Basic syntax trees

These syntax trees have one aim only. To aid you in understanding Language Structure, and thereby helping you to understand grammar for your own sake and for your future work and/or the classroom

A syntax tree is a visual representation of language structure, in which the grammatical hierarchy is graphically displayed. Points of juncture in tree diagram are called nodes. If one node is immediately dominated by another, it is called a daughter node. If one node is immediately dominated by the same nodes, they are called sister nodes. 

There is not just one correct way to draw a syntax tree. What the tree should look like for a particular sentence remains an active area of linguistic debate. Seriously, there are people presenting papers at conferences as we speak arguing for various tree proposals over others, and I have every expectation that they’ll continue doing so for decades and possibly centuries to come.

---

Introduction to syntax tree drawing

The environment will suffer during the next decade.

So, deconstruct the sentence & create a syntax tree that represents it down to word level. You might consider the following steps:

1. Tarzan grunt ! What is the essence of the clause/sentence
2. Create the 1st divide: SUBJ  PREDICATE
3. Identify the clausal elements
4. Identify & analyse at phrase level:  VP, N, A
5. Identify the underlying strucures

---

Draw syntax trees #1,2,3 analysing from sentence level down to word level. Check your effort, and then try again if needs be.

Syntax Tree # 1

Amazingly, the silver-grey dolphin held him in its mouth, above the water​

Syntax Tree # 2

By 6500 BC, Europeans were actively mining salt.​.

Syntax Tree # 3

John bakes his mother’s rhubarb pie, using sunflower oil in the crust.