Phrase structure

rules
DEFENITION OF PHRASE
• Elson and Pickett (1963) in English Syntax Book (Abdul
Muiz Ba’dulu: 2008) define The Phrase as a unit
composed of two or more words potentially, which does
not have the characteristics of a clause.

• Phrase is a group of two or more words that express a

single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence.
The Main Phrase Structure Rules
S NP VP
 NP Pre-Mod N Post-MoD
 VP V (NP) (PP) (Adv)
 PP P NP
 AP Int. Adj
 AdvPInt. Adv
Noun phrase (np)
 John N
 The boy Det N
 A little boy Det Adj N
 A boy in the box Det N PP

Phrase Structure Rule for NP:

NP (det) (adj) N (pp)
Where ( ) indicate optionally
 Phrase structure trees

NP NP NP NP

N det N det Adj N det N PP

John The boy A little boy A boy P NP

in det N

a box
prepositional phrase (pp)
 In P
 From a boy in a box P NP

Phrase Structure Rule for PP:

PP P (NP)
 Phrase structure trees
PP PP

P P NP

In from det N PP

a boy P NP
in det N
a box
Phrase Structure Rules and Tree
Diagrams
 NP (Det) N
 PP P NP
The boy (NP) The boy in the yard (NP)

Det N Det N PP

The boy The boy P NP

in det N

the yard
“The cat on the mat in the house on the street”
NP

Det N PP

the cat P NP

on det N PP

the mat P NP

in det N PP

the house P NP

On det N

the street
verb phrase (vp)
 Speak V
 Can Speak Aux V
 Eat the cake hungrily Aux V Adv
 Sing a song in the room Aux V Adv
 Fell into the pond slowly Aux V Adv

Phrase Structure Rule for VP:

VP V (N) (PP) (Adv)
verb phrase (vp)
 Speak V
 Can Speak Aux V
 Will be coming Aux Aux V
 Should have been going Aux Aux Aux V

Phrase Structure Rule for VP:

VP Aux Aux Aux V
Adjective phrase (ap)
 beautiful adj
 very beautiful int adj.

Phrase Structure Rule for AP:

AP Intensifier + Adj
adverb phrase (adv.p)
 slowly adv
 rather slowly int adv

Phrase Structure Rule for AdvP:

AdvP Intensifier + Adv
List of Intensifier:
Very somewhat more enough
Quite a bit most indeed
Rather a little less really
Pretty so least completely
Mighty too

Example:
Adjective Phrases : Adverb Phrases :
Very beautiful very quickly
Quite calm rather slowly
Rather easy so late
Somewhat interesting quite well
A bit noise very carefully
So sweet
s