This document presents an introduction to phrase structure grammar and phrase structure rules. It defines what a phrase is and provides examples of phrases like "Eating a peach" that do not contain subjects or verbs. It describes the universal grammar approach to developing theories of grammar based on analyzing native speaker intuitions and judgments. The resulting theory includes words, phrases, and categories for words and phrases. It establishes that words belong to lexical categories that form phrase heads and phrases are formed according to phrase structure rules. The document provides examples of phrase structure rules for noun phrases, verb phrases, and prepositional phrases. It illustrates how the rules determine the constituents and ordering within phrases.

2.  Presented to:
Madam Amna Shahid
 Presented by:
Ammara Ahsan
Ayesha Amjad
Najia Majid
Rashda Meraj

3. by
Ammara Ahsan
Ayesha Amjad
Najia Majid
Rashda Meraj

4. DEFINITION
A phrase is a group of words that does
not have a subject or a verb.
For example:
Eating a peach
Under the teacher‟s desk
After seeing the Taj Mahal
To buy a new phone

5. General Approach
Universal Grammar (UG) / Language Instinct
Data
Native speakers‟ intuitions (acceptability
judgments)
Resulting Theory of Grammar
Words, phrases, categories for words and phrases
(e.g. nouns, verbs, noun phrases, verb phrases)
(basic concepts any theory of grammar must have
in order to capture the data)

6. 1) Every word belongs to a lexical category
2) Lexical categories forms heads of phrases
3) How phrases are formed is governed by rules
(= „phrase structure rules‟)

7. Rules that determine…
what goes into a phrase („constituents‟)
how the constituents are ordered
Constituent: a word or group of words that
function as a unit and can make up larger
grammatical units
The component that determines the properties
of the constituent is the head, and the
constituent can be referred to as a phrase: e.g.
noun phrase
“noun phrases have a Det and a N”
NP Det N

8. 1. S NP VP
2. NP {Det N, Pro, PN}
3. VP V (NP) (PP) (Adv)
4. PP P NP
5. AP A (PP)

9. • NP (Det) N
• PP P NP
The boy (NP)
The
NDet
boy
the boy in the yard
NP
The
NDet
boy
PP
in
NPP
the
Det N
yard

10.  In P
 from a boy in a bubble P NP
Phrase structure rule for PPs:
PP  P (NP)

11. PP
P
in
PP
P NP
from Det PPN
NPPa boy
in Det N
a bubble

12.  “Verb phrases have a V, (sometimes) an NP, and
(sometimes) a PP”
 VP -> V (NP) (PP)
 sang
 ate the cake
 ate the cake hungrily
 sang a song in the shower
 fell into the pond slowly
Phrase structure rule for VPs:
VP  V (NP) (PP) (Adv)

13. VP
V
sang
VP
V
ate
NP
Det
the
N
cake
VP
V
sang
NP PP Adv
Det
a song
in
badlyNPPN
Det N
showerthe

14. Thank You