Exer for Chapter 4 Syntax

1、Chapter 4 Syntax I. Decide whether each of the following statements is True or False: 1. Syntax is a subfield of linguistics that studies the sentence structure of language, including the combination of morphemes into words. 2.Grammatical sentences are formed following a set of syntactic rules. 3. S

2、entences are composed of sequence of words arranged in a simple linear order, with one adding onto another following a simple arithmetic logic.4.Universally found in the grammars of all human languages, syntactic rules that comprise the system of internalized linguistic knowledge of a language speak

3、er are known as linguistic competence. 5. The syntactic rules of any language are finite in number, but there is no limit to the number of sentences native speakers of that language are able to produce and comprehend. 6. In a complex sentence, the two clauses hold unequal status, one subordinating t

4、he other. 7. Constituents that can be substituted for one another without loss of grammaticality belong to the same syntactic category.8. Minor lexical categories are open because these categories are not fixed and new members are allowed for.9. In English syntactic analysis, four phrasal categories

5、 are commonly recognized and discussed, namely, noun phrase, verb phrase, infinitive phrase, and auxiliary phrase. 10. In English the subject usually precedes the verb and the direct object usually follows the verb.11.What is actually internalized in the mind of a native speaker is a complete list o

6、f words and phrases rather than grammatical knowledge.12. A noun phrase must contain a noun, but other elements are optional.13. It is believed that phrase structure rules, with the insertion of the lexicon, generate sentences at the level of D-structure.14. WH-movement is obligatory in English whic

7、h changes a sentence from affirmative to interrogative.II. Fill in each of the following blanks with one word which begins with the letter given: 15. A s_ sentence consists of a single clause which contains a subject and a predicate and stands alone as its own sentence. 16. A s_ is a structurally in

8、dependent unit that usually comprises a number of words to form a complete statement, question or command. 17. A s_ may be a noun or a noun phrase in a sentence that usually precedes the predicate.18. The part of a sentence which comprises a finite verb or a verb phrase and which says something abou

9、t the subject is grammatically called p_.19. A c_ sentence contains two, or more, clauses, one of which is incorporated into the other.20. In the complex sentence, the incorporated or subordinate clause is normally called an e_ clause.21. Major lexical categories are o_ categories in the sense that

10、new words are constantly added.22. A _ Condition on case assignment states that a case assignor and a case recipient should stay adjacent to each other.23. P_ are syntactic options of UG that allow general principles to operate in one way or another and contribute to significant linguistic variation

11、s between and among natural languages.24. The theory of C_condition explains the fact that noun phrases appear only in subject and object positions.III. There are four given choices for each statement below. Mark the choice that can best complete the statement: 25. A sentence is considered _ when it

12、 does not conform to the grammatical knowledge in the mind of native speakers. A. right B. wrong C. grammatical D. ungrammatical 26. A _ in the embedded clause refers to the introductory word that introduces the embedded clause. A. coordinator B. particle C. preposition D. subordinator 27. Phrase st

13、ructure rules have _ properties. A. recursive B. grammatical C. social D. functional 28. Phrase structure rules allow us to better understand _. A. how words and phrases form sentences. B. what constitutes the grammaticality of strings of words C. how people produce and recognize possible sentences

14、D. All of the above. 29. Syntactic movement is dictated by rules traditionally called _. A. transformational rules B. generative rules C. phrase structure rules D. x-bar theory 30. The theory of case condition accounts for the fact that _. A. noun phrases appear only in subject and object positions.

15、 B. noun phrases can be used to modify another noun phrase C. noun phrase can be used in adverbial positions D. noun phrase can be moved to any place if necessary. 31. The sentence structure is _. A. only linear B. Only hierarchical C. complex D. both linear and hierarchical 32. The syntactic rules

16、of any language are _ in number. A. large B. small C. finite D. infinite 33. The _ rules are the rules that group words and phrases to form grammatical sentences.A. lexical B. morphological C. linguistic D. combinational 34._ rules may change the syntactic representation of a sentence. A. Generative

17、 B. Transformational C. X-bar D. Phrase structure IV. Define the following terms: 35. syntax 36. Sentence 37. coordinate sentence 38. syntactic categories 39. grammatical relations 40. linguistic competence 41. transformational rules 42. D-structure V. Answer the following questions: 43. What are th

18、e basic components of a sentence? 44. What are the major types of sentences? Illustrate them with examples. 45. Are the elements in a sentence linearly structured? Why? 46. What are the advantages of using tree diagrams in the analysis of sentence structures? 47. What is NP movement. Illustrate it w

19、ith examples.Decide whether each of the following statements is True or False: I. l.F 2.T 3.F 4.T 5.T 6.T 7.T 8.F 9.F 10.T 11.F 12.T 13.T 14.T II. Fill in each of the following blanks with one word which begins with the letter given: 15. simple, 16. sentence 17. subject 18. predicate 19. complex 20.

20、embedded 21. open 22.adjacency 23.Parameters 24.Case III. There are four given choices for each statement below. Mark the choice that can best complete the statement: 25. D 26. D 27. A 28. D 29. A 30. A 31. D 32. C 33. D 34. BIV. Define the following terms: 35. syntax: Syntax is a subfield of lingui

21、stics. It studies the sentence structure of language. It consists of a set of abstract rules that allow words to be combined with other words to form grammatical sentences. 36. Sentence: A sentence is a structurally independent unit that usually comprises a number of words to form a complete stateme

22、nt, question or command. Normally, a sentence consists of at least a subject and a predicate which contains a finite verb or a verb phrase. 37. coordinate sentence: A coordinate sentence contains two clauses joined by a linking word called coordinating conjunction, such as "and", "but

23、", "or". 38. syntactic categories: Apart from sentences and clauses, a syntactic category usually refers to a word (called a lexical category) or a phrase ( called a phrasal category) that performs a particular grammatical function. 39. grammatical relations: The structural and logica

24、l functional relations of constituents are called grammatical relations. The grammatical relations of a sentence concern the way each noun phrase in the sentence relates to the verb. In many cases, grammatical relations in fact refer to who does what to whom .40. linguistic competence: Universally f

25、ound in the grammars of all human languages, syntactic rules comprise the system of internalized linguistic knowledge of a language speaker known as linguistic competence.41. Transformational rules: Transformational rules are the rules that transform one sentence type into another type.42. D-structu

26、re: D- structure is the level of syntactic representation that exists before movement takes place. Phrase structure rules, with the insertion of the lexicon, generate sentences at the level of D-structure.V. Answer the following questions: 43. What are the basic components of a sentence? Normally, a

27、 sentence consists of at least a subject and its predicate which contains a finite verb or a verb phrase. 44. What are the major types of sentences? Illustrate them with examples. Traditionally, there are three major types of sentences. They are simple sentence, coordinate (compound) sentence, and c

28、omplex sentence. A simple sentence consists of a single clause which contains a subject and a predicate and stands alone as its own sentence, for example: John reads extensively. A coordinate sentence contains two clauses joined by a linking word that is called coordinating conjunction, such as &quo

29、t;and", "but", "or". For example: John is reading a linguistic book, and Mary is preparing for her history exam. A complex sentence contains two, or more, clauses, one of which is incorporated into the other. The two clauses in a complex sentence do not have equal status, on

30、e is subordinate to the other. For example: Before John gave her a lecture, Mary showed no interest in linguistics. 45. Are the elements in a sentence linearly structured? Why? No. Language is both linearly and hierarchically structured. When a sentence is uttered or written down, the words of the s

31、entence are produced one after another in a sequence. A closer examination of a sentence shows that a sentence is not composed of sequence of words arranged in a simple linear order with one adding onto another following a simple arithmetic logic. In fact, sentences are also hierarchically structure

32、d. They are organized by grouping together words of the same syntactic category, such as noun phrase (NP) or verb phrase (VP), as can be seen from the following tree diagram: S NP VP Det N Vt NP Det N The boy likes the music. 46. What are the advantages of using tree diagrams in the analysis of sentence structures? The tree diagram can not only reveal a linear order, but also a hierarchical structure that groups words into structural constituents. It can, in addition, show the syntactic category of eac