College of Languages

Syntax is the component of language grammars that determines how words combine into larger units and how parts of sentences relate to each other. This module introduces students to principles of syntactic theory and trains students to carry out basic practical syntactic analysis with reference to English. It is considered as one of the most significant aspects of Linguistics. Linguists, those who are specialized in dealing with the scientific study of language, will lack the backbone of linguistics (especially the theoretical part) in case they miss what is offered in syntax or in case they are unaware of what syntax does to language. Thus, it is one of the core modules taught at English Department/ Nawroz University. It is, generally, about how sentences are structured and how these structures are governed. It introduces the basic structures of sentences; major phrase types, major clause types. This subject aims to equip our English learners (students) with an effective knowledge of essential features of English syntax. When students graduate and become English language teachers, they cannot give appropriate and adequate explanations to their students if they have no knowledge of syntax. Although a truly comprehensive treatment of English syntax is not feasible in almost a 30-week course, students will hopefully develop knowledge and grammatical skills sufficient for developing their own grammatical expertise. The class is designed as a follow-up to English Grammar and Morphology classes offered in the former semesters of study at English Department/Nawroz University.