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Phrase-Structure Rules Some Important Linguist Argue That The Structure of A

The document discusses phrase structure rules that are used to break down sentences into constituent parts such as noun phrases, verb phrases, prepositional phrases, adjective phrases, and adverb phrases. It provides examples and optional rules for each type of phrase showing how different words or groups of words can fit into and be categorized by the phrase structure rules.

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Pian Sujatna
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35 views3 pages

Phrase-Structure Rules Some Important Linguist Argue That The Structure of A

The document discusses phrase structure rules that are used to break down sentences into constituent parts such as noun phrases, verb phrases, prepositional phrases, adjective phrases, and adverb phrases. It provides examples and optional rules for each type of phrase showing how different words or groups of words can fit into and be categorized by the phrase structure rules.

Uploaded by

Pian Sujatna
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Phrase-structure rules Some important linguist argue that the structure of a

word and the structure of a sentence are akin. Therefore they apply rules which
are used in sentence syntax to word syntax or the structure of words. They are
used to break down a sentence into its constituent parts.

1. Noun Phrase

A noun phrase (abbreviated NP) is a phrase which has a noun as


its head word, or which performs the same grammatical function as such a
phrase.

Noun phrases often function as subjects and objects, as predicative


expressions, and as the complements of prepositions or postpositions. Noun
phrases can be embedded inside each other; for instance, the noun phrase some
of his constituents contains the shorter noun phrase his constituents.

A→B+C

Some further examples for English are as follows:

NP → | N | or | V | or | A | or | P | + N

Noun phrase (NP)

· John N

· the boy Det N

· a little boy Det Adj N

· a boy in a bubble Det N PP

Phrase structure rule for NPs:

NP → (Det) (Adj) N (PP)

(where ‘()’ indicates optionality)

2. Verb Phrase
A verb phrase or VP is a unit composed of at least one verb and the
dependents of that verb – objects, complements and other modifiers, but not
including the subject. Thus in the sentence A fat man put the jewels quickly in
the box, the words put the jewels quickly in the box may be considered a verb
phrase – this consists of the verb put and its dependents, but not its subject a
fat man. A verb phrase is therefore similar to what is considered a predicate in
some contexts.

Verb phrases may be either finite (based on a finite verb) or non-finite (based
on a non-finite verb, such as an infinitive, participle or gerund). While phrase
structure grammars acknowledge both types of VP, dependency
grammars reject the existence of a finite VP constituent (unlike the former,
they regard the subject as being among the verb's dependents). In this regard,
the understanding of verb phrases can be dependent on which theory is being
considered.

· Sang V
· ate the cake V NP
· ate the cake hungrily V NP Adv
· sang a song in the shower V NP PP
· fell into the pond slowly V PP Adv
Phrase structure rule for VPs:
VP  V (NP) (PP) (Adv)
(where ‘()’ indicates optionality)

3. Prepositional Phrase
At the minimum, a prepositional phrase will begin with a preposition and end
with a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause, the "object" of the preposition.

The object of the preposition will often have one or more modifiers to describe
it. These are the patterns for a prepositional phrase:

preposition + noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause

preposition + modifier(s) + noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause

Here are some examples of the most basic prepositional phrase:

At home →At = preposition; home = noun.

In time →In = preposition; time = noun.

With me →With = preposition; me = pronoun.

About what we need →About = preposition; what we need = noun clause.


4. Adjective Phrase
An adjective phrase (or adjectival phrase) is a phrase the head word of which
is an adjective, e.g., very happy, quite upset about it. The dependents of the
head adjective the other words and phrases inside the adjective phrase - are
typically adverbs or prepositional phrases, but they can also
be clauses (e.g. louder than you do). Adjectives and adjective phrases function
in two basic ways in clauses, either attributively or predicatively. When they
are attributive, they appear inside a noun phrase and modify that noun phrase,
and when they are predicative, they appear outside of the noun phrase that they
modify and typically follow a linking verb. Example :
a. Sentences can contain tremendously long phrases. - Attributive adjective
phrase
b. This sentence is not tremendously long. - Predicative adjective phrase
a. A player faster than you was on their team. - Attributive adjective phrase
b. He is faster than you. - Predicative adjective phrase

5. Adverb Phrase

Adverb is a word which gives an additional detail about the meaning of a verb
or an adjective or another adverb.
In many sentences, an adverb may be a phrase as in the following sentences.
Just as the work of an adjective is done by ‘a group of words’ called Adjective-
phrase, so the work of an adverb can be done by ‘a group of words’ which is
called ‘ADVERB-PHRASE’.
Examples:
• Clinton ran quickly.
In this sentence, the adverb ‘quickly’ gives another detail about the verb ‘ran’.
• Clinton ran with great speed.
In this sentence, the same meaning has been conveyed by using ‘a group of
words’-‘with great speed’.

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