English Syntax and Argumentation

English Syntax and Argumentation

1. Contents

   • Chapter 1
     • Introduction
       • Conceps
         • Sentence
           • String of words that starts in a capital letter and ends in a full stop, organized according to certain rules.
         • Unit
           • Two or more words that have a relationship and work together.
         • Constituent
           • One or more words that syntactically and semantically behave as units, subparts.
         • Grammar
           • Set of rules of a language.
         • Linguistics
           • Field of language studies.
         • Syntax
           • The structure of the sentence, its order, and how the units can be combined or rearranged.
         • Syntact Argumentation
           • Motivated reason for adopting certain sentences structure and rejecting others.
         • Structural Ambiguity
           • What leads to different meanings by organizing words differently.
   • Chapter 2
     • Function
       • How the constituents behave in sentences of which they are part.
         • Their different function in the sentence can change its meaning.
           • The meaning difference is a result of the different roles played by the various constituents.
     • Subject and Predicate
       • Subject
         • Finding the Subject
           • Distributional Tests
             • The Subject is usually a NP.
             • The Subject is usually the first NP of the sentence.
             • Subjects are obligatory.
             • Subjects determine the form of the verb and its spelling.
             • By making an Yes/No question, the Subject changes position.
             • By adding a Tag Question in the sentence we can confirm the Subject.
           • Ask "Who/What carried out the action denoted by the verb?" or "What/Who is the sentence about?"
             • Answer = Subject
         • Usual Subjects
           • A person, an anima, a group of people, an institution or a thing.
             • These words are nouns.
               • These group of words are noun phrases (NPs)
         • Different Subjects
           • It
             • Referential It
               • It referes to something in the sentence that refers to a concrete object.
             • Nonreferential It
               • Dos not refer to anything in the sentence.
                 • Meaningless Elements
           • There
             • Existential There
               • Used in prepositions that have to do with existence.
             • Locative There
               • Specifies a location.
         • Carry out the action denoted by the action word.
           • Action words (denote action) are verbs.
         • Tell us who/what is the sentence about.
       • Predicate
         • Specify what the subjects is engaged in doing.
           • Is everything in the sentence except the subject.
             • Stative Predicate
               • It is not exactly an action.
             • Dynamic Predicate
               • They are actions/activities.