Meaning & use
syntactic
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Relating to the way words are arranged to form sentences.
Grammar: Used before a noun: syntactic structure, syntactic rules.
Patterns
- syntactic structure
- syntactic rules
- syntactic analysis
The two sentences differ in syntactic structure but mean the same.
Children learn syntactic rules without formal instruction.
The software checks for syntactic errors before translating.
adjectivebefore a nouncomputingtechnical
In computing, relating to the formal rules for writing correct code or commands.
Grammar: Used before a noun: a syntactic error, syntactic validity.
Patterns
- syntactic error
- syntactic validity
The compiler reported a syntactic error on line 10.
A missing bracket is a common syntactic mistake.
The parser checks syntactic correctness before running the program.
Common combinations
- syntactic structure
- The syntactic structure of the sentence is simple.
- syntactic rules
- Every language has its own syntactic rules.
- syntactic analysis
- The class practiced syntactic analysis of complex sentences.
- syntactic error
- The code failed because of a syntactic error.
Synonyms and how they differ
- grammatical
- Grammatical is broader and also means 'correct according to grammar rules'; syntactic focuses on word arrangement.
- structural
- Structural can refer to any kind of structure; syntactic is specifically about sentence structure.
Word family
- syntax noun
- The rules for arranging words into sentences.
- syntactically adverb
- In a way that relates to sentence structure.
- syntactician noun
- A person who studies syntax.
Commonly confused: syntactic or semantic?
syntactic vs semantic
Semantic is about meaning; syntactic is about word order and sentence structure.
Practice
Choose the sentence where 'syntactic' is used correctly.
Choose one answer.
Syntactic relates to sentence structure, so 'syntactic structure' fits. Option 0 confuses syntactic with semantic (meaning). Option 2 confuses it with phonetic (sound). Option 3 is nonsense because color has nothing to do with syntax.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “syntactic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.