Learning ICA Is Like Riding a Bike: Awkward at First, But Gets Easier and more Fun Over Time!

Have you ever heard of ICA (immediate constituent analysisis)? If not, you're not alone! ICA is one of the methods used to divide sentences into smaller units to understand their structure and meaning. By learning ICA, we will know how sentences are built, from word level to phrases and words. Learning ICA also makes us write more effectively. Inevitably, you will often encounter difficulties when learning it.

As complicated as it sounds, learning ICA is actually as fun as learning to ride a bike. Why? Because at first, you might be a little frustrated, still bouncy, or might fall. However, that's part of the process. When you get good at cycling, you'll find that it's a lot of fun, just like with ICA, if you understand the concept, you'll find that learning ICA is actually that much fun.

In the process of learning ICA, you will encounter complex terms or concepts.  Initially, you will learn terms such as subject, predicate, modifier, and object. You will understand them more easily with frequent practice.

For example, take a simple sentence:
"I played with dolls in the park."

At first glance, this seems straightforward, but to decipher it with ICA, an understanding of its components is required:

• Subject: "I"
• Predicate: "play"
• Object: "doll"
• Modifiers: "in the park"

Another example as in the sentence "The old man ran away," the first division into direct constituents is between "the old man" and "ran away." The direct constituents of "the old man" are "the" and "old man." At the next level "old man" is divided into "old" and "man." This term was introduced by American linguist Leonard Bloomfield in 1933

A slightly more complex example explaining the clause is:

"When I go to school, my mom went to the zoo."
Explanation:

• Subordinate Clause: "When I go to school"

~subject     : i

~predicate : go  

• Main Clause: "my mom went to the zoo"

~subject     : my mom

~predicate :went

It's like playing a puzzle, you just need to be patient and careful.

To create a tree diagram, you need to understand the structure of phrases in a sentence, such as:

 ~S        = NP + VP

~VP     =Verb + NP

~NP     =  Det + N

~Verb  = Aux + N

~Det    = the, a,...

~N       = woman, book,...

~Aux   = will, can,...

~V        = am, see, hit, read, ...  

This  is example of syntax tree with  sentence "the man will hit the ball"

       you can follow this steps ;                                               

• (i) S
• (ii) NP + VP                                    by rule (1)
• (ii) NP + Verb + NP                     by rule (2)
• (iv) Det + N + Verb + NP           by rule (3)
• (v) Det+N+Verb+Det+N           by rule (3)           
• (vi) Det+N+Aux+V+Det+N         by rule (4)
• (vii) the+N+ Aux+ V+ Det+ N                    by rule (5)
• (viii) the+N+ Aux+ V+ the+N          by rule (5)
• (ix) the + man + Aux + V + the + N by rule (6)
• (x) the+man+ Aux+ V+ the+ ball              by rule (6)
• (xi) the+man+will+V+the+ball                 by rule (7)
• (xii) the+man+will+hit+the+ball    by rule (8)

 In order to understand it faster, you can find a mentor to guide you or join a community that can help you learn. You can also utilize resources that can be used to learn ICA, such as: books, articles, online tutorials, or courses.

You must consistently learn and develop yourself in the field of ICA. You don't need to be afraid of being wrong, because mistakes are a natural part of the learning process. Start from the simplest sentence, use media that can help you understand  ICA, often practice, and you can also ask for guidance from a teacher or mentor that allows you to develop your skills in learning ICA. 

Like learning to ride a bicycle, you must feel scared and unable to balance your body on its two wheels. However, when you have mastered using the bicycle, you will definitely enjoy it and not be afraid of downhill or uphill roads. Likewise with learning ICA, when you are proficient, you are not afraid of the types of sentences or clauses that may be difficult. You will be more confident in communicating and your writing skills will be much improved. So, what are you waiting for? Let's learn now!