Syntax is the structure of a sentence—the correct order and use of words and phrases, plural or singular subject matching verb tense, etc. so that the sentence is clear to understand with only one reading.
The basic syntactic rules in English are:
- You have a subject and a verb in that order.
- Sentences are made up of clauses.
- Every sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with punctuation.
Note: More complex sentences are called compound sentences.
Examples of correct and incorrect use of syntax:
Correct: People who use their phones while driving a car are dangerous drivers.
*This sentence is correct because the subject "people" comes first before the verb "use."
Incorrect: While driving a car, people who use their phones are dangerous drivers.
*The second sentence is incorrect because "While driving a car" isn't a subject and doesn't necessarily link directly to the actual subject of "people." The information in this sentence is not clear.
Correct: Unhappy with himself for losing the game, Jim drove home slowly.
*This sentence is correct because the subject "himself" comes first and the clarification of that subject "Jim" doing the verb "drove."
Incorrect: Unhappy with himself for losing the game, the drive home was slow.
*This sentence is incorrect because the subject "himself" links directly (refers to) "the drive." "The drive" does not have a gender and cannot be