Grammar is a complicated subject, that is why there are many tools used to aide in understanding the subject. One of these tools is the Parse tree, which is a type of diagram. As the name suggests, it is a tree diagram that shows variations other syntax elements. If you take a good look at it, this diagram is not that complicated to read which is the main reason why it is used to explain complicated topics such as syntax. With that being said, we will dive into the essence of the Parse tree by providing you with further explanation and examples.
Ultimate Parse Tree Tutorial
What is a Parse Tree?
Also known as Derivation tree, this diagram shows the entire syntax structure of a string, which is primarily used in computer programming. Aside from that, it can also be used in linguistics and is often mentioned as Syntax tree. To put it in simpler terms, this diagram can be used to dissect a sentence to its most basic parts.
Components of a Parse Tree
A Parse tree is also made up of different parts in order for it to be complete. Despite being easy to read, having the right knowledge about it is essential to understand what the entire diagram is all about. With that being said, it is made up of three types of nodes which have a specific function. To learn more about these nodes, continue reading below.
- Root Node
The root node, as the name suggests, is the foundation of every Parse tree. The root represents the sentence being dissected into parts. It is constant that there is only one root node for every Derivation tree.
- Branch Node
Another node that you must know is the branch node. These are located directly under the root node, which is why they are also called parent nodes because they are above the other nodes in the diagram.
- Leaf Node
Last component that you need to take note of is the Leaf node. These are the nodes that you will directly find below the parent nodes. As the Parse tree example above shows, it is located at the lowest part of the umbrella.
Types of Parse Tree
There are two types of Parse tree that you can use depending on the situation. These two are highly similar to each other, and also serves the same purpose. However, they differ in their parts as they both support specific syntax sequence.
- Dependency-based Parse Tree
This type of parse diagram treats all parts as leaf nodes. This is the reason why it contains less nodes compared to your conventional parse tree. However, having less doesn’t mean its not acknowledged. This one is easier to make compared to the other which makes it highly-recommended for beginners.
- Constituency-based Parse Tree
If the previous type treats all of its components as leaf nodes, then the Constituency-based parse tree needs all three nodes to be complete. In a sense, it provides more information compared to the other since there are components that only appear by using this Derivation tree example.
Free Online Parse Tree Examples
As mentioned above, this diagram is easy to make. However, there is an alternative way to get your hands on this chart and that is by using templates. As we all know, templates provides a lot of convenience since they are ready-to-use. All you need to do is fill in the necessary information that you need and you are good to go. With that being said, we prepared some Parse tree example below that you can download for free.
- Constituency-based Parse Tree Example
This template is an example of the constituency-based type. As you can see, the parts are all laid out with the proper nodes, starting with from the root node up to the leaf node.
- Dependency-based Parse Tree Example
This template is the exact opposite of the previous example. Notice how there are only a few parts in this template compared to the other one. This dependency-based Parse Tree template is downloadable by clicking the button above.
- Syntax Tree Template
This template is the perfect example of a complex template. As the example shows, it is made up of more than 5 leaf nodes, which means that it is a long sentence. This is useful in dissecting the various parts of complex sentences.
Conclusion
If this is your first encounter with Parse tree then we hope that you learned something new. Not only will this become a useful tool, but you will surely benefit a lot by practicing to use this in every situation. On that note, feel free to use the templates that we provided above to your advantage.
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