Syntactic structures

1. SYNTACTIC
STRUCTURES
Gliezel L. Cabaltican

2. This is the house.
This is the house that Jack built.
This is the hay that lies in the house that Jack built.
This is the rat that lives under the hay that lies in the house
that Jack built.
<modification, coordination, complementation,
subordination>

3. SYNTAX
The part of the grammar
that represents a speaker’s
knowledge of sentences and
their structure
Syntactic Structure – WORD
ORDER
She has what a man wants.
She wants what a man has.

4. WHAT GRAMMATICALITY IS
BASED ON
(a) The boy found the ball.
(b) The boy found quickly.
(c) The boy found in the house.
(d) The boy found the ball in the house.

5. WHAT GRAMMATICALITY IS
NOT BASED ON
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
A verb crumpled a milk.
Furiously sleep ideas green colorless.
Milk the crumpled verb a.

6. Sentences have hierarchical structures as well as word
order. The words in the phrase synthetic buffalo hides can
be grouped in two ways.
synthetic buffalo hides synthetic buffalo hides

7. SENTENCE STRUCTURE
The child found the puppy.
The child found the puppy
(subject) (predicate)
The child found the puppy
(subject) (verb) (direct object)

8. The child found the puppy.
The child found the puppy
The child found the puppy
the puppy

9. PHRASAL CATEGORIES: THE
INTERNAL STRUCTURE
Phrasal categories: a group of words that have a
canonical structure and form a constituent.
Head: the word the phrase is built around, gives the
phrase its name and usually contributes the principal
meaning of the phrase
[the greedy politician] NP

10. Specifier: word or phrase that marks a boundary for the
phrase; typically functions to further reine the meaning of
phrase.
[this apple] NP
Complement: phrases that follow the head and typically
provide further information about the entities or location
implied by head
[take a picture] VP

11. NOUN PHRASE: [(Det) (Adjective) Noun]
NPs: the wise man, fancy dinner, rain
1. The couple had a fancy dinner.
2. A fancy dinner is definitely expensive.
3. *[At fancy] many couples eat dinner.
Use phrasal categories to account for the natural
groupings.

12. VERB PHRASE: [(Qual) Verb (NP)]
VPs: always visit(s), filled the cup, clean
1. Sheryl always visits her grandmother at the nursing
home.
2. The queen filled the cup of the prime minister.
3. Please, clean your room.

13. ADJECTIVE PHRASE: [(Deg) Adjective (PP)
APs: so pretty, too deep in thought, busy
1. Oscar is so pretty.
2. She is too deep in thought to notice.
3. The chairman is busy right now.

14. PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE: [(Deg) Preposition (NP)]
PPs: so into your subject, beyond the sea
1. Gary is so into your subject.
2. My father lives beyond the sea.

15. STRUCTURE OF PREDICATION
In structure of predication we are concerned with the
properties or features of the verb which acts as the
predicate and with the features of the noun which serves
as the subject of the sentence.
English verbs have seven distinctive properties:
PERSON
Common – present (verb base form) used with plural
subjects and I and you
Third singular – takes on the [verb+s] form (know-
knows) used with singular subjects and he, she, it; this
agreement in number subject and verb is called concord

16. TENSE
Common – present (usually in the verb base form
although it may be marked with –[s] morpheme
depending on its agreement with the subject; past
(takes on the past tense-marking bound
morpheme (know-knew)
PHASE
Simple – the verb base form or the past tense
Perfect – takes the various forms of [have + past
participle]
Resultative – made up of [he + past participle of
intransitive verb]

17. ASPECT
Simple – verb base – with or without the {-s}
inflectional morpheme
Durative – [verb to be + ing verb]
Inchoative – [get + ing verb]
MODAL
modals (can, may, must…) which are followed by
the verb base as well as the periphrastic modals
(ought to, have to, used to) which are also followed
by verb base
VOICE
Normal or active voice – made up of the verb base,
its past, perfect or durative forms
Passive voice – the get passive (get is used instead
of the verb to be

18. STATUS
Affirmative – have the subject coming before the
verb
Interrogative – the subject comes after the helping
verb or the do form (this inverted form is generally
used in questions)
Negative – the negative marker not is placed
between the helping verb and the main verb
Negative interrogative – the auxiliary in the
sentence initial position plus the negative marker
coming before the main verb or attached to the
auxiliary if the contraction of not is used

19. Subject – topic; usually a noun which also has
distinctive features or properties
NUMBER
There must be agreement between the subject and the
verb in number (concord)
Singular or plural (boy-boys)
Count or non-count (bottle-water)
Concrete or abstract (tears-sorrow)
Discrete or collective (members-committee)
*some nouns are always singular such as mathematics,
news, measles, politics, ethics, etc.
*some nouns are always plural such as scissors, police,
cattle which require a singular counter to make them
singular (a pair of scissors)

20. Verb base – Common (are, were,
have, do)
We, you, they (I)
Plural count nouns
Plural concrete nouns
Collective nouns (individuals)
Nouns always plural
Compound subjects
Subjects joined by or
Third Singular [Verb+s]
(is, was, has, does)
He, she, it
Singular count nouns
Abstract nouns/singular count nouns
Collective nouns (group)
Nouns always singular
Subject joined by and referring to items as
a unit
Subjects joined by or

21. Verb base – Common (are, were,
have, do)
Relative pronoun subjects
– depends on the referrent
Indefinite pronouns - all,
same, none – depends on
referrentThere are/There is –
depends on the noun that
follows
Nouns marked by the
expression a number of
Third Singular [Verb+s]
(is, was, has, does)
Relative pronoun subjects
– depends on the referrent
Indefinite pronouns –
everybody, someone,
everyone, etc.There are/There is –
depends on the noun that
follows
Nouns marked by the
expression the number of

22. GENDER
Gender has nothing to do with predicate; rather, a
knowledge of the gender of certain nouns is needed
when it pertains to the pronouns used when
referring to those nouns.

23. STRUCTURE OF
MODIFICATION
The structure of modification is made up of two
components: a head or main word and a modifier
which serves to qualify, broaden, specify or in some
way affect the meaning of the head
STATEMENT HEAD MODIFIER
Angry men men Angry
Young boy boy Young
Boy in blue jeans boy In blue jeans
Boy who is
seated next to
me
boy Who is seated
next to me

24. SINGLE WORD MODIFIER
PHRASAL MODIFIER
CLAUSE MODIFIER

25. In single word modifiers, some order of arrangement is
involved
•these four little ginger kittens
[pronoun, number, size, color]
•a cheap black plastic bag
[article, cost, color, material]
•the first three eager applicants
[article, ordinal, cardinal, quality]
•many hand-crafted wooden jewel cases
[quantity, verbal adjective, nominalized adjective, material]

26. FUNCTION WORD
articles
quantifiers
pronoun
+ LIMITING
ADJECTIVES
ordinal +
cardinal
number
number
+ DESCRIPTIVE
ADJECTVES
size + color + shape +
material
verbal +
nominalized
adjective
adjective
In adjectival structure of modification the head is a
noun and its modifiers are considered adjectives. W.
Nelson Francis however, points out that any part of
speech or form class may act as head and as
modifier.

27. HEAD
Modifier
NOUN VERB ADJECTIVE ADVERB FUNCTION
WORD
Noun the dog DAYS
a dog’s LIFE
a dining
TABLE
LIVED a year
SAW a mile
stone COLD
bone DRY
a foot AWAY
same way UP
a mile OFF
base
Verb running
WATER
MONEY to
burn
CAME
running
CAME to
scoff
boiling HOT
HARD to get
Adjective the gloomy
ROOM
barbed WIRE
a pleasing
TABLE
RAN wild
FEEL flat
icy COLD
cold SOBER
Adverb PEOPLE here
EUROPE now
DRIVES
rapidly
seldom
SPEAKS
wildly
FAMOUS
everywhere
DARK
unusually
EAGERLY
far AWAY
exactly ON
the mark
soon AFTER
dark
Prepositional
phrase
a MAN above
suspicion
a PLACE in the
sun
CAME down
the street
LIVED in the
country
GOOD for
nothing
GREEN as
grass
OUTSIDE in
the cold
AWAY at
school
MORE than
enough work
ENOUGH for
now
Function
word
the BOOK
MONEY
enough
very STRONG
a lot
STRONGER
very EASILY
much AHEAD
very MUCH
rather MORE

28. EXERCISE
older used to walk
sisters every morning
my around the park
briskly by themselves
three in the past
people young in their twenties
nowadays jogging who are
figure conscious
often go whenever they can
many

29. 1. In the past, my three older sisters used to walk briskly
by themselves around the park every morning.
2. In the past, my three older sisters used to walk briskly
by themselves every morning round the park
3. Every morning in the past, my three older sisters used
to walk briskly by themselves around the park.
1. Nowadays, many young people in their twenties who
are figure conscious often go jogging whenever they
can.
2. Many young people in their twenties who are figure
conscious often go jogging nowadays whenever they
can.

30. STRUCTURE OF
COMPLEMENTATION
The structure of complementation refers to the
different complements that linking and transitive
predicate verbs may take to complete the comment
that they make about the subject.
1.[Subject + Linking Verb + Subjective
Complement].
2.[Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object]
3.[Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object +
Direct Object]
4.[Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object +

31. [Subject + Linking Verb + Subjective Complement]
Today is her birthday. (noun)
Today is all there is. (function word)
Today is dark and gloomy. (adjective)
Today is almost over. (adverb)
Her plan today is to settle unfinished business.
(verb{infinitive})
Today has been quite taxing. (verb{present participle})
Today will remain imprinted in our memory. (verb{past
participle})
Today seems of little consequence. (prepositional
phrase)
Today can become whatever you want to be. (clause)

32. [Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object]
He sees something. (single word indefinite
pronoun)
He sees the object. (single word – noun)
He loves to open the presents. (infinitive verb
phrase)
He loves opening the presents. (gerund)
He knows what I’m doing. (clause)

33. [Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct
Object]
The committee awarded him first prize.
Grandfather left my mother an inheritance.
[Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object + Object of
Preposition]
The committee awarded the first prize to him.
Grandfather left an inheritance to my mother.

34. [Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object +
Objective Complement]
Everybody considers him very lucky.
They named the dog Natalie.

35. WHAT ABOUT INTRANSITIVE
VERBS?Intransitive verbs do not need an object to complete its
meaning. It can stand by itself as predicate of the sentence.
Those three types of verbs may be differentiated one from
the other as follows:
Intransitive verbs: Has neither complement nor
passive
Transitive verbs: Has both complement
and passive
Linking verbs: Has complement but no
passive
Since the intransitive verb requires no complement, then
the sentence pattern would be:

36. EXERCISE. Identify the type of verb used (LV, TV, IV) and
the syntactic structure of complementation in the
following sentences:
1. He got sick.
2. I will get him some medicine.
3. The fish got away.
4. He doesn’t feel well.
5. I feel his pain, too.
6. I felt him move.
7. I will not stay there.
8. You should stay calm.

37. STRUCTURE OF
COORDINATION
This structure consists of two or more syntactically
equivalent units by connectors to form a structure
which acts as a single unit.
1.Coordinators - appear between elements that they
join and so do the phrasal connectors although the
latter may also occur in split constructions
and, but, nor, not, or, phrases such as rather than,
as well as, together with, and along with

38. 2. Correlatives – appear in two parts; the first part
appears at the beginning of the structure whereas
the second part comes between the last two
components being joined.
not (only), but (also), either…or, neither…nor and
both…and

39. With coordinators as connectors
Function words: over and above, in
not out
Adjectives: young but terrible
Verbs: to stay put or to leave
Nouns: books nor magazines
With phrasal connectors
Function words: up rather than down
Adjectives: intelligent as well as good
natured
Nouns: good looks together with
good breeding
With correlatives
Nouns: not only books but also
magazines
Clauses: Either you do this or

40. SYNTACTIC
STRUCTURES
January 31, 2015
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