Syntax

Consider the following sentences:

1. The book is on the table.
2. The table is on the book.
3. Is the book on the table?
4. On the table is book the table.

In each sentence, the exact same words are used, but the way they are rearranged impacts the meaning of the sentence. The first three make grammatical sense (although logically, we know that it’s unlikely that a table would be on a book), but each expresses a different idea. The fourth sentence, despite using the same words, is confusing, conveying no meaningful message. This example reveals just how important it is to use the right structure when we communicate. The arrangement of words and phrases in a specific order is known as syntax, and it greatly impacts the meaning of a phrase and whether or not we’re able to understand it.¹

Syntax is like a map that guides how words should be arranged in a sentence. The way that we speak is governed by particular rules—varying from language to language—that allow us to convey our ideas and communicate cohesively. For example, all sentences require a subject and a verb. “The cat purred loudly” is syntactically correct, whereas the sentences “Purred loudly” (missing a subject) and “The cat loudly” (missing a verb) are syntactically incorrect. One exception is commands (Go!) because we assume the person the imperative is being told to is the subject.¹

Often, we’re not consciously aware of these rules when speaking in our native tongue (or maybe we’ve just blocked out those arduous middle-school English lessons), but we are aware enough to know when a sentence is incorrect. The fact that languages are often riddled with exceptions like the earlier example makes it difficult for people to learn new languages, but at the same time, grasping syntax is what allows us to express meaningful phrases we haven’t been taught, based on our understanding of the foundational structure and rules of the language.