Syntax

(Syntac*c trees & phrasal categories)

Phrasal Categories
Syntac*c categories group together to form
phrasal categories.

[The yinkish gripner] [[blorked quastocally]

[on a baink of nidrad.]]
How do we know which word belongs to which
syntac*c category (or part of speech) above?
How types of words are grouped together

Phrasal Categories
Basic Phrasal categories:
NP (Noun Phrases)
VP (Verb Phrases)
PP (Preposi*onal Phrases)

Phrasal Categories
Noun Phrases (NPs)

NP

NP ! N

N
frog

Phrasal Categories
Noun Phrases (NPs)

NP

DET N
the
frog

NP ! (DET) N

NOTE:
( ) = op*onal

Phrasal Categories
Noun Phrases (NPs)

NP

DET ADJ N
The green frog

NP ! (DET)(ADJ) N

NOTE:
( ) = op*onal

Phrasal Categories
Verb Phrases (VPs)

VP

VP ! V

V
hopped

Phrasal Categories
Verb Phrases (VPs)

VP

V
hopped

VP ! V (ADV)

ADV
quickly

NOTE:
( ) = op*onal

Phrasal Categories
Preposi*onal Phrases (PPs)

PP

P
in

PP ! P NP

NP

Phrasal Categories
Preposi*onal Phrases (PPs)

PP

P
in

PP ! P NP
NP ! (Det)(Adj)N

NP

DET N

Phrasal Categories
Preposi*onal Phrases (PPs)

PP

P
in

PP ! P NP
NP ! (Det)(Adj)N

NP

DET N
the pond

Phrasal structures are combined to create larger

phrases or sentences

NP

DET ADJ N
The green frog

NP ! (Det)(Adj) N

Phrasal structures are combined to create larger

phrases or sentences

NP

PP

NP

DET ADJ N
The green frog

NP ! (Det)(Adj) N (PP)
PP ! P NP

P
in

Phrasal structures are combined to create larger

phrases or sentences

NP

PP

NP

DET ADJ N
The green frog

NP ! (Det)(Adj) N (PP)
PP ! P NP

P DET N
in

Phrasal structures are combined to create larger

phrases or sentences

NP

PP

NP

DET ADJ N
The green frog

NP ! (Det)(Adj) N (PP)
PP ! P NP

P DET N
in the pond

The PP gives us added informa*on about the NP.

Which green frog? The one in the pond.

NP

PP

NP

DET ADJ N
The green frog

NP ! (Det)(Adj) N (PP)
PP ! P NP

P DET N
in the pond

The PP gives us added informa*on about the VP.

Where did it hop quickly? Into the pond.

VP

V

hopped

PP

NP
ADV
quickly

P DET N
into the pond

Our Phrase Structure Rules (PSR) so far:

NP ! (Det)(Adj) N (PP)
VP ! V (Adv) (PP)
PP ! P NP
We can then go further and take these
components to build sentences (S).

The Sentence (S) ! Frogs hopped.

NP

S ! NP VP
NP ! (Det) (Adj) N (PP)
VP ! V (Adv) (PP)
PP ! P NP

VP

The Sentence (S) ! Frogs hopped.

NP VP

N V
Frogs
hopped.

S ! NP VP
NP ! (Det) (Adj) N (PP)
VP ! V (Adv) (PP)
PP ! P NP

S ! The green frogs hopped quickly.

NP VP

S ! NP VP
NP ! (Det) (Adj) N (PP)
VP ! V (Adv) (PP)
PP ! P NP

S ! The green frogs hopped quickly.

NP VP

DET

ADJ N

S ! NP VP
NP ! (Det) (Adj) N (PP)
VP ! V (Adv) (PP)
PP ! P NP

S ! The green frogs hopped quickly.

NP VP

DET ADJ N
The
green frogs

S ! NP VP
NP ! (Det) (Adj) N (PP)
VP ! V (Adv) (PP)
PP ! P NP

S ! The green frogs hopped quickly.

NP VP

DET ADJ N V ADV

The
green frogs hopped quickly

S ! NP VP
NP ! (Det) (Adj) N (PP)
VP ! V (Adv) (PP)
PP ! P NP

S ! The green frogs in the pond hopped quickly.

NP VP

S
NP
VP
PP

! NP VP
! (Det) (Adj) N (PP)
! V (Adv) (PP)
! P NP

S ! The green frogs in the pond hopped quickly.

NP VP

S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

S ! The green frogs in the pond hopped quickly.

NP

S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

VP

S ! The green frogs in the pond hopped quickly.

NP

DET ADJ N
S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

VP

S ! The green frogs in the pond hopped quickly.

NP VP

DET ADJ N
The green frogs
S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

S ! The green frogs in the pond hopped quickly.

NP

PP

DET ADJ N
The green frogs
S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

VP

S ! The green frogs in the pond hopped quickly.

NP VP

PP

DET ADJ N
The green frogs
S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

S ! The green frogs in the pond hopped quickly.

NP

PP

NP

DET ADJ N P
The
green frogs
S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

VP

S ! The green frogs in the pond hopped quickly.

NP

PP

NP

DET ADJ N P
The
green frogs in
S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

VP

S ! The green frogs in the pond hopped quickly.

S

NP

PP

NP

DET ADJ N P DET N

The
green frogs in the pond
S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

VP

S ! The green frogs in the pond hopped quickly.

NP

PP

NP

DET ADJ N P DET N

The
green frogs in the pond
S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

VP

S ! The green frogs in the pond hopped quickly.

NP

PP

NP

VP

DET ADJ N P DET N V ADV

The
green frogs in the pond
S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

S ! The green frogs in the pond hopped quickly.

NP

PP

NP

VP

DET ADJ N P DET N V ADV

The
green frogs in the pond hopped quickly
S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

S ! The green frogs hopped quickly into the pond.

NP VP

S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

S ! The green frogs hopped quickly into the pond.

NP VP

S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

S ! The green frogs hopped quickly into the pond.

NP VP

DET ADJ N
The green frogs

S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

S ! The green frogs hopped quickly into the pond.

NP VP

DET ADJ N
The green frogs

S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

S ! The green frogs hopped quickly into the pond.

NP

VP
PP

DET ADJ N V ADV

The green frogs



S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

S ! The green frogs hopped quickly into the pond.

S
.

NP

VP
PP

DET ADJ N V ADV

The green frogs
hopped quickly
S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

S ! The green frogs hopped quickly into the pond.

S
.

NP

VP

PP

NP

DET ADJ N V ADV P DET N

The green frogs
hopped quickly into
S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP

S ! The green frogs hopped quickly into the pond.

NP VP

PP

NP

DET ADJ N V ADV P DET N

The green frogs
hopped quickly into the pond
S
NP
VP
PP

!
!
!
!

NP VP
(Det) (Adj) N (PP)
V (Adv) (PP)
P NP