Syntax - Meaning, Definition, Rules and Examples

What is syntax? This term has significant meanings in English grammar and linguistics, and computer science and programming languages. In this article, you will be introduced to the concept of syntax in linguistics, the meaning and definition of the term, the importance of syntax, the rules to be followed and the types of syntactic patterns. Furthermore, there are a number of examples to help you clearly understand how syntax is applied.

Table of Contents

• What Is Syntax? – Meaning and Definition
• The Role of Syntax in the English Language
• How to Apply Syntax in Sentences? – Rules
  • Some Exceptions You Can Make
• Types of Syntactic Patterns with Examples
• Check Your Understanding of Syntax
• Frequently Asked Questions on Syntax in Linguistics

What Is Syntax? – Meaning and Definition

‘Syntax’ is the term used to refer to the arrangement of words, phrases and clauses in a sentence to make them sound and look meaningful. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines syntax as “the way that words and phrases are put together to form sentences in a language”. According to The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, syntax is “the way in which words and clauses are ordered and connected so as to form sentences”; it also refers to “the set of grammatical rules governing such word order”.

The Role of Syntax in the English Language

Now that you know what syntax means, try and understand how it works in the English language. Gathering all the words and phrases alone would not do you any good. You should know how to arrange them in an order that conveys the message exactly in the way you want it. Parts of speech, like adverbs, can be used at the beginning, middle and/or end of sentences. The meaning of the sentence can change depending on where the word is placed. In addition to this, there are words which have the same spellings but different meanings and words that have multiple functions. For these reasons and many more, it is important that you understand the concept of syntax and practise how to write syntactically correct sentences.

How to Apply Syntax in Sentences? – Rules

To make it simpler and easier for you to understand, here is a list of rules you have to bear in mind when forming sentences. Go through them and analyse your sentences to see if they have proper syntax.

Rule 1:

A sentence should have a subject and a verb. Other than imperative sentences, all other sentences must, for sure, have at least one subject and one verb. Imperative sentences do not require a subject.

For example:

• It / was raining. (Declarative sentence)

Subject / Verb

• Switch off / your mobile phones. (Imperative sentence)

Verb / Object

Rule 2:

The subject should come first, followed by the verb. Only in the case of interrogative sentences do subjects follow the verb. In other words, interrogative sentences begin with a verb.

For example:

• The meeting / starts / in half an hour. (Declarative sentence)

Subject / Verb / Adjunct

• Does / the meeting / start / in half an hour? (Interrogative sentence)

Helping verb / Subject / Main verb / Adjunct

Rule 3:

Describing words like adjectives and adverbs should be positioned before the words they describe.

For example:

• It is very cold today. (Adverb – describes the intensity of the cold weather)
• I wore a blue dress for my sister’s wedding. (Adjective – describes the colour of the dress)

Rule 4:

Objects follow the subject and verb in a sentence. If there is a direct object and an indirect object, the indirect object comes after the verb, and the direct object follows the indirect object.

For example:

• Bianca / gave / me / a book.

Subject / Verb / Indirect object / Direct object

• Nandhu / bought / us / dinner.

Subject / Verb / Indirect object / Direct object

Rule 5:

Clauses, irrespective of whether they are dependent clauses or independent clauses, must have a subject and a verb. Phrases, on the other hand, do not require a subject.

For example:

Phrase / Clause

• On the eve of Christmas, / we left for Madrid.

The clause ‘we left for Madrid’ has a subject (we), verb (left) and adjunct (for Madrid).

Dependent clause / Independent clause

• Though Lakshmi was tired, / she did not take a day off from work.

The dependent clause has a subject, ‘Lakshmi’, and a verb, ‘was’. The independent clause also has a subject, ‘she’, and a verb, ‘did not take’.

Some Exceptions You Can Make

Though it is almost always necessary to follow the rules of syntax, there are some forms of writing where you can make a few exceptions. Poetry, for instance, uses rhyming words to create a rhythm and possesses a metre. So, when writing a poem, you have the liberty to alter the syntax of sentences to attain the impact you intend to make in the minds of your readers. Likewise, in drama, dialogues need not always strictly be in a set syntactic pattern. Playwrights are allowed to make some alterations in order to enhance the scene and bring an effect. This is often referred to as one of the aspects of ‘creative freedom’.

As a postscript to what you have learnt, keep this in mind as well. When you alter sentences to suit the genre or your writing style, analyse if it delivers the message you are trying to convey. Do it only if your writing demands it.

Types of Syntactic Patterns with Examples

In the English language, there are a few basic syntactic patterns based on which longer sentences are built. Let us look at the basic sentence patterns in English.

Syntactic Pattern 1:

The first pattern is the basic one – sentences with just a subject and a verb.

For example:

• It / worked.

Subject / Verb

• Diya / was crying.

Subject / Verb

Syntactic Pattern 2:

The second syntactic pattern has another component added to the first one – an object.

For example:

• It / is / a puppy.

Subject / Verb / Object

• Finola / liked / the dress.

Subject / Verb / Object

Syntactic Pattern 3:

Sentences can have two objects, as discussed earlier, out of which one would be indirect and the other direct. In such a case, the indirect object is preceded by the verb and followed by the direct object.

For example:

• Neena / gave / her father / a smartwatch.

Subject / Verb / Indirect object / Direct object

• Suhail / showed / me / his collection of stamps.

Subject / Verb / Indirect object / Direct object

Syntactic Pattern 4:

Sentences having a subject, verb, and complement follow the fourth pattern. Subject complements are placed immediately after the verb in the sentence.

For example:

• Manisha / is / an actor.

Subject / Verb / Subject complement

• They / are / artists.

Subject / Verb / Subject complement

Syntactic Pattern 5:

Object complements are placed after the object in the sentence.

For example:

• Randall / found / the book / boring.

Subject / Verb / Object / Object complement

• They / made / their friend / happy.

Subject / Verb / Object / Object complement

Syntactic Pattern 6:

Adjuncts can come after the object, before the subject, and before or after the verb in a sentence.

For example:

• She / walked / quickly.

Subject / Verb / Adjunct

• Yesterday, / we / won.

Adjunct/ Subject / Verb

Syntactic Pattern 7:

An adjunct and a complement can be used in a sentence. Such a sentence can be in either of the following patterns:

i) Adjunct followed by subject, verb and complement.

ii) Subject, verb, complement and then the adjunct.

iii) Subject, verb, adjunct and then the complement.

For example:

• Immediately, / she / got / moody.

Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Complement

• She / was elected / president of the Rotary Club / this week.

Subject / Verb / Complement / Adjunct

• They / were / completely / happy.

Subject / Verb / Adjunct / Complement

Syntactic Pattern 8:

If multiple adjuncts are used in a sentence, the adjuncts can be placed, one at the beginning and the other at the end of the sentence. Another way to do it would be to position it one after the other.

For example:

• Last week, / Anu, Teena and Tessa / were / in London.

Adjunct/ Subject / Verb / Adjunct

• Anu, Teena and Tessa / travelled / to London / by train.

Subject / Verb / Adjunct / Adjunct

Syntactic Pattern 9:

If a sentence in the subject, verb and object pattern takes an adjunct, it can be placed after the object or before the subject.

For example:

• Mia / bought / a smartphone / yesterday.

Subject / Verb / Object / Adjunct

• Last week,/ the restaurant / served / kunafa.

Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Object

Check Your Understanding of Syntax

Rewrite the following jumbled sentences using the syntactic structure and also punctuate them appropriately.

1. served/Tharani/a/soup/me/of/soup

2. sad/was/Riya

3. ring/me/a/buy

4. where/the/hospital/is/nearest/general

5. Portugal/Prashanth/today/reached

6. this/is/street/your/stays/friend/the/in

7. twenty-five/there/in/students/my/are/class

8. a/is/cricketer/Jaysal

9. partially/bottle/covered/was/the

10. hockey/plays/well/Karthik

Here are the answers; check if you have rearranged the words correctly to form meaningful sentences.

1. Tharini served me a bowl of soup.

2. Riya was sad.

3. Buy me a ring.

4. Where is the nearest general hospital?

5. Prashanth reached Portugal today.

6. Is this the street your friend stays in?

7. There are twenty-five students in my class.

8. Jaysal is a cricketer.

9. The bottle was partially covered.

10. Karthik plays hockey well.