IN THE article Speech by Barbara Jordan (D-Texas), Member of the House Judiciary Committee.

What was the purpose of Barbara Jordan’s speech?

A.
to explain a problem with the wording of the Constitution
B.
to show that Congress was at work
C.
to explain the reason for an inquiry
D.
to thank members of the committee for being allowed to speak

the sentence does not violate the phrase structure second rule (introduced by noam chomsky) because noun phrases consist of a determiner such as a, the or every, and a noun. in the sentence, the noun phrase the cake includes a determiner (the) and a noun (cake).

on the other hand, the first rule indicates that a sentence encloses a noun phrase, followed by a verb phrase. the example sentence can be analysed as follows:

john (n) + ate (v) + the (det) + cake (n).