Syntax

1
Syntax

• 2nd class
• Chapter 4

2
Syntactic Categories

1. That glass suddenly broke.
2. A jogger ran toward the end of the lane.
3. These dead trees might block the road.
4. The detective quickly looked through the records.
5. The peaches appear quite ripe.
6. Jack will play the trumpet and the drums in the
   orchestra.

3
Those guests have left

• S
• NP Aux VP

4
Those guests have left

• S
• NP Aux VP
• Det N
• those guests

5
Those guests have left

• S
• NP Aux VP
• Det N have
• those guests

6
Those guests have left

• S
• NP Aux VP
• Det N have V
• those guests left

7
Maria ate a brownie

• S
• NP Aux VP

8
Maria ate a brownie

• S
• NP Aux VP
• N
• Maria

9
Maria ate a brownie

• S
• NP Aux VP
• N past
• Maria

10
Maria ate a brownie

• S
• NP Aux VP
• N past V NP
• Maria ate det N
• a brownie

11
That shelf will fall

• S
• NP Aux VP

12
That shelf will fall

• S
• NP Aux VP
• Det N
• that shelf

13
That shelf will fall

• S
• NP Aux VP
• Det N will
• those guests

14
That shelf will fall

• S
• NP Aux VP
• Det N will V
• that shelf fall

15
The glass broke

• S
• NP Aux VP

16
The glass broke

• S
• NP Aux VP
• Det N
• the glass

17
The glass broke

• S
• NP Aux VP
• Det N past
• the glass

18
The glass broke

• S
• NP Aux VP
• Det N past V
• the glass broke

19
Syntactic Trees

• The pretty girl ate the sandwich quickly.
• This house is full of love.
• She is working in the park.
• The cat and the dog are enemies.
• I saw Peter or Paul in the mall.

20
Ambiguous sentences (Structural ambiguity)

• I shot an elephant in underwear.
• The cat chased the dog in the park.
• He saw the robber with a binocular.

21
Types of Verbs

• Intransitive verbs do not take an NP
• e.g., I sleep
• Transitive take an NP (object)
• e.g., I met her in the mall.
• Ditransitive take 2 NPs (or 1 NP and 1 PP)
• e.g., I gave my wife a gift.
• Linking describes the subject.
• e.g., You look marvelous She became a doctor
  I feel dizzy I am fine
• Verbs with sentential complements followed by a
  whole sentence.
• e.g., The ancients believed (that) the earth
  was flat.

22
What kind of verb?

• He is very boring.
• I like vegetables and fruits.
• I saw my friend yesterday.
• I sold my car to my boss.
• She told me the truth.
• I feel bad.
• I think that you should go to the party.
• Peter gave Mark the cheese.
• Paul realized that Maria fed the baby.
• Carlos wonders if Peter is afraid of him.
• Peter gave the cheese to Mark.

23
Embedded sentences

• I think that you should go to the party.

24
Embedded sentences

• Paul realized that Maria fed the baby.

25
Rules

• S ? NP Aux VP
• NP ? (Det) (AP) N (PP)
• VP ? V (NP) (PP) (Adv) (CP)
• PP ? P NP
• AP ? Adj (PP)
• CP ? Comp S