The notion of phrase is used in grammar.
A phrase is a group or set of words that have a specific function. It is a concept that is used in the field of grammar .
In syntax, these groups are called syntactic constituents and serve to form other subgroups of words that are called sub-constituents . Within a phrase there is a fundamental word that is called the syntactic nucleus ; Without it, the group would not exist as such, since it is what provides the basic characteristics for the formation of that group. This nucleus will also be responsible for giving the phrase its name. For example, if the nucleus of a phrase is a verb, we will be dealing with a verbal group.
What is a phrase
It can be said that a phrase is a syntactic unit composed of words and morphemes that are organized hierarchically around the syntactic nucleus. All sentences can be decomposed into various phrases that are linked through syntactic and semantic relationships.
It is important to clarify that syntax is the area of grammar that is responsible for studying and organizing the function of words within statements: it is both closely linked to the form of words (studied by morphology ) and with their meanings (interest of semantics ). In addition, we must keep in mind the various units that make up syntax, such as the aforementioned phrase, the proposition, the sentence and the body.
A phrase is a group of words that fulfill a specific function.
Classification according to type
Syntagms can be classified as endocentric and exocentric. Endocentric phrases are those that represent maximum projections of its nucleus and that share the same grammatical category as it. Exocentric phrases , on the other hand, lack a nucleus .
Currently, the most frequent classification made of this type of structures divides them into two large groups: lexical phrases and functional phrases .
Lexical and functional phrases
Within the lexical phrases there is a varied subgroup called:
- Noun phrase (SN) : it is a set of words that are linked around a noun, which is the nucleus of the phrase.
- Prepositional phrase (SPREP) : it is the only one that is not named after the nucleus of the phrase but rather after a word whose function is to link two parts of the phrase, which is always a preposition .
- Adjectival phrase (SADJ) : this group of words are linked from the nucleus, which is always an adjective .
- Adverbial phrase (SADV) : in this case the nucleus is an adverb , whose fundamental function is to provide coherence to the sentence.
- Verb phrase (SV) : the nucleus is a verb around which the rest of the components of the sentence revolve.
Functional phrases , for their part, are those whose nucleus does not present lexical meaning. They can be divided into time phrases (an auxiliary verb), complementing phrases (a subordinating link) and determining phrases (an indicator of definition, quantity or type of reference).
Other considerations
When we try to study the various phrases we must always be attentive to discover what function each one performs within a statement. We can understand this by isolating the nucleus to discover what type of word it is and thus we can know what its function is within the message. In the case of those phrases that lack a nucleus, we will have to pay more attention to the context in order to arrive at a good understanding of their usefulness within the sentence.
In conclusion, it is important to say that the only way to learn to use a language correctly is by becoming familiar with its various components; Therefore, knowing the function of phrases and in general the various parts of syntax is essential to be able to express ourselves effectively .