THIỂU

Session 17
Instructor: Hồ Lê Vũ

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Slide No 2
Slide No 3
OVERVIEW
• Syntax tree (part 1)

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Slide No 4
Previously on THIỂU…
Overlaps & interactions among
indicative [fact] vs. conditional [condition] vs. subjunctive [wish,
hypothetical]

REAL HYPOTHETICAL

→ indicative alternatives

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Slide No 5
FOOD FOR THOUGHT

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Slide No 6 LINKING SCOPE
higher scope
same scope

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Slide No 7
FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Bob is less {serious [about Mary]} than Bob is {serious

[about Paul]}.
Bob is less serious about Mary than Bob is serious about
Paul.
Bob is less serious about Mary than [ellipsis] about Paul.
Bob is serious about Mary but less so [substitution] about
Paul.

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Slide No 8
WHY SYNTAX TREE?
• a visual representation of language structures that helps
– understand how parts of speech are structurally combined
– explain various grammatical phenomena (e.g., substitution,
word order, tag question, etc.) in a more logical and
systematic manner
– identify the linking scope, and in turn, linking problems
→ an intermediate step toward critical thinking improvement

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Slide No 9 SYNTAX TREE
• Parts of speech
Noun N
Verb V
Adjective Adj
Adverb Adv
Preposition P
Determiner D
– the, a, this, that, these, every, some, many, most, no, either,
one, two, my, your, which, whose
• Head of a phrase: the word that gives the phrase its category
NP VP AdjP AdvP PP

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Slide No 10
NP
• NP = N box

• NP = (D) N the box

• NP = (D) (AdjP) N the big box

big the box

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Slide No 11 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
• The NP-DP debate: noun vs. determiner: which one should be
the HEAD?
• NP = (D) N the big box

• DP = D NP the big box

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Slide No 12
NP
• NP = N box
• NP = (D) N the box
• NP = (D) (AdjP) N the big box
• NP = (D) (AdjP)+ N the big yellow box

• NP = (D) (AdjP)+ N (PP) the big yellow box of crayons

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Slide No 13
NP
• NP = (D) (AdjP)+ N (PP)
• NP = (D) (AdjP)+ N (PP)+
the big yellow box of crayons
the big yellow box of crayons
with a pink lid

General rules: HEAD identification

RIGHT then LEFT
NEAR to FAR
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Slide No 14 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
• NP = (D) (AdjP)+ N the big yellow box

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Slide No 15
PRACTICE
http://mshang.ca/syntree/
the big yellow box of crayons

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Slide No 16
PRACTICE
the big yellow box of crayons

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Slide No 17 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
• NP = (D) (AdjP)+ N (PP)+
– the big of crayons yellow box
– the big slightly box vs. the slightly big box

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Slide No 18 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
• the big yellow box of crayons
– and the small one
– and the small green one
– and the green one (= the big box of crayons)

Substitution must cover

the HEAD
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Slide No 19 FUN ACTIVITY
• Lest...

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Slide No 20
PP
• PP = P NP in true love

• PP = (AdvP) P NP always in true love

• PP = (AdvP) P NP (PP+) always in true love with his wife

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Slide No 21 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
• PP = (AdvP) P NP (PP+) always in true love with his wife
– [in true love] [with his wife] or in true (love [with his wife])?

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Slide No 22 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
• PP = (AdvP) P NP (PP+) always in true love with his wife
– [in true love] [with his wife] or in true (love [with his wife])?
in love → WITH whom? but a love → OF/FOR whom?
vs. in true (love [of his wife])

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Slide No 23 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
• PP = (AdvP) P NP (PP+) always in true love with his wife
– [in true love] [with his wife] vs. in true (love [of his wife])?
→ the separation test
– in true love, as always, with his wife [adjunct, non-restrictive]
– in true love, as always, of his wife [complement, restrictive] (?)
→ in true love of his wife [complement], as always [adjunct]
or as always [adjunct], in true love of his wife [complement]

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Slide No 24 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
[in true love] [with his wife] or in true (love [with his wife])?
→ the binary principle:
– his + wife → ok
– with + (his wife) → ok
– love + (with his wife) → not ok

x
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Slide No 25
PP
• PP = (AdvP) P NP (PP+)
always in true love with a girl

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Slide No 26
PP
• PP = (AdvP) P NP (PP+)
always in true love with a girl in his dream

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Slide No 27
PP
• PP = (AdvP) P NP (PP+)
always in true love with a girl in his dream

?
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Slide No 28 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
• How to minimize ambiguity?
He is always in true love with a girl in his dream
→ He is, in his dream, always in true love with a girl.
[movement]
→ He is always in true love with a girl, who is in his dream.
[relative clause]

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Slide No 29
PP
• PP = (AdvP) P NP (PP+)
always in true love with a girl on Monday

x
x
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Slide No 30
PP
• PP = (AdvP) P NP (PP+)
He confessed that he's always in true love with a girl on
Monday

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Slide No 31 FUN ACTIVITY
• Except for…

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Slide No 32
AdjP & AdvP
• AdvP = Adv slightly

• AdvP = (AdvP) Adv very slightly

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AdjP & AdvP
• AdvP = Adv slightly
• AdvP = (AdvP) Adv very slightly

• AdjP = Adj scared

• AdjP = (AdvP) Adj very slightly scared

very slightly scared

= (very + slightly) → scared
very → (slightly + scared)
very → scared + slightly → scared X

X
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Slide No 34
AdjP & AdvP
• AdvP = (AdvP) Adv very slightly
• AdjP = (AdvP) Adj very slightly scared
• AdjP = (AdvP) Adj (PP) very slightly scared of big boobs

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Slide No 35
VP
Intransitive verbs
• VP = V leave
• VP = V (AdvP+) leave quickly
• VP = (AdvP+) V (AdvP+) always leave quickly

always leave quicky

= always → (leave + quickly)
(always + leave) → quickly
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Slide No 36
VP
Intransitive verbs
• VP = (AdvP+) V (AdvP+) always leave quickly

Transitive verbs
• VP = (AdvP+) V (NP) (AdvP+) always kiss Kate quickly

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Slide No 37
VP
Transitive verbs
• VP = (AdvP+) V (NP) (AdvP+) always kiss Kate quickly
always kiss quickly Kate
always quickly kiss Kate
quickly always kiss Kate

X
lower scope
?
movement allowed within
the same scope
X
higher scope 37
FOOD FOR THOUGHT

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Slide No 39
FUN ACTIVITY
• Watch the video and fill in the missing linking item
Guy: Wow, she just never shuts up, does she?
Girl: She didn't stop to swallow her food. I was scared for her.
I didn't want her to choke ........................

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Slide No 40
PRACTICE
http://mshang.ca/syntree/
always kiss Kate quickly

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Slide No 41
VP
Ditransitive verbs
• VP = (AdvP+) V (NP)(NP) (AdvP+) always give Kate a gift
quickly
always give Kate quickly
a gift
• VP = (AdvP+) V (NP)(PP) (AdvP+) always give a gift to Kate
quickly
always give to Kate a gift
quickly

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Slide No 42 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Ditransitive verbs
• VP = (AdvP+) V (NP)(NP) (AdvP+) always give Kate a gift
quickly
• VP = (AdvP+) V (NP)(PP) (AdvP+)
always give a gift to Kate quickly
vs. always give a gift quickly to Kate

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Slide No 43
HOMEWORK
• Session 18: draw a tree diagram of the following sentence
using the tool available at http://mshang.ca/syntree/
the picture of a quite good-looking boy in my room
• Print out a copy for the class

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