syntax = analysis of sentence structure; how we combine words into sentences (from Greek: "put in order")

syntax (noun), syntactic (adjective)

The excellent students have been studying very hard, and they have learned a lot about linguistics in their class.

Write the words from the sentence above in the correct spaces below. (See the two examples below.)

A phrase (NP, AP, VP, or PP):

(1) must have a head (for example, the head of a noun phrase is a noun)

(2) may have a specifier = a word (a) that makes the meaning of the head clearer/specific, and (b) marks the beginning or end of a phrase

• determiners specify a noun = for example, the, a, these, that
• adverbs = specify a verb = for example, always, often, never
• degree words (degree means "how much") = specify an adjective or a preposition = for example, very, quite, really

(3) may have a complement that gives information that is missing

• complements are usually other phrases
• for example: in the verb phrase: "studies at the library", at the library is the complement = it gives information that is missing.

Decide whether these phrases are NPs, APs, VPs, or PPs. Check your answers on pages 93-94.