Syntax is the ways that words can be put together, or are put together, in order to make sentences.
[technical]
His grammar and syntax, both in oral and written expression, were much better thanthe average.
English Easy Learning GrammarWord order in sentencesThe order of words in an English sentence is very important. A change in word orderoften results in a change of meaning. Many other languages use inflection, ... Read more
syntax in British English
(ˈsɪntæks)
noun
1.
the branch of linguistics that deals with the grammatical arrangement of words and morphemes in the sentences of a language or of languages in general
2.
the totality of facts about the grammatical arrangement of words in a language
3.
a systematic statement of the rules governing the grammatical arrangement of words and morphemes in a language
4. logic
a systematic statement of the rules governing the properly formed formulas of a logical system
5.
any orderly arrangement or system
Word origin
C17: from Late Latin syntaxis, from Greek suntaxis, from suntassein to put in order, from syn- + tassein to arrange
syntax in American English
(ˈsɪnˌtæks)
noun
1. Rare
orderly or systematic arrangement
2. Grammar and Linguistics
a.
the arrangement of and relationships among words, phrases, and clauses forming sentences; sentence structure
b.
the study of this
3. Computing
a.
the structure of statements in a computer language
b.
the rules governing this structure
4. Logic
syntactics as applied to language in the abstract
Word origin
Fr syntaxe < LL syntaxis < Gr < syntassein, to join, put together < syn-, together + tassein, to arrange: see taxi noun
Examples of 'syntax' in a sentence
syntax
This branch of grammar is called syntax.
Harris, Marvin Cultural Anthropology (1995)
And more so with the universal syntax.
Zindell, David The Broken God (1993)
A sentence can have perfectly correct grammar but lousy syntax.
Porush, David A Short Guide to Writing About Science (1995)
It was his joy to compose models of the universe, to represent the incredibly complex processes of the cosmos with symbols of the universal syntax.
Zindell, David The Broken God (1993)
What it did share in common with the Creole specialists was a recognition that much in the way of grammar and syntax had been inherited from Africa.