|
SYNTAX IN ENGLISH
YULCHIYEVA H
MUHTOROVA M
SYNTAX DEFINITION
•
What is syntax? Syntax is a branch of linguistics that seeks to understand how
languages' grammar is generated and how sentences are formed. For native
speakers of a language, syntax will often feel intuitive, but it can be hard to
describe in words. Languages all have highly complex syntax, meaning that
linguists need to study speech carefully to get a sense of the rules that govern
speech. Syntax linguistics is usually described using branching tree-like
diagrams that show the relationships between different words in a sentence.
But what does syntax mean for teachers and students? Understanding how to
form grammatically correct sentences in English is essential for students who
are working on improving their literacy and writing skills as it can allow them
to write with greater confidence and accuracy.
SYNTAX EXAMPLES
•
•
•
•
Tools that can help students understand syntax include a comprehensive
syntax definition and examples of sentences that employ correct English
syntax. Like all languages, English is governed by grammatical rules. For
instance, most sentences in English follow a Subject-Verb-Object word
order, resulting in syntactically correct sentences like:
The boy kicked the ball.
We were almost late for school because we missed the bus.
The average lifespan for a giraffe is around 26 years.
SYNTAX EXAMPLES
•
•
The above sentences are syntactically correct and they make perfect sense. However, it
is also possible for sentences to follow the rules of syntax without making any sense at
all, as in the following example, which was famously said by linguist Noam Chomsky:
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
SYNTAX EXAMPLES
•
•
•
Syntactically correct sentences can also be used to create jokes and what are called ''garden path
sentences'' that initially confuse the reader:
One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How the elephant got into my pajamas, I'll never know!
This is a joke by Groucho Marx that plays on the syntactic ambiguity of the phrase ''in my pajamas,''
which allows the reader to interpret the sentence in two different ways.
The old man the boat.
Though this may look like a sentence fragment, the word ''man'' can be used as
a verb, and ''the old'' can be used as a noun.
The mouse the cat the dog chased caught died.
This sentence takes some time to parse; what it is
actually saying is,
The dog frequently chased the cat. The cat caught a mouse, which died.
While these sentences are syntactically correct, it is not advisable to use them in writing because they
create so much confusion for readers. They are best reserved for jokes.
SYNTACTIC RULES
•
It is virtually impossible to sum up all of the syntactic rules of the English language in a
paragraph. There are so many rules, and those rules are so detailed and difficult to pin
down, that entire books are dedicated to articulating them. However, for the purposes of
the kinds of sentences that are typically found in English, there are four major syntax
rules to keep in mind
SYNTACTIC RULES
•
•
•
•
These are:
English usually has a Subject-Verb-Object word order, unlike some other languages.
A sentence must have a subject and a verb, and it must express a complete thought.
Generally, it is best to express separate ideas in different sentences.
Dependent clauses have a subject and a verb and might look like sentences, but they do
not express complete thoughts and are therefore insufficient on their own.
SYNTAX IN A SENTENCE IN ENGLISH
•
There are several ways of applying syntax in a sentence. The above list of rules
mentioned dependent clauses, which are one of the main components of English
sentences. Ultimately, any sentences will be made up of a combination of dependent
and independent clauses. A sentence must include, at minimum, an independent clause
that can stand on its own. It can then have one or more dependent clauses. How many
clauses are in a sentence and how they connect to one another is usually the metric
used to differentiate between different types of sentences.
TYPES OF SYNTAX
•
•
•
•
There are many types of syntax that can manifest as different sentence structures in English.
English sentences can be:
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
There are also different rules for verbal and written expressions, as the two kinds of
communication have different levels of formality attached to them.
SIMPLE AND COMPOUND SENTENCES
•
•
•
•
Simple
The easiest kind of sentence to understand in English is a simple sentence. Simple
sentences consist of just one independent clause expressing a single idea. Despite their
simple structure, these sentences can get quite long provided that they continue to consist
only of a single independent clause. Examples of simple sentences include:
I forgot to bring my homework to school.
Sam and Eric love mountain biking.
Jack and Ralph enjoy cooking but hate doing the dishes.
COMPOUND
•
•
•
•
Compound sentences are made by combining two or more simple sentences; again, they are formed
exclusively from independent clauses. These sentences can be connected by a comma, a semi-colon,
a colon, a dash, or a conjunction. Examples of compound sentences include:
I like lattes and my wife likes tea.
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.
(Shakespeare, Twelfth Night)
I know who you are; you were in my biology class.
In these examples, the sentences could be split into shorter simple sentences; ''I like lattes. My
wife likes tea.'' or ''I know who you are. You were in my biology class.'' are somewhat clumsy
examples, but they are grammatically correct.
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: | 
