#ed 97 phrases= or 73 for short%
F. Prepositional Phrase
0ook at the following !erb phrases:
(a) pla in the moonlight
(b) sat by the gate
(c) has co#e ho#e in a couple of hours
on a motorbike
through a tunnel.
E"ercise 6 H: Find the prepositional phrases in the following e"tract%
"t first it seemed there was no one about. Then he saw a single figure a girl far down
the beach close to where the surf was breaking sitting under a beach umbrella. &e went
towards her. ,hen he was close enough to see her clearly he sat down on the white sand.
&e could not see her face. *he sat with her back to the land staring out to sea.
The umbrella above her was dark blue with white frills and tassels that swayed in the
bree-e. &er hair was long and blonde and it too was dragged at by the bree-e from the
sea. *he was slender her shoulders broad only in proportion to her long tapering back
and narrow waist. *he sat cross(legged her knees appearing to *mith pro.ecting on
either side like outriggers. *he was pale(skinned lightly tanned. *he sat perfectly still.
/rom where *mith watched the highest waves appeared to lift above her. &e saw her
framed in green. Then as the wave broke and shot forward up the sand he saw her
against the white froth and blue of the sky. *ometimes in the relative +uiet between
breakers he heard faintly the sound of music and guessed that somewhere among her
things scattered about the beach towel on which she sat was a battery radio.
(C%N% Stead, *miths Dream)
Ingl.s I/ J&3 on Snta" 1 'he Structure of Si#ple Sentences *+
S&'$ (INTS #&) D)A*IN+ T)$$ DIA+)A'S &# SI'P,$ P()AS$S-
*% Find the head of the phrase% Re#e#ber that e!er noun, ad4ecti!e, !erb, ad!erb
and preposition is the head of a phrase%
+% Find the #odifiers which go with a head% Modifiers alwas tell ou #ore about
the head% For e"a#ple, in the phrase the red mill by the river, red tells ou #ore
about the #ill, and the fact that it is b the ri!er tells ou #ore about the #ill%
E!en the deter#iner the tells ou that there is a particular #ill being #entioned%
E"ercise 6K: Iraw tree diagra#s of the phrases below% <se the abbre!iations
presented here to help ou%
7bbre!iations:
$ for noun
7 for ad4ecti!e and ad!erb
3 for preposition
/ for !erb
IE' for deter#iner
IE) for degree ad!erb
7 also for nu#erals and 5uantifiers
3RJ$ for pronoun
$3 for noun phrase
3JSS for possessi!e noun phrase
73 for ad4ecti!e and ad!erb phrases
33 for prepositional phrase
/3 for !erb phrase
0e"/ for le"ical !erb
7u"/ for au"iliar !erb
$oun 3hrases-
*% too #an undertakers too #an (#odifiers)@ undertakers (head)
+% the ani#als= capti!it in dirt cages the ani#als= (#odifiers)@ capti!it (head)@ in dirt
cages (#odifiers)
3repositional 3hrases:
,% co#pletel down the drain co#pletel (#odifier)@ down (head)@ the drain (#odifier)
?% across the street across (head)@ the street (#odifiers)
7d4ecti!e 3hrases:
A% fearful of the conse5uences fearful (head)@ of the conse5uences (#odifiers)
B% too in!ol!ed in students= affairs too (#odifier)@ in!ol!ed (head)@ in students= affairs (#odifiers)
Ingl.s I/ J&3 on Snta" 1 'he Structure of Si#ple Sentences *,
G. .erb Phrase
E"a#ples:
(a) ga!e >ill a book
(b) has gi!en >ill a book
(c) will be gi!ing >ill a book
,e/ical !erbs
0 Types of Au/iliary !erbs
*% Modal au"iliar !erbs: can could shall should will would may might and
must, which if the !erb phrase has one, alwas co#e first@
+% 7spect au"iliaries, have and be, which if the are present, co#e in that order and
after an #odal au"iliar !erb@ and
,% 3assi!e au"iliar which is also be, which if it is present, co#es last%
E"a#ple: could have been being taken
$/amples of constituents which come before le/ical !erbs:
a% does gi!e >ill a book
b% did gi!e >ill a book
c% doesn=t gi!e >ill a book
d% hasn=t gi!en >ill a book
E"a#ples:
(b) hasn=t gi!en >ill the book
(c) isn=t gi!ing >ill the book
(d) will not gi!e >ill the book
)i!en the abo!e restrictions, wh are the following !erb phrases ungra##aticalO
(a) 2does be gi!ing >ill the book
(b) 2hasn=t beenn=t gi!ing >ill the book%
Ingl.s I/ J&3 on Snta" 1 'he Structure of Si#ple Sentences *?
$ow look at the following !erb phrases% -hat constituents other than au"iliar !erbs and
negati!es appear in front of the le"ical !erbO
(a) has !er suddenl gi!en >ill the book
(b) is al#ost certainl gi!ing >ill the book
(c) could not !er easil be gi!ing >ill the book
'he perfecti!e aspect au"iliar have
E"a#ple: >ill has given >ohn the book
'he proressi!e aspect au"iliar be
E"a#ple: >ill is giving >ohn a book%
E"a#ples of !erb phrases which contain the perfecti!e au"iliar have:
(a) ha!e eaten their breakfasts
(b) ha!e taken the train to 0isbon
(c) ha!e been opening #an windows
Ingl.s I/ J&3 on Snta" 1 'he Structure of Si#ple Sentences *A