10. Reference Section: Basics of Syntax & Sentence Analysis

10. Reference Section: Basics of Syntax & Sentence Analysis

Language skills, as we know, are vital for effective communication. One may know the
meaning of all the words in a language, but still be unable to communicate effectively, if
one does not know how to put these words together in a sentence.
Syntax, or the arrangement of words in the sentence, is determined primarily by word
functions, otherwise called Parts of Speech.
Here are a few basic concepts that we need in order to understand the mechanics of
sentence structure. We shall call them our „tools‟ for sentence analysis:

Concept # 1: Parts of Speech. The most important concept in our approach to sentence
analysis is that of „Parts of Speech.‟ These are functions of words, phrases, or whole
clauses within the larger context of the sentence:
Function
Nouns - name things (What? Who?)
Pronouns - stand instead of nouns (What? Who? etc.)
Adjectives - describe (modify) nouns (Which?)
Verbs - name actions or states of being
Adverbs - modify verbs (How? Where? When? Why? etc.)
Conjunctions - join similar grammatical items (words, phrases, clauses, etc.)
Prepositions - show „positions‟ of things in space and time
Interjections - expressions of feelings and attitudes interjected, or „thrown into‟
the midst of a clause (they are our „raisins in the cake‟ ).
All the hundreds of thousands of words in a language fall into these eight (8) groups,
depending on how they function in the sentence. Thus,