[MORPHOLOGY & SYNTAX]-SYNTAX

UNIT 4: SYNTAX

1. Definition

• Syntax is the branch of linguistics that studies the way to combine words into larger units- phrases, clauses, and sentences as well as the grammatical rules of language.
• A word or group of words are different parts of speech in a sentence.
  Ex: He ran fast.
  It is a fast car.
• A word or group of words can be analyzed in form and function.

2. Parts of speech

• Words in English language can be divided into

+ open/ content word class (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)

+ closed/ function word class (pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, auxiliary, determiners)

2.1 Open word class

a. Nouns

• A noun is a name of any creatives, a person, a thing a place or an object.
• Types of nouns
  + Proper nouns: refer to the names of persons, places
  + Common nouns: general things or objects
  + Concrete nouns: real
  + Abstract nouns: imaginative thought or opinion can be (un)countable nouns that can be counted singular or plural form.
  + Collective nouns: group of people or things (family, police, military,…) -> singular or plural form.

NOTES:

• Some nouns are only uncountable nouns (information, knowledge, equipment,…)
• Some nouns are always in plural form (glasses, scissors, shoes,…)
• Some nouns have a plural form but the meaning is singular -> singular verb (economics, news, goods,…)

b. Adjective

• Adjective is to describe the qualities of a noun, modify a noun and can precede or follow that noun.

• In a sentence, an adjective follows linking verbs and functions as a subject complement (bổ ngữ của chủ từ)
  ex: That soup is so delicious.
• Answer for how or which.

c. Adverbs

• Adverb is to describe the time, place, or manner.
• Answer for when, where, why, how often, how long, how many, what time, what condition, what for,…
• Adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase, a clause or the whole sentence

d. Verbs

• Verb is to express action, process, state of beings.
• 2 types of verb:

+ Auxiliary verb

• Primary auxiliary can be used as a main verb or an auxiliary.
• Modal/ defective auxiliary
  _ one form
  _ always annexed to main verb

+ Main verb

• Linking verbs
  _ state of beings
  _ after them: adjective and noun
  ex: If anything is wrong, please help me.

• Action verbs:

Transitive (ngoại động từ)
_ need a noun or a pronoun to complete its meaning.
_ functioned as a direct object.
ex: Linda takes her son to school every day.

Intransitive
_ do not need a noun or pronoun.
_ can be followed with an adverb.
ex: He sings (sweetly).

• Form of verbs

Finite verbs
+ tenses
+ subject-verb agreement

• Non-finite verbs

+ infinitive:
_ to infinitive
_ base infinitive

+ gerund

+ participle
_ present
_ past

2.2 Functional/ closed word class

a. Auxiliary

b. Pronouns: to substitute/ replace a noun, phrase or clause.

• Types of pronouns

+ Personal pronouns

Reflective pronouns:
_ name a receiver of an action that is identical to the agent of that action.
_ can be functioned of a noun or a direct object.
_ ex: Paul is looking himself in the mirror.

Emphasizing pronouns:
_ name of a receiver of an action that is identical to the agent of that action.
_ ex: The president himself visited us last night.

+ Relative pronouns
_ replace a noun and follow that noun.
_ introduce an adjective clause.

	Subject	Object	Possession
Persons	who/ that	who(m)/ that	whose + noun
Things	which/ that	which/ that	whose + noun of which

_ relative adverbs:

• where = on/ at/ in which
• when = on/ at/ in which
• why = for which
  ex: I don’t remember the place where/ in which I was born.

+ Interrogative pronouns
_ to ask information
_ wh-words

+ Reciprocal pronouns: each other, together, one another

+ Demonstrative pronouns:
_ show which nouns perform or receive the action
_ ex: This hat is new.
This is a new hat.

+ Indefinite pronouns:
_ unspecified group of people or things.
_ ex: Several are coming.

c. Prepositions

• Prepositions are used with a noun or pronoun to form a prepositional phrase to show location, time, manner, reason,…
• In a prepositional phrase, a headword is a preposition.
• Prepositional phrase -> preposition + noun phrase
• The noun/ pronoun following the preposition is functioned as an object of that preposition.
  ex: The boy is sitting near the window (object).
  PP
• Types of preposition
• Simple preposition
• Compound preposition: ahead to, according to, because of,…
• {-ing} preposition: including, beginning, regarding,…

d. Conjunctions

• Conjunctions are used to link words, phrases, clauses to show the connection between them.
• Conjunctions can be
• Co-ordinate conjunctions: FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
• Correlative conjunctions: both…and, no longer…than, either…or, as a result,…
• Subordinate conjunctions:

_ introduced adverb clauses

_ as if; when, while; where, wherever; so that; although; if,…

e. Determiner

• Determiner identify the nouns and always precede a noun.
• Types of determiner
• Articles: a(n)/ the
• Possessive adjective: my…, John’s…
• Demonstrative adjectives: this -> these, that -> those
• Numbers: cardinal and ordinal
• Indefinite words: several, many, few, little, no