PHRASE STRUCTURE

RULES
 PHRASE STRUCTURE (REVIEW)
1) EVERY WORD BELONGS TO A LEXICAL
CATEGORY
2) LEXICAL CATEGORIES FORMS HEADS OF
PHRASES
3) HOW PHRASES ARE FORMED IS GOVERNED
BY RULES (= ‘PHRASE STRUCTURE RULES’)
THE FIRST RULE READS:
A S (SENTENCE) CONSISTS OF A NP (NOUN PHRASE)
FOLLOWED BY A VP (VERB PHRASE).
THE SECOND RULE READS:
A NOUN PHRASE CONSISTS OF AN OPTIONAL DET (
DETERMINER) FOLLOWED BY A N (NOUN).
•The third rule means that a N (noun)
can be preceded by an optional AP
(adjective phrase) and followed by an
optional PP (prepositional phrase).
 PHRASE STRUCTURE RULES
Noun phrase (NP)
JOHN N
The boy Det N
A little boy Det Adj N
A boy in a bubble Det N PP

PHRASE STRUCTURE RULE FOR NPs:

NP (Det) (Adj) N (PP)
(where ‘()’ indicates optionality)
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE (PP)

 IN P
 FROM A BOY IN A BUBBLE P NP

Phrase structure rule for PPs:

PP P (NP)
 VERB PHRASE (VP)
 sang V
 ate the cake V NP
 ate the cake hungrily V NP Adv
 sang a song in the shower V NP PP
 fell into the pond slowly V PP Adv

Phrase structure rule for VPs:

VP V (NP) (PP) (Adv)
 QUESTIONS!
Give an example of the following rules.
1. V NP
2. Det Adj N
3. P NP
4. Det N PP
5. Det N
Give the rule of the following word/s or phrase.
6. the white dove
7.discuss inside
8. the man