Question

How could you use the word ‘syntax’ in a sentence?

Answer 1

Hint:
i) When we alter the syntax of a sentence it gives rise to a new figure of speech called ‘anastrophe’.
ii) The meaning and usage of ‘syntax’ is greatly inspired from the works of an Indian grammarian named Panini.

Complete answer:
‘Syntax’ refers to the arrangement or the order of words and phrases in a language to create meaningful sentences. It originates from the Greek words syn and taxis which mean ‘together’ and ‘ordering’ respectively. Thus, we can use the word ‘syntax’ in a sentence in the following way –
“Anastrophe is a change in the syntax of a given sentence.”

When the sentence is meaningful, it means that the words are in the correct syntax. For e.g. I don’t have money. When the sentence is; “Have don’t money I”, the syntax is incorrect since the sentence does not make any sense.

Also, if the sentence was; “Money, I don’t have”, then the syntax of this sentence is also correct. It is different from the first sentence but it is correct and has the exact same meaning. This figure of speech where the syntax of a sentence is changed to provide emphasis on certain words or phrases is called ‘anastrophe’.

Note: There are also other meanings to the word ‘syntax’. It is often considered as a set of rules that govern the formation of sentences in a language. The term ‘syntax’ is also used to refer to the study of the principles of sentence formations and processes involved in it.