syntactically incorrect

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "syntactically incorrect" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing grammar or sentence structure, indicating that a phrase does not conform to the rules of syntax. Example: "The sentence 'Him go store' is syntactically incorrect."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

Academia

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

14 human-written examples

Comparisons with syntactically incorrect sentences revealed that this effect was dependent on the sentences' grammatical correctness.

Cognitive Brain Research

Around 135 ms after violation onset, differential effects were observed for syntax and auditory space, with syntactically incorrect sentences leading to activations in the anterior STG, whereas ITD changes elicited activations more posterior in the STG.

NeuroImage

The blocks are shaped like jigsaw puzzle pieces, so it is impossible to create a syntactically incorrect program.

Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences

For example:  is the set of syntactically incorrect SQL injection requests that are inappropriate for the given injection point.

Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society

One can draw a flowchart that corresponds to a wrong algorithm, but the flowchart itself cannot be "syntactically incorrect", since the visual editor allows no illegal links between the elements.

Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences

Husserl's understanding of 'nonsense' is rather strict: he counts only those strings of words that are syntactically incorrect (so that they form a mere 'heap of words' and cannot be combined into any unified meaning (Husserl 1913/2000, 522)) as strictly nonsensical, and thus as signs of differences in categories of meaning.

SEP

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

These lists mimic the predicted responses in our CALL application task because they contain (a) responses to relatively closed questions and (b) morphologically and syntactically correct and incorrect responses.

EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech, and Music Processing

Out of the symbols we built first-order formulae that were either syntactically correct or incorrect.

Plosone

All expressions were either syntactically correct or incorrect, but were always without any semantic meaning.

Plosone

These studies often report that the ATL is activated for syntactically correct versus incorrect sentences that control for semantic content, thus indicating a potential role for the ATLs in the representation of syntax.

Cerebral Cortex

That is, in correct sentences nouns and auditory adjectives are syntactically mismatching whereas in incorrect sentences nouns and auditory adjectives are syntactically matching (see Fig. 2).

Plosone

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing errors in computer code or programming languages, use "syntactically incorrect" to specifically indicate that the error is due to a violation of the language's grammar rules, rather than a logical or semantic mistake.

Common error

Avoid using "syntactically incorrect" when you actually mean semantically incorrect. Syntax refers to the structure and arrangement of words, while semantics refers to the meaning. A sentence can be syntactically correct but semantically nonsensical.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "syntactically incorrect" functions as an adjective phrase modifying a noun (e.g., sentence, code, program). According to Ludwig AI, it describes something that violates the rules of syntax. Examples in Ludwig demonstrate its use in scientific, academic, and programming contexts.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

40%

Academia

30%

News & Media

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Wiki

5%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "syntactically incorrect" is a common and grammatically correct term used to describe something that violates the rules of syntax. Ludwig AI confirms its usability across various contexts, particularly in science, academia, and news and media. While "grammatically incorrect" and "invalid syntax" are suitable alternatives, it's important to differentiate syntactic errors from semantic ones. When writing, ensure that the term is used to specifically address structural issues in language or code. Its frequent use in scientific publications underscores its importance in precise communication. Top sources employing the phrase include Plosone and ScienceDirect.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

syntactical error

Replaces "incorrect" with "error", which is more direct.

syntactic violation

Replaces "incorrect" with "violation" to emphasize the breaking of syntactic rules.

grammatically incorrect

Similar to "ungrammatical", but explicitly states the incorrectness from a grammatical perspective.

invalid syntax

Commonly used in computer science, referring to code that does not follow the language's syntax rules.

syntactically flawed

Uses "flawed" as a synonym for "incorrect", suggesting a less severe error.

ungrammatical

Focuses specifically on violations of grammatical rules, which is a subset of syntactic errors.

improperly structured

Highlights the incorrect arrangement of elements within a sentence or program.

faulty sentence structure

Highlights the problem as being with the entire sentence's organization.

structurally unsound

Emphasizes the flawed structure rather than the syntax itself.

non-standard syntax

Indicates a deviation from the established syntactic norms.

FAQs

What does "syntactically incorrect" mean?

The term "syntactically incorrect" refers to a phrase, sentence, or piece of code that violates the rules of syntax (grammar). It means that the elements are not arranged in a way that conforms to the established structure of the language.

How can I identify a "syntactically incorrect" sentence?

To identify a "syntactically incorrect" sentence, check for errors in word order, missing words, incorrect verb conjugations, or mismatches in noun-pronoun agreement. If the sentence sounds awkward or doesn't make sense due to structural issues, it's likely syntactically incorrect.

What are some alternatives to "syntactically incorrect"?

Alternatives to "syntactically incorrect" include "grammatically incorrect", "ungrammatical", "structurally unsound", or "invalid syntax" (especially in the context of computer code).

Is it possible for a sentence to be syntactically correct but still incorrect?

Yes, a sentence can be syntactically correct but semantically nonsensical. For example, "The green ideas sleep furiously" is syntactically correct because it follows grammatical rules, but it's semantically meaningless because the words don't create a coherent thought.