What are syntactic FUNCTIONS

A sentence is made up of different phrases and each one of them exercises a function within the sentence so that it can have a full meaning. The function of each of the phrases is what we call syntactic functions.

The two most basic syntactic functions are the subject and predicate. On these two all the structures that we know are formed. In this lesson from a TEACHER we want to explain what are syntactic functions with examples and exercises so that you can understand it in a complete way.

Syntactic functions are the effects caused by a word or phrase within a sentence. They are all the relationships that a part of the sentence establishes with the rest of the whole.

Sentences are made up of words or sets of words that have particular functions and that establish a relationship with the other words that surround it.

The words of a sentence are not isolated organisms, but rather affect each other and are modified between them. The appearance of a word in a sentence can completely change its meaning. For example: Peter has run away / Peter, the old man, has run away. By adding a phrase with a specific function, the meaning of the sentence

has completely changed.

Characteristics of syntactic functions

• The phrases, since they are all in communion in a sentence, must agree on gender and number with the particle to which they are attached. For example: Maria was calm / Carlos was calm. Normally, how it is seen more clearly is with the syntactic functions of subject and predicate they always have to agree. If the subject is in the masculine singular, the predicate must also be.
• In the sentence there can be no isolated particles, but everything is a set: if we change the subject we will also have to modify everything else. There are syntactic functions, therefore, that do not require to go in accordance with the subject. This is the case of the prepositional phrase "in the kitchen", for example: Andrea was cooking quietly in the kitchen / Alberto was cooking quietly in the kitchen.
• Syntactic functions can be developed a single word or a phrase altogether. For example: in the phrase "the girl plays soccer happily", the subject is a phrase that could be replaced by "Carla", on the other hand, the circumstantial complement of mode is a single word, but it could be replaced by a phrase such as "very well". To know what function each phrase plays, you have to do a syntactic analysis.

Subject and predicate: most common syntactic functions

The two best known syntactic functions are the subject and the predicate:

• Subject: The subject is the topic or subject that is being talked about. Who does it.
• Predicate: The predicate is what is said, commented on or contributed by this subject. What action does.

Syntactic functions are the relationships that are established between the different elements of a sentence. A phrase can have many functions and a function can be performed by several phrases. These are the different syntactic functions that exist and that are usually found when making a parsing a sentence.

Subject (Suj)

The subject is a noun phrase that agrees in gender (feminine or masculine) and number (singular or plural) with the verb. The subject always answers the question what or who performs the action that the verb proposes, for instance: My aunt will arrive tomorrow tired.

We can recognize the subject by its agreement with the predicate. If we modify the verb we will have to modify the subject and then we can identify what it is, for example: my aunts they will arrive tomorrow tired / my uncles they will arrive tomorrow tired.

Direct Plugin (CD)

The direct object of a sentence CD has always been defined as a phrase that It tells us who or what the action of the verb falls on. To recognize it, you have to ask the verb what?, although this trick does not always work.

For example: in the phrase "José is going to eat the Apple"We have to ask the verb" what are you going to eat? ", and the answer would be the direct object" the apple ". It can be replaced in a sentence by the unstressed pronouns lo, la, los, las. For example: Mario always receives the ball / Mario always the receives.

Indirect Complement (CI)

The indirect compliment can be defined as the one who shows the person, animal or thing to which the action of the verb is intended. In a simple way, it can be said that it is the beneficiary or the injured party of the action that the verb speaks of and always begins with a preposition.

For instance: Andrés bought some bananas to Mary. We can identify the IQ within a sentence by substituting it for the pronouns le / les, for example: Eduardo sang a song for Gloria / Edward you I sing a song.

Regimen supplement (C.Reg)

The diet supplement is a phrase started by a preposition that agrees and is governed by the verb that it complements and fill in the information the verb needs.

It is only used in cases where the verb cannot go alone, for example: in the phrase "I heard of the news"The verb cannot be left alone as" I found out ", but must be complemented by a prepositional phrase. We can identify it by replacing it with a tonic pronoun as long as we do not remove the preposition, for example: Christian trusts to approve / Christian trusts in that.

Attribute (Attribute)

Is he attribute par excellence that defines what an object or person is like. Thanks to the attribute, the subject is as it is and is always preceded by a copulative verb (to be, to be, or to appear). It is usually made up of a noun phrase or an adjective.

For instance: Cristina is slim. We can identify the attribute if we replace it with the unstressed pronoun lo, for example: Mercedes seems tired / Mercedes it It seems.

Predicative complement (CPVO)

Another syntactic function is the predicative complement which has two functions within a sentence. The first is that it is a verbal complement of manner and another that is attributed to the subject or the direct object.

For instance: Maria answered quiet. We can identify it because it agrees with the subject in gender and number, for example: Silvia answered very nervous / Felipe answered very nervous.

Circumstantial complement (CC)

The Circumstantial complementexpresses nuances and circumstances of the verb. It is a completely dispensable complement and we can use it only if we want. There are different types of CC according to the information that they expand on the verb:

• From weather (When?): I'll go fishing on Wednesday
• From place (Where?): I have left the pen in the table
• From mode (How?): I like you to dress in this way
• From amount (How much?): The girl ran much
• From cause (Why?): We don't go to school by a fire
• From purpose (What for?): He brought wine to celebrate
• From instrument (With what?): Separate the flour with a metal spoon
• From company (With whom?): He has gone out to dance with a friend
• From theme (About what?): My parents talked of the weekend
• From affirmation or denial: No come over
• From matter (With what?): This wall is smoothed with putty
• From concession (In spite of what?): We went hiking in spite of the rain
• From property (From whom?): The tortilla is of the two

Agent Complement (CAg)

The complement agent only appears when we build passive phrases and designates the agent, that is, the person, animal or thing that performs the action of the verb. It is usually preceded by the preposition by. For example: the road was built by the operators.

We can recognize it because when passing the sentence to active it becomes the subject of the sentence, for example: The song was performed by Montserrat Caballé / Montserrat Caballé performed the song.

Name Complement (CN)

The Complement of the Name is a syntactic function that encompasses all the phrases or words that modify the name no matter what your position is within the sentence. For example: I like the dress blue. You can recognize it because it is always attached to the noun.

Adjective Complement (C.Adj)

The Complement of the Adjective is a syntactic function that aims to complement the adjective to expand or specify its meaning. For example: It is a perfect fridge for the kitchen. It will always be attached to the adjective and you can find it in any position within a sentence.

Adverbial Complement (C.Adv)

An Adverbial complement is a phrase that complements an adverb. For example: Pedro's house is nearby From the airport. We will always find it next to the adverb.

To fully understand the syntactic functions, then we leave you with a practical exercise that will help you lay the foundations you just learned. We will propose a phrase and the syntactic functions that you will have to find in it. For example: Find the subject of the phrase "Laura has fallen down the ladder", your answer has to be that the subject is Laura.

The girl cut the drawing into several pieces

• What is the subject?
• What is the predicate?
• What is the direct object?
• What is the circumstantial complement of mode?

Your brother likes math very much

• What is the direct object?
• What is the circumstantial quantity complement?
• What is the subject?

Silence was impossible in that office

• What is the attribute?
• What is the subject?

All the branches were cut by the lumberjack

• What is the subject?
• What is the agent plugin?

The woman was singing happily in the shower

• What is the predicative complement?

His mother was given a dog yesterday

• What is the indirect object?
• What is the direct object?

This old man lives alone

• What is the predicative complement?

They all liked the dress

• What is the indirect object?
• What is the subject?

Sold many magazines

• What is the direct object?

Now you know what are syntactic functionshave you seen some examples and exercises practical. If you are interested in continuing to learn about this topic or one related to it, do not hesitate to consult our grammar and linguistics section.

Here we leave you the solutions to the previous exercise so that you can check your answers:

1) The girl cut the drawing into several pieces - Subject: The girl / Predicate: Cut the drawing into several pieces / CD: the drawing / CCM: into several pieces

2) Your brother likes mathematics a lot - CD: mathematics / CCC: a lot / Subject: your brother /

3) Silence was impossible in that office - Attribute: impossible / Subject: silence

4) All branches were cut by the woodcutter - Subject: woodcutter / CA: the branches

5) The woman sang happy in the shower - CPred: happy in the shower

6) His mother was given a dog yesterday-CI: his mother / CD: a dog

7) This old man lives alone - CPred: alone

8) Everyone liked the dress - CI: the dress / Subject: Everyone

9) she sold many CD-magazines: many magazines