Syntax – 10
Tree Diagrams: Deep Structure
[From Syntax class 6]
Deep Structure tree diagrams:
(a) Why doesn’t somebody tell me the truth?
= Q + Negative + Somebody tells me the truth why (reason).
S
Q NEG NP VP
VG NP NP Adv
N
Aux V Det N
T N
Art
Somebody Pres tell me the truth reason/why
b) The minister who was battling for life was taken to a Delhi hospital.
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Since the sentence is in passive voice it needs to be transformed into an active voice sentence before we
attempt a deep structure analysis.
= Somebody took the minister who was battling for life to a Delhi hospital.
S1
NP VP
N VG NP PP (*)
Aux V NP S2
T Det N NP VP
Art Det N VG PP
Art Aux V Prep NP
T Prog N
Somebody Past take the minister the minister Past be -ing battle for life
PP (*)
Prep NP
Det Class N
Art
to a Delhi hospital
c) Ten nations are scheduled to take part in that tournament.
= Somebody scheduled ten nations to take part in that tournament. ( infinitive to)
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= Somebody scheduled ten nations for NP (something).
NP = ten nations took part in that tournament.
S1
NP VP
N VG PP
Aux V NP
T Q N Prep NP
S2 (*)
Somebody Past schedule ten nations for
S2 (*)
NP VP
Q N VG PP
NP Prep NP
Aux V
T N Det N
Demon
ten nations Past take part in that tournament
d) God has been called Darwin’s chief rival.
= Somebody has called God Darwin’s chief rival. (active voice)
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S
NP VP
N NP NP
VG
Det Adj. P N
N
Aux V Poss
NP ’s Adj
T Perf
N
Somebody Present have -en call God Darwin chief rival
e) When I went to see her she was fast asleep. (infinitive ‘to’)
S1
Adv S2
S3
NP VP
NP VP
VG NP VG Adj. P
N S4
Aux V NP VP Aux V Int Adj
VG NP
T N Aux V T
T N
I
I Past go I past see her she past be fast asleep
f) Arthur, the plumber, fixed the leak.
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S
NP VP
NP NP VG NP
Det N Aux V Det N
N Art T Art
Arthur the plumber Past fix the leak
(g) He hid the car in the forest and left the place.
S1
S2 Conj S3
NP VP NP VP
and
VG NP PP N VG NP
N Aux V Det N Prep NP Aux V Det N
Det N
T Art Art Art
He Past hide the car in the forest he Past leave the place
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