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Test 2 Practice - Syntax

This document provides practice questions for a syntax test. It includes two sections: 1. Constituent tests - Students are asked to identify constituents in sentences using tests like stand alone, move as a unit, and replacement by a pronoun. 2. Phrase structure rules - Students are asked to draw phrase structure trees for sample sentences of increasing complexity to represent their syntactic structure. One sentence is ambiguous and students must provide two possible meanings and trees.

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1K views4 pages

Test 2 Practice - Syntax

This document provides practice questions for a syntax test. It includes two sections: 1. Constituent tests - Students are asked to identify constituents in sentences using tests like stand alone, move as a unit, and replacement by a pronoun. 2. Phrase structure rules - Students are asked to draw phrase structure trees for sample sentences of increasing complexity to represent their syntactic structure. One sentence is ambiguous and students must provide two possible meanings and trees.

Uploaded by

Nurul Hyun Lee
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ALS152 - SYNTAX

TEST 2 PRACTICE

Try to answer all the questions

CONSTITUENTS AND CONSTITUENT TESTS

1. Using one or more of the constituency tests (i.e., stand alone, move as a unit, replacement
by a pronoun) discussed in the chapter, determine which of the boldfaced portions in the
sentences are constituents. Provide the grammatical category of the constituents.

A. Martha found a lovely pillow for the couch. -Constituent (Object)

B. The light in this room is terrible. -Constituent (Object)

C. I wonder if Bonnie has finished packing her books.-Constituent (Object)

D. Melissa slept in her class. -Constituent (Object)

E. Pete and Max are fighting over the bone.-Constituent (Object)

F. I gave a bone to Pete and to Max yesterday. -Non- Constituent

G. I gave a bone to Pete and to Max yesterday.-Non-Constituent

2. Read the following sentence;

The little boy scribbled some drawings on the wall.

A. Identify at least 3 constituents from the sentence above.


i. The little boy
ii. On the wall
iii. Scribbled some drawings

B. Use any constituent tests for each one above to prove you have identified them
correctly.

i) It was the little boy who scribbled some drawings on the wall (move as unit)
ii) What did the little boy do on the wall? Scribbled some drawings (stand alone)
iii) The little boy who scribbled some drawings there (replacement by a pronoun-like a word)

PHRASE STRUCTURE RULES

3. Draw phrase structure tree (tree diagram) for each of the sentences below.

A. The girl wrote a letter.

B. The sad girl wrote a long letter.


ALS152 - SYNTAX

C. She regretted that she wrote the letter.

D. She burnt the letter at her backyard.

E. She wondered if her mother knew that she burnt something behind her house.

F. She saw her mother with a puzzled look.


(This sentence is ambiguous. Provide the two meanings and a tree diagram for each).
ALS152 - SYNTAX
ALS152 - SYNTAX

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