Well-formedness theory

Well-formedness theory, in linguistics, suggests that the structure of a sentence must adhere to specific grammatical rules to be considered "well-formed" or correct. This means that words and phrases are arranged according to accepted syntactic patterns, ensuring the sentence makes sense and follows linguistic norms. If a sentence is well-formed, it can be understood easily; if not, it might be confusing or grammatically incorrect. Essentially, the theory emphasizes that language has an underlying structure that guides how words combine, maintaining clarity and consistency in communication.