{"id":29174,"date":"2017-08-10T20:49:43","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T20:49:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=29174"},"modified":"2026-03-26T11:57:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:57:31","slug":"syntax","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/syntax\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Syntax?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_rw62E9v9DnU\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_rw62E9v9DnU\" data-source-videoID=\"rw62E9v9DnU\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"What is Syntax? Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"What is Syntax?\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_rw62E9v9DnU:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_rw62E9v9DnU {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/updated-what-is-syntax-64a85b7289dbc.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_rw62E9v9DnU\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_rw62E9v9DnU\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"What is Syntax?\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_rw62E9v9DnU\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_rw62E9v9DnU\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_rw62E9v9DnU\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction lzx_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"lzx\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"lzx_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"lzx\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#What_is_Syntax\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">What is Syntax?<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Syntax_Examples\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Syntax Examples<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Review\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<h2><span id=\"What_is_Syntax\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>What is Syntax?<\/h2>\n<p>\nSyntax is the law of language that determines the word order and basic <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/sentence-structure\/\">sentence structure<\/a> within the different languages. <\/p>\n<p>Each language has a specific syntax that tells the speaker and the listener which parts of the sentence come first to help them make sense of what\u2019s being said. It\u2019s the guidelines we use when speaking and writing so that sentences are understandable and coherent.<\/p>\n<p>Be wary of confusing syntax or semantics with diction. These form the backbone of sentence construction, so let\u2019s break these definitions down. <\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<ul style=\"margin-left: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; list-style-type: none;\">\n<li><strong>Syntax<\/strong>, as just mentioned, is the order of the words in a sentence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Diction<\/strong> is the specific word choice meant to express certain meanings.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Semantics<\/strong> is the meaning conveyed by the particular words used.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nWe\u2019ll be focusing on syntax for this video. In the English language, there is a word order that is set in stone for most <a  class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/intro-to-sentence-types\/\">types of sentences<\/a>. Of course, there are always exceptions, but most of the time, standard English sentences will follow an <strong>SVO<\/strong> word order.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Subject<\/li>\n<li>Verb<\/li>\n<li>Object<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"Syntax_Examples\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Syntax Examples<\/h2>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">The boy looks outside of the window.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nIn this example sentence, we have the <strong>s<\/strong>ubject <em>boy<\/em>, the <strong>v<\/strong>erb <em>looks<\/em>, and the <strong>o<\/strong>bject <em>outside<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/syntax-tree-300x215.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"360\" height=\"258\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-84187\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/syntax-tree-300x215.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/syntax-tree-1024x733.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/syntax-tree-768x549.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/syntax-tree.png 1054w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The image above is of an English grammar syntax tree used by linguists to plot the structure of sentences. You may not often encounter a syntax tree, but knowing how to draw one is rather useful and will help you understand sentence structure.<\/p>\n<p>In the chart, you can see that the sentence is broken down into its parts: verbs, nouns, articles, and prepositions. After this step, the words are grouped together to determine which parts of the sentence are noun phrases, prepositional phrases, or verb phrases.<\/p>\n<p>Fun fact: <strong>SVO<\/strong> is not the only word order structure. Other languages vary word order and even include additional components in their syntax.<\/p>\n<p>In the example given with the syntax tree, the <strong>s<\/strong>ubject is <em>cat<\/em>, the <strong>v<\/strong>erb is <em>sat<\/em>, and the <strong>o<\/strong>bject is <em>mat<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/syntax-diagram-300x106.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"159\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-84190\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/syntax-diagram-300x106.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/syntax-diagram-1024x362.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/syntax-diagram-768x272.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/syntax-diagram-1536x543.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/syntax-diagram.png 1714w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This second picture is another way in which syntax can be written out. This diagram takes the sentence &#8220;The dog loved the girl&#8221; and breaks it down into articles (D), nouns (N), verbs (V), noun phrases (NP), and verb phrases (VP) just like the previous example. In this sentence, the <strong>s<\/strong>ubject is <em>dog<\/em>, the <strong>v<\/strong>erb is <em>loved<\/em>, and the <strong>o<\/strong>bject is <em>girl<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Again, the syntax trees are not to be intimidating but are used to better understand the structure of a sentence and to reveal each part\u2019s purpose within the sentence.<\/p>\n<p>An additional use for syntax trees is that whenever a different word order is used for a sentence, it can be \u201cdecoded\u201d by charting it out like the examples above. For example, if you are hearing a sentence in a foreign language that follows a VSO order or some other variation, creating a syntax tree for that sentence can help you to put the words in SVO order so that you might understand what\u2019s being said.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><span id=\"Review\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Review<\/h2>\n<p>\nLet\u2019s have a recap!<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Syntax<\/strong> is the sentence structure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Diction<\/strong> is the choosing of words to relate a certain meaning.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Semantics<\/strong> is the meaning that is expressed from the words used.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Syntax trees<\/strong> are a neat graphing tool to chart sentence structure and make sense of word order and how it&#8217;s functioning in the world of English.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>\nThanks for joining us on this syntax tutorial! See you next time!<\/p>\n<ul class=\"citelist\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/writingexplained.org\/grammar-dictionary\/syntax\"target=\"_blank\">\u201cWhat Is Syntax? Definition, Examples of English Syntax &#8211; Writing Explained.\u201d <\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jguru.com\/faq\/view.jsp?EID=81\"target=\"_blank\">What Do \u2018Syntax\u2019 and \u2018Semantics\u2019 Mean and How Are They Different?\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/reading-comprehension\/\">Return to Reading Comprehension Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Reading Comprehension Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":183212,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-29174","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-reading-comprehension-videos","7":"page_category-video-pages-for-study-course-sidebar-ad","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-english"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29174"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":260758,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29174\/revisions\/260758"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}