Syntax

A generative introduction
Andrew Carnie
Chapter 3
Part 1
(p. 71-107)

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:Constituent
 A group of words that function together as a unit.

e.g [the girl]

or

the girl

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hierarchical structure

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,] [ Bracketed Diagram

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:Rules and Trees
 phrase structure rules (PSRs)
 1- Noun Phrase (NP): NP (Det) (adjp+) N (PP+)
 Maha visited her friends
 The pink fluffy cushion was mine
 The pink fluffy cushion with red stripes was mine
 The pink fluffy cushion of silk with red stripes was mine

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 Determiners :a/ the/ numbers /many/ most/ few /any
 CP: complementizer phrase
 Ex. That, which

 The book that John gave me

 *The book that I like that John gave me
 NP (D) (AdjP+) N (PP+) (CP)
 The big blue car with stripes at the shop that John bought
me

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The big blue car with stripes at the shop that John bought me

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 2- Adjective Phrases (AdjP) and Adverb Phrases (AdvP):
 AdjP  (AdvP) AdjP AdvP  (AdvP) Adv
 The big yellow book
 The very yellow book
 Very quickly
 Here and there are adverbs

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 3- Prepositional Phrases (PPs): PP  P (NP)
 In the garden
 Behind the door
 I threw the garbage out

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 4- Verb Phrases (VP): VP  (AdvP +) V (NP) ({NP/CP}) (AdvP+) (PP+)
(AdvP+)
 There are different types of verbs.
 Intransitive verbs [NP_ ]
 Transitive verbs [NP _ {NP/CP}]
 Ditransitive verbs [NP _NP {NP/PP/CP}]
 Verbs can be modified by AdvPs or PPs.

 She left
 She left quickly
 She always left quietly early
 Bill frequently visited his friend
 I spared the student any embarrassment yesterday (any=article)-
(yesterday=adv)
 I spared the student any embarrassment in class yesterday
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John always got his cookies from the store for a dollar quickly
(his=Det)

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John always gives the man a book
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John Knows that Mary is here (here=adv)
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TP { NP/CP} (T) VP

:T
auxiliary :am –is -1
modal: should – can – must -2

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5- Clauses:
 TP  {NP/CP} (T) VP
 TP (sentence) Tense phrase
 TP: stands alone
 The head of av TP is T
 CP (complementizer phrase): can’t stand alone .
 CP  (C) TP
 T: model verbs/ auxiliary verbs
 T is optional
 TP NP (T) VP

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That it is cold out here is obvious
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 Shawn said that the teacher cancelled the class
 Shawn said the teacher cancelled the class
 That the teacher cancelled the class worried the students

 Embedded clauses appear in different locations (as a

subject in a subject position/ as an object in an object
position.
 CPs can modify Nouns as part of the NP;
 Revised NP  (Det) (AdjP+) N (PP+) (CP)
 The fact about bill that he likes ice-cream bothers Natasha

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 6- Coordination (conjunction): P. 88
 XP  XP conj XP
 (and, or, nor, but).

 The blue and red station wagon
 I am drinking lemonade and eating a brownie
 I’ve lost my wallet or I’ve lost my mind


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:Examples
 16) a) the big box of crayons
 17) NP (D) (AdjP) N (PP)

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Very yellow

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21)
a) the big yellow book
b) the very yellow book

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a) the big yellow book )21
b) the very yellow book

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Common Mistakes

 I know that John is here

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Common Mistakes

 I know John is here

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