Summary

Heads and their modifiers are typically grouped together inside clauses. Different languages have different orders of head and modifiers. There are three tests for whether a sequence of words forms a phrase: transposition, substitution and ellipsis. In syntax, the term ‘phrase’ is applied to single words and to sequences of words. This reflects the view that a single noun such as sand occupies a slot in which a phrase could occur. An example of a slot is ___ is needed; into it can go, for example, sand, as in Sand is needed, or special sand for the lawn, as in Special sand for the lawn is needed. Phrases can be extended indefinitely, different types of phrase have different types of head, phrases occur in clauses, but clauses can also occur inside phrases.