Question

Assuming that the sentence follows the phrase structure rules given below, decide whether the sentence is a kernel sentence or a transform. S NP + VP. NP (DET) N VP V (NP) Did Mr. Brown teach his class?

Answer 1

The sentence is a transform because it introduces the auxiliary verb 'did' and inverts the subject 'Mr. Brown' and verb 'taught' to form a question, changing the kernel sentence 'Mr. Brown taught his class' into 'Did Mr. Brown teach his class?'

Step-by-step explanation:

The sentence 'Did Mr. Brown teach his class?' is a transform of a kernel sentence based on the provided phrase structure rules. The basic structure of a kernel sentence in English typically follows the Subject (S), Verb (V), and optionally Object (O), which can be represented as S + V (+ O). The kernel sentence would be 'Mr. Brown taught his class.' Here, 'Mr. Brown' is the subject, 'taught' is the transitive verb, and 'his class' is the direct object. By introducing the auxiliary verb 'did' and inverting the subject with the verb, the sentence becomes a question, which is an example of a transform, specifically a yes/no question.

Answer 2

The sentence doesn't follow the phrase structure rules given above, which means that it is a transform sentence, not a kernel one.
A kernel sentence always has to be active and declarative. The second part means that it cannot be a question, but rather a statement. Here, as you can see, the example is a question, which means that it cannot be a kernel sentence.