Intro to Syntax

The first meeting from Syntax Class in English Education B 2009. Here are the resume of the lecture ;

There are some definition of syntax :

1. Syntax is the study of sentences

2. Syntax is the of the construction of : Phrases, Clauses and Sentences

3. Syntax is the study of the Grammatical Unit

From the first definition we can say that in syntax we will study more about sentences and its elements. while in the third definition, we must aware that us education student, of course we will be a teacher some day and we need to explain more about the sentence and also its grammar. For example, we our student ask us : “why the sentence : I go to school using go without +s/es while She goes to school using go +es. Of course we need to explain in clearly.

From the second definition, there 3 elements of syntax, those are :

1. Phrases

2. Clauses

3. Sentences

Phrase is a group of word. because phrase is a group of words so we must know what word is. Word is a combination of morpheme that has meaning, for example book. In this case the word book will become ambiguous word, where in can be a noun word or  a verb. So, we need to see the context or the structure of the word in the sentence. When we say this is a book, we use book as noun, but when we say I book the room, we use book as verb.

The phrase is group of word that on component explain the other. For example : a book and the book. When we say note book it not a phrase because it is a noun even thought it has 2 words.

Before we study more about phrase, first we need too study about WC. It is not Water Closet but it is Word classification. WC  is divided in to 2 categories, man and women,,hehehe,,sorry,,just kidding. WC is divided into 2 categories :

A. Word Class, a group of word that has class in the sentence :

1. Class 1 : Noun

2. Class 2 : Verb

3. Class 3 : Adjective

4. Class 4 : Adverb

B. Function Word, some word that will be appear when we need it, so it depends on the function of word in sentence :

1. article/ determiner : it always comes noun to give a clear explanation about the noun word

2. auxiliary : modal auxiliary and auxiliary verb

3. conjunction : the pure conjunction is and, or, but. The others (non pure..hehe) when, which, etc.

4. Preposition : in, at, on, before, etc. (Note : Look for, look after and look for is not a preposition phrase)

5. Intensifier : very, much, quite, too (fact : too is always group with negative meaning words)

6. Question word : 5w+1H question

That all, the introduction of syntax..for more detail,,,check it later. Thanks.

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