Grammar in EAP
Syntax
Introduction
Syntax is a traditional term for the study of the rules governing the way words are combined to form groups, clauses and sentences in a language. In contrasts with morphology, which studies the structure of words.
The main syntactic elements of clauses are: Subject, Predicator, Complement (Direct Object, Indirect Object, Subject Complement, Object Complement) and Adjunct.
Clauses are made up of groups, which are made up of words. Words combine to form groups. Therefore, a group consists of one or more words; it can be thought of as an expanded word. A typical structure of a group would be mhq – modifier, head, qualifier. Groups combine to form clauses. Typical groups are nominal groups, verbal groups, adjectival groups, adverbial groups.
Syntax studies the rules of these combinations.
For example, in a sentence such as:
|
Neural connections between the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) and most other regions of the brain have been cut and yet the SCN has continued to be rhythmic. |
we may be interested in how the words combine to form a meaningful sentence. This is syntax.
However we might also be interested in how the words “connections, continued, rhythmic” can be divided into parts: “connect + ion + s“, “continued + d” and “rhythm + ic“, or how “suprachiasmatic” is formed. This is morphology.
Exercises
Try these exercises: Syntax Exercises
