3.4 Syntax
We have already discussed issues such as the classes of words, the different types of phrases and clauses, and what a sentence is. We have also divided sentences and even clauses into subject and predicate. Well, we could not have done any of this without having a notion of what syntax is.
Stop and think What do you expect from students if you give them an item like this, for example, in an exam? ask / permission / for / your / you / should / parents /.
You would expect them to put the words into the correct order, wouldn’t you? Well, syntax, according to Thornbury (1999), is “the system of rules that cover the order of words in a sentence” (p. 2).
In other words, syntax entails the possible ways in which words can be put together in phrases, clauses, and especially sentences, in order to communicate. Therefore, a syntactic analysis involves identifying the different components in a sentence, such as subject and predicate, as well as the types of phrases used to form the sentence, such as noun, verb, or prepositional phrases, for which it is necessary to be familiar with word classes.
In English, for example, adjectives have to be placed before the noun or after a ‘linking verb’ such as the verb to be, an article almost always introduces a noun, the most common order in sentences is first subject and then predicate, and a verb is often followed by an object. All of these rules are of a syntactic nature. If they are not followed, then you obtain a sentence which may hinder communication, especially through a written means.
In the previous example referring to an item in an exam, the order in which words is presented does not make any sense, so the expected answer is You should ask your parents for permission. But… is it the only possibility? And in any case, how can students put the string of words that they were given into the ‘correct’ order?
First, they are expected to find the subject, which goes first in a sentence. For this, they have to know the word classes that can be subjects: nouns and pronouns. Once they have identified the possible subjects, “you”, “parents”, and “permission”, they have to find the verb, which should be placed after the subject. They need to identify that “ask” is a verb, but they also need to identify the auxiliary “should” and to know that auxiliaries go first to come up with the verb phrase “should ask”.
Then they are expected to find an object for the verb, which again has to be a noun or a pronoun… and so on. In the end, after following all these procedures, we find that, as there is no context, the sentence “Your parents should ask you for permission” is also an absolutely, syntactically correct sentence. What about “Permission should ask your parents for you”, or “You should ask permission for your parents”, or “Permission should ask you for your parents”? Although these sentences do not make any sense at all, they do follow syntactic rules for their formation. If they do not make sense, it is because of the context or the meaning, but that’s another story…
Check the answer
You would expect them to put the words into the correct order, wouldn’t you? Well, syntax, according to Thornbury (1999), is “the system of rules that cover the order of words in a sentence” (p. 2).
In other words, syntax entails the possible ways in which words can be put together in phrases, clauses, and especially sentences, in order to communicate. Therefore, a syntactic analysis involves identifying the different components in a sentence, such as subject and predicate, as well as the types of phrases used to form the sentence, such as noun, verb, or prepositional phrases, for which it is necessary to be familiar with word classes.
In English, for example, adjectives have to be placed before the noun or after a ‘linking verb’ such as the verb to be, an article almost always introduces a noun, the most common order in sentences is first subject and then predicate, and a verb is often followed by an object. All of these rules are of a syntactic nature. If they are not followed, then you obtain a sentence which may hinder communication, especially through a written means.
In the previous example referring to an item in an exam, the order in which words is presented does not make any sense, so the expected answer is You should ask your parents for permission. But… is it the only possibility? And in any case, how can students put the string of words that they were given into the ‘correct’ order?
First, they are expected to find the subject, which goes first in a sentence. For this, they have to know the word classes that can be subjects: nouns and pronouns. Once they have identified the possible subjects, “you”, “parents”, and “permission”, they have to find the verb, which should be placed after the subject. They need to identify that “ask” is a verb, but they also need to identify the auxiliary “should” and to know that auxiliaries go first to come up with the verb phrase “should ask”.
Then they are expected to find an object for the verb, which again has to be a noun or a pronoun… and so on. In the end, after following all these procedures, we find that, as there is no context, the sentence “Your parents should ask you for permission” is also an absolutely, syntactically correct sentence. What about “Permission should ask your parents for you”, or “You should ask permission for your parents”, or “Permission should ask you for your parents”? Although these sentences do not make any sense at all, they do follow syntactic rules for their formation. If they do not make sense, it is because of the context or the meaning, but that’s another story…
LAS Activity 307. Levels of sentence analysis (PORTFOLIO)
Instructions
- Download the following Word file ‘LAS Activity 307’. Analyze the sentences in three different ways as in the example provided.
- Once you finish this activity, save it as PDF, name it LAS_307_LastName_FirstName, and upload it in Eminus in the corresponding section in ‘Actividades’.
A Little of fun
Sometimes sentences can be interpreted in different ways because of syntactical ambiguity, that is to say, because of the order and relationships of the words that form them. This type of sentences, called garden path sentences, are said to induce a backtracking effect when you are reading them, as you need to go back to reread them in order to make sure you are interpreting them correctly (Fromkin et al., 2017). The following are examples of such ambiguities, some of which have become well-known garden path jokes. Can you identify what exactly the problem is? Try to make the sentences less ambiguous. In some cases, it will not be that easy…
- The word of the Lord came to Zechariah, son of Berekiah, son of Iddo, the prophet.
- Specialist in women and other diseases.
- Quitting smoking now greatly reduces your risk of cancer.
- Flying planes can be dangerous.
- The cow was found by a stream by a farmer.
- Persons are prohibited from picking flowers from any but their own graves.
- You are welcomed to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and soviet composers, artists, and writers are buried davily except Thursday.
- Squad help dog bite victim.
- Wanted: Man to scrub floor and two waitresses.
- ‘Would you hit a woman with a baby?’ ‘No I'd hit her with a brick.’
- ‘What has four wheels and flies?’ ‘A garbage truck.’
- The complex houses married and single students and their families.
- One morning I shot an elephant in my pyjamas. How he got in my pyjamas I don't know.
- I convinced her children are noisy.
- The player kicked the ball kicked the ball.
- If you wish to shoot the attendant will be happy to load your gun.
- If you wish to shoot the attendant will be happy to load your gun.
- Visiting relatives can be a bore.
- Please take time to look over the brochure that is enclosed with your family.
- As a baboon that grew up wild in the jungle, I realized that Wiki had special nutritional needs.
- Yoko Ono will talk about her husband, John Lennon, who was killed in an interview with Barbara Walters.
- Do not sit in a chair without being fully assembled.
- Walking along the beach, the sea looked warm and inviting.
- Believed to be at least two hundred years old, I bought the painting and hung it in my living room.
- Rising majestically from the tropical vegetation, she gazed at the mountain with awe.
LAS Activity 308. FORUM Garden path jokes
Instructions
- Go to the forum LAS Activity 308 FORUM Garden path jokes when indicated to discuss the syntactic ambiguity in these sentences.
- Remember that for forums you need to post your main participation and reply to two of your classmates.