Syntax Terminology Flashcards
(27 cards)
Syntax
The study of sentence structure and how words are arranged in phrases and sentences EG: “The cat sat on the mat.” Is a syntactically correct sentence.
Word Order
The arrangement of words in a sentence, often subject-verb-object (SVO) in English. EG: She (subject) reads (verb) books (object).
Phrase
A group of words that work together as a unit within a sentence, without containing both a subject and a verb. EG: “Under the table”
Clause
A group of words that contains a subject and a verb, forming either a complete sentence or part of one.
Independent clause
A clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence
Dependent clause (subordinate clause)
A clause that cannot stand alone and relies on an independent clause.
Utterance
A spoken sentence
Minor/Fragmentary sentence
Sentence that doesnt contain both of the key elements of a simple sentence
Simple sentence
A sentence that contains only one independent clause
Compound sentence
A sentence that contains two or more independent clauses, joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet)
Complex sentence
A sentence that contains an independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.EG “I went to the store because i needed some milk”
Compound-complex sentence
A sentence with at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. EG: “I went to the store because I needed some milk, and I bought some bread too.”
Coordination
Joining two or more elements (such as words, phrases, or clauses) of equal importance with coordinating conjunctions EG “She studied hard, and she passed the test”
Subordination
Linking a dependent clause to an independent clause to show that one idea is less important than the other. EG “Because I was tired, I went to bed early”
Sentence fragment
A group of words that lacks a subject or a verb, making it an incomplete sentence EG: “after the rain stopped”
Subject
The noun, noun phrase or pronoun that tells who or what the sentence is about
Predicate
The part of the sentence that tells something about the subject, typically including the verb.
Object
A noun, noun phrase or pronoun that recieves the action of the verb in a sentence.
Direct object
The noun or pronoun that directly receives the action of the verb.
Indirect object
The noun or pronoun that receives the direct object.
Complement
A word or phrase that provides additional information about the subject or object in a sentence.
Adverbial
A word or phrase that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb, often showing time, manner, place or degree.
Interrogative sentence
A sentence that asks a question.
Imperative sentence
A sentence that gives a command or makes a request.
