Difference Between Syntax and Semantics
Syntax:
- It refers to the rules and regulations for writing any statement in a programming language like C/C++.
- It does not have to do anything with the meaning of the statement.
- A statement is syntactically valid if it follows all the rules.
- It is related to the grammar and structure of the language.
Semantics:
- It refers to the meaning associated with the statement in a programming language.
- It is all about the meaning of the statement which interprets the program easily.
- Errors are handled at runtime.
Program 1:
Below is the code to demonstrate the semantic error:
C++
// C++ program to demonstrate semantic error#include <iostream>using namespace std;// Driver Codeint main(){ // Return statement before cout return 0; // Print the value cout << "GFG!";} |
Java
// Java program to demonstrate semantic errorimport java.util.*;class GFG{// Driver Codepublic static void main(String[] args){ // exit() statement before cout System.exit(0); // Print the value System.out.print("GFG!");}}// This code is contributed by aashish1995 |
Python3
# Python program to demonstrate semantic errorimport sys# Driver Codeif __name__ == '__main__': # exit() statement before cout sys.exit(0); # Prthe value print("GFG!"); # This code contributed by gauravrajput1 |
C#
// C# program to demonstrate semantic errorusing System;class GFG{// Driver Codepublic static void Main(String[] args){ // exit() statement before cout Environment.Exit(0); // Print the value Console.Write("GFG!");}}// This code is contributed by gauravrajput1 |
Output:
Explanation:
- The output will be blank because the above program is semantically incorrect.
- This program has no syntax error as it is following every programming rule but still, it will not print anything on the screen because the return statement is written before the cout statement which causes the program to terminate before printing anything on the screen. This type of situation is considered a semantic error.
Program 2:
Below is the correct code i.e, without any syntax and semantic error.
C++
// C++ program to demonstrate basic operation// without any syntax and semantic error#include <iostream>using namespace std;// Driver Codeint main(){ // To print gfg cout << "GFG!"; return 0;} |
Java
// Java program to demonstrate basic operation// without any syntax and semantic errorclass GFG{// Driver Codepublic static void main(String[] args){ // To print gfg System.out.print("GFG!");}}// This code is contributed by aashish1995 |
Python3
# Python3 program to demonstrate basic operation# without any syntax and semantic error# To print gfgprint("GFG!")# This code is contributed by divyeshrabadiya07. |
C#
// C# program to demonstrate basic operation// without any syntax and semantic errorusing System;public class GFG{ // Driver Code public static void Main(String[] args) { // To print gfg Console.Write("GFG!"); }}// This code contributed by Rajput-Ji |
Javascript
<script>// Javascript program to demonstrate basic operation// without any syntax and semantic error// To print gfgdocument.write("GFG!");// This code is contributed by patel2127</script> |
Output:
GFG!
Tabular Difference between Syntax and Semantic Error:
| Basis | Syntax | Semantics |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | It refers to the rules of any statement in the programming language. | It refers to the meaning associated with any statement in the programming language |
| Error | It referred to as syntax error. It is generally encountered at the compile time. It occurs when a statement that is not valid according to the grammar of the programming language. Some examples are: missing semicolons in C++, using undeclared variables in Java, etc. | It referred to as semantic error. It is generally encountered at run time. It occurs when a statement is syntactically valid but does not do what the programmer intended. This type of error is tough to catch. |
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