Chapter 4: SyntaxI really do not know that anything has ever been more exciting than diagramming sentences.-Gertrude Stein

We can create aninfinite number of sentencesJohn found a bookin the libraryin the stackson the fourth floor.

S V O language

Your dog chased my cat. S V O

My cat chased your dog. S V O

The natural breaks in a sentence:My dog chased your cat.My dog(noun phrase)chased your cat(verb phrase)Mydogchasedyourcatverb phrasenoun phrasenoun phrase

These natural breaks are constituentsConstituency test:Can stand aloneCan be replace by a pronoun or doCan move as a unit

My dog chased your cat.

PhrasingNoun phrase(NP)Verb phrase (VP)Prepositional phrase (PP)Adjective phrase (AdjP)Adverb phrase(AdvP)Complementizer phrase(CP)

CategoriesCCPSAdvAdvPAdjAdjPPPPAuxVVPDetNNPFunctionalLexicalPhrasal

MydogchasedyourcatMydogchased yourcatNPVPNPSThe dog chased your cat.

Phrase Structure TreesThechildread abookNPVPNPS

Phrase Structure TreesThestudentdidherhomeworkNPVPNPS

ThestudentdidNPhomeworkNPVPNPSPPNPherintheLibraryThe student didher homeworkin the library.

ThestudentdidNPhomeworkNPVPNPSPPNPherintheLibraryThe new student didher homeworkin the library.newNP

Practice:The old tree swayed in the wind.The frightened passenger landed the crippled airliner.

The hot sun melted the ice.The house on the hill collapsed in the wind.