KIBOGORA POLYTECHNIC

INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH SYNTAX

COURSEWORK ASSIGNMENT
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
LEVEL: 2 HOLIDAY
PROGRAM: (ENGLISH- SWAHILI)

Q.1 Define the term syntax and identify briefly the basic properties of English syntax.

syntax, the arrangement of words in sentences, clauses, and phrases, and the study of the formation of sentences
and the relationship of their component parts.

Is also the way in which linguistic elements (such as words) are put together to form constituents (such as phrases
or clauses)  the part of grammar dealing with a connected or orderly system : harmonious arrangement of parts or
elements the syntax of classical architecture.

1. A complete sentence requires a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought . This is
also called an independent clause. A sentence without a subject and a verb is
considered a fragment.
2. Separate ideas generally require separate sentences. A sentence containing multiple
independent clauses that are improperly joined is considered a run-on sentence.
3. English word order follows the subject-verb-object sequence. (It’s usually the same in
French and Spanish.)
4. A dependent clause contains a subject and a verb—but it doesn’t express a complete
thought.

Q. 2 what is the meaning of phrasal structure rule? How does it differ from phrase structure derivation?
Give an example based on a sentence.

Phrase structure rules are a type of rewrite rule used to describe a given language's syntax and are
closely associated with the early stages of transformational grammar, proposed by Noam Chomsky in
1957.[1] They are used to break down a natural language sentence into its constituent parts, also known
as syntactic categories, including both lexical categories (parts of speech) and phrasal categori Phrase
structure rules generate the phrase structure of a sentence. Transformation rules act on phrase
structures to create more complex sentences. Phrase structure rules describe syntax, or the rules
regarding how we combine words to create grammatically correct sentences. es. Phrase Structure (PS)
rules generate constituent structure representations for sentences in a language.

Q.3 what is dominance relations in syntax? Give examples.

dominance is a dominance is a binary relation between nodes in a tree structure which can be
defined as follows: (i) Node A dominates node B iff A is higher up the tree than B such that you can
trace a line from A to B going only downwards.

Q. 4. Give 5 phrasal categories and illustrate each one of them with a tree diagram.

Q.5. 5. What is the difference between complements and adjuncts? Explain your answer with examples.

Adjunct is an optional and structurally dispensable part of a sentence, clause or phrase. Complement is a word, phrase or
clause that is necessary to complete the meaning of a given sentence.
The main difference between Complement and Adjunct is that an adjunct is only an optional phrase to elaborate a
sentence whereas a complement is indispensable for a sentence to give a proper meaning to it.

 I will call you at least by tomorrow.

I have almost completely forgotten to take my passport.

 John is a carpenter’

 I kept a copy of the document on my shelf

Q.6 Represent the following sentence constituents on a tree diagram checking the underlined:

A. He hid the keys of my friend

B. A friend of my younger brother in our family

C. A very young beautiful lady

D. A teacher of physics and John

E. quite sure of the information in the letter

Q. 7 Each one of the following phase types is ambiguous; represent these ambiguities with tree diagrams:

a) in the corner of the house and the kitchen

b) the owner of a beautiful flower in the house

Q. 8 Explain and give an example of a sentence and then a tree diagram to illustrate the following:

a) a PP acting as a complement of a of a verb

b) an adverbial phrase acting as an adjunct in a NP