4.

0
SYNTAX
Constituents structure

Erika Agustiana, M.Hum. & Nico Harared, M.A.

English Education Department
Indraprasta University
 Constituents
structure

 The concept of structure is fundamental to the study of syntax.

 In syntactic analysis, a constituent is a word or a group of words that function
as a single unit within a hierarchical structure.
 Every sentence (and every phrase and clause) has constituents.
 A phrase is a sequence of words that can function as a constituent in the
structure of sentences
 Phrase structure is the division of a sentence into part, or constituents, and the
division of those constituents into subparts.
What is Constituent?

A constituent is a word or a group of words that function as a single unit

within a hierarchical structure.

Sentence
Constituent Constituent Constituent

word word word word word word

Every language can have a dictionary that lists all its words.
However, no language can have a dictionary that lists all its sentence.
 u e
ntit
s
C o nt
For example, that a complex thing like a bicycle is
not just a collection of randomly assembled bits
and pieces. Suppose you gathered together all the
components of a bicycle: metal tubes, hubs,
spokes, chain, cable, and so on.

Now try to imagine all the possible objects you

could construct by fixing these components
together.

So, only some of the possible ways of fitting bicycle

components together produce a bicycle.

A bicycle consists not just of its components but,

much more importantly, in the structure that
results from fitting them together in a particular
way.
 Constituent
Structure
Consider the following sentence:
(1) John angered Mary.
It consists of three words, two nouns and separated by a verb.

(2) The big dog angered the cat.

It contains six words. Three words, the big dog, seem to play the same role in (2)
that one word, John in (1).

(3) [The big dog] angered [the cat]

It has three chunks , even though it has a different number of words. Chunks of
linguistic material like those enclosed in bracket (3) are called CONSTITUENTS. The
hierarchical structure of sentences and other utterances is called CONSTITUENT
STRUCTURE.
 Constituency Tests

1. Fragment Answers
Only a constituent can answer a question, while retaining the meaning of the
original sentence.

(a)That is [my brother].

Q: Who’s that? A: [My brother.]
(b)He is [making a mess.]
Q: What is he doing? A: [Making a mess.]
(c)The keys are [on the table.]
Q: Where are the keys? A: [On the table.]
 Constituency Tests

1. Fragment Answers
Only a constituent can answer a question, while retaining the meaning of the
original sentence.

(a)I want [ two of ] those apples.

Q: How many apples do you want? A: [ Two of.]
(b)He is [ preserving in wax ] the earwigs I gave him.
Q: What is he doing with the earwigs.? A: [Preserving in wax.]
(c)I [ gave the dog ] the keys.
Q: What did you do with the keys? A: [ Gave the dog.]
 Constituency Tests
2. Coordination.
Only constituents (of the same type) can be coordinated using conjunction words
like and, or, and but.

(a)[ Her friends from Peru ] went to the show.

[ Mary and her friends from Peru ] went to the show.
(b)The doughnuts were [ full of jelly ].
The doughnuts were [ full of jelly but slightly disappointing ].
(c)Should I go [ through the tunnel ]?
Should I go [ through the tunnel or over the bridge ]?
 Constituency Tests
2. Coordination.
Only constituents (of the same type) can be coordinated using conjunction words
like and, or, and but.

(a)[ Her friends from ] Peru went to the show.

[her friends from Peru and two guys interested in] went to the show.
(b)The doughnuts [ were full ] of jelly.
The doughnuts [ were full but didn’t smell of jelly].
(c)Should [ I go through ] the tunnel?
Should I go [ through the tunnel or I go around the tunnel ] ?
 Constituency Tests
3. Pro-Form Substitution
Only constituents can be substituted with pro-forms like it, that, them, then, there,
do that, that way,…..

(a)[A man with dark glasses] is following us.

[He] is following us.
(b)We [watched a movie about cheese-making] last week.
We [did that] last week.
(c)[These black cats] detest [those green peas].
[They] detest [them].
 Constituency Tests
4. Movement
Some constituents can be moved to somewhere else in the sentence without changing
the sentence’s meaning or its grammaticality. Prepositional phrases are especially
good at being moved.

(a)Nira bought a scarf [at that strange little shop].

[At that strange little shop], Nira bought a scarf.
(b)We’re going snowboarding [over the break].
[Over the break], we’re going snowboarding.
(c)I’ve always enjoyed [going fishing with my dad].
[Going fishing with my dad], I’ve always enjoyed.
 Constituency Tests
4. Movement
Some constituents can be moved to somewhere else in the sentence without changing
the sentence’s meaning or its grammaticality. Prepositional phrases are especially
good at being moved.

(a)Nira bought a scarf [at that strange] little shop.

[At that strange] little shop Nira bought a scarf.
(b)We’re [going snowboarding] over the break.
[Going snowboarding], we’re over the break.
(c)I’ve always enjoyed going [fishing with my dad].
[Fishing with my dad], I’ve always enjoyed going.
 Constituency Tests
5. Clefting
A cleft construction is one where you take two parts of a sentence and divide them
from each other. (A cleft is a split or gap.)

(a) They put the bodies [in the basement].

[In the basement] is where they put the bodies.
(b) They [made us look like amateurs].
[Made us look like amateurs] is what they did.
(c)She seemed [incredibly lucky] to me.
[Incredibly lucky] is how she seemed to me.
 Constituency Tests
5. Clefting
A cleft construction is one where you take two parts of a sentence and divide them
from each other. (A cleft is a split or gap.)

(a) They [put the bodies] in the basement.

[put the bodies ] is what they did in the basement.
(b) They [made us] look like amateurs.
[Made us] is what they did look like amateurs.
(c)She seemed [incredibly lucky to me].
[Incredibly lucky to me] is how she seemed.
Some constituents you probably learned in grade school are subject
and predicate. You may also recall that every predicate must have a
verb. A more accurate term for predicate is Verb Phrase, then,
since a verb is a required constituent in that group of words

A predicate is called a verb phrase, so it follows that the appropriate

term for the subject is a Noun Phrase.
Phrase Structure
a.k.a Tree diagram
Rules

Phrase structure is the division of a

sentence into part, or constituents, and
the division of those constituents into
subparts.

Every sentence (and every phrase and

clause) has constituents.
 Phrase Structure Rules

Phrasal categories include the noun phrase, verb

phrase, and prepositional phrase.
Lexical categories include noun, verb, adjective,
adverb, and many others.
Phrase Structure Rules

If we look at phrases, some patterns emerge:

 the instructor  NP
Det N
 some homework  NP
Det N
 two classes  NP
Det N
Phrase Structure Rules

V Det N

call the instructor  VP

V Det N

do some homework  VP
V Det N

skip two classes  VP

Phrase Structure Rules

Prep Det N
with the instructor  PP
Prep Det N
with some homework  PP
Prep Det N
after two classes  PP
 Phrase Structure Rules

Noun Phrase  Det N

the instructor

det. noun

the instructor
NP  Det N PP

the boy in the yard

NP

Det N PP

P NP

Det N

The boy in the yard

Verb phrase  V NP

took the money

(VP)

V NP
Det N

took the money

Verb phrase  V NP PP

took the money from the bank

VP

V NP PP
Det N P NP

Det N

took the money from the bank

29

Sentence
The old tree swayed in the wind
S

NP VP

Det Adj N V PP

P NP

Det N

The old tree swayed in the wind

30

Example (2)
The children put the toy in the box
S

NP VP
Det N V NP PP
Det N P NP

Det N
The children put the toy in the box
31

Example (3)
The dog found a bone
S

NP VP
Det N V NP

Det N

The dog found a bone

 Using the following examples,
draw trees which show the class of the verb
33

Exercise (4.1)

Ken Snores
S
34

Exercise (4.2)

The baby cried

S
35

Exercise (4.3)

She moved
S
36

Exercise (5)

Jenny hit him

S
37

Exercise (6)

She broke the rules

S
38

Exercise (7)

The milk man sells bread

S
39

Exercise (8)

Kate hugged the baby

S
40

Exercise (9)

Ken snores very loudly

S
41

Exercise (10)

The baby cried in the night

S
42

Exercise (11)

Ray told the children a story

S
43

Exercise (12)

Ray told a story to the children

S
44

Exercise (13)

Sally sings in a club

S
45

Exercise (14)

She knows a secret

S
46

Exercise (15)

The baby slept

S
47

Exercise (16)

The baby slept soundly

S
48

Exercise (17)

The baby slept in the pram

S
49

Exercise (18)

Alan played the piano

S
50

Exercise (19)

Ken made a cake for a party

S
51

Exercise (20)

A dog chased that girl

S
52

Exercise (in group)

______________
S
5.
0
Semantic Roles

As noted before, semantic roles were

introduced as a way of classifying the
arguments of predicators
(mostly verbs and adjectives) into a closed
set of participant types.

Even though we cannot make any absolute

generalizations about the relationship
between grammatical functions and semantic
roles, the properties of semantic roles do
interact in regular ways with certain
grammatical constructions.
A list of the most relevant thematic roles and
their associated properties is given below
Agt= agent
Pat= patient
Assign a semantic role to each
argument in the following sentences

a. The crocodile devoured the

doughnut.
b. John came from Seoul.
c. John is afraid of Bill.
d The ice melted.
e. The vacuum cleaner terrifies the
child.
Reference: (5)
English Syntax: An
Introduction
Jong-Bok Kim and Peter Sells
January 11, 2008
6.
0
 Text
analysis/
QUIZ
Vgp: Verb Group Analysis
Vgp: Verb Group Analysis
Vgp: Verb Group Analysis
Create your own sentences and draw tree
diagrams for the following examples and
analyse them
in term of function
7.
0
discussion/
review