Syntax

Phrase It is the structural element at a level between word and clause. It consists of
one or more words. Phrase is a part of a clause. There are phrase-boundaries
in the sentences.
“some milk,” “some more of that milk,” “some more of that really delicious
milk from the local dairy,” “very, very, very cold milk,” “milk.”
Sometimes a single word acts as the essential element within the phrase. This
word is the head-word of the phrase. All the other words in the phrase are
there as subordinate elements to the head word.
In the phrase like “skipping and jumping”, either “skipping” or “jumping” could
act as the head-word. However, in the phrase “in her kitchen” we cannot
define only one word that can be regarded as the main one in the phrase
because it damages the meaning. The two parts of that phrase “in” and “her
kitchen” are both of equal importance.
→ NB! There are phrases that can operate around a head-word and those
which don’t.
The phrases that can operate around a head-word are:
1. Noun phrase (my aunt; a little tea);
2. Verb phrase (was making);
3. Adjective phrase (all alone);
4. Adverb phrase (quite slowly).
The phrases that can’t operate around a head-word:
1. Prepositional phrase (in the kitchen – preposition + noun phrase)
Adjective phrase Adj. + Noun – “the pink trousers”
Adj. + V – “she was very happy” (“happy” is the head-
word)
Adj. for emphasis – “very happy,” “utterly and completely
happy,” “very happy indeed,” “happy enough”
! When we want to say more about an adjective, we prefer
to do so before we say the word itself.
Adverb phrase The adverb phrase may contain just 1 word – adverb.
“She ran quickly”
Adv. for emphasis: “She ran even more quickly,” “She ran
quite quickly,” “She ran so very quickly,” “She ran quickly
enough”
! When we want to say more about an adverb, we prefer
to do so before we say the word itself.
Prepositional Prep. + Noun – “in the kitchen,” “under the table.”
phrase Prep. + Adv. – “over there”
Prep. + Adj. – “at best”
Prep. + Prep. Phrase – “over in the field”
Noun phrase Article + Noun – “the tomato”
In this case Determiner + Noun – “my tomato,” “which tomato?,” “this
pronouns can tomato”
also act as the Adj. + Noun – “old, brown potatoes”
head-words Noun + Adv. – “the man (over) there”
“Tom,” “he” Noun + Noun – “a college student”
Prep. + Noun/ Noun + Prep. – “in the study”, “the person
in the corner”
1
 Number + Noun – “three days”
Present Participle + Noun – “an annoying habit”
Past Participle of a verb + Noun – “an overworked man”
Nouns + certain adj. – “the president elect,” “the princess
royal”
Noun + subordinate clause – “milk that has been kept too
long”
Premodified/ postmodified personal pronouns – “silly me,”
“poor old you”

Verb phrase L.V. (V.) – “she cried” (“cried” – verb phrase)

Verbs are L.V. + L.V. – “I staggered and stumbled”
charged with the Phrasal verb (L.V. + Prep. Acting as integral part of the
main meanings, verb) – “I give up smoking,” “He turned off the light”
making it more L.V. + MO
difficult to L.V. + AUX (do, be, have)
separate this TO + L.V. – “I want to go”
meaning out its
component
words.
The verb that
carries the main
weight of
meaning is called
the lexical verb.
+ Inflections,
concord rule,
tense (present +
past), passive
voice,
progressive
aspect,
perfective
aspect,