Chapter – 04

Context Free Language and

Grammar

Context Free Languages – Parsing and ambiguity –

Sentential forms – leftmost and rightmost derivation
– Derivation tree or Parse tree – Definition and
relationship between parse tree and derivation -
Simplification of context free grammar – Properties
of Context Free Languages

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Context Free Language(CFL)
To overcome the problem in regular language. We
needed the solution is called context free language.
Context free language is generated by the context
free grammar. Regular grammar is simple but
context grammar is complex compared to the
regular grammar.

From the diagram; regular language is a Sub set of

the CFL. CFL is complex one and it can solve the
problems, faced in regular language
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Context Free Grammar

Definition:
G = (N, T, P, S)
N – Set of non terminals
T – set of terminals
P – Production rules: this rules are used to derive the
certain string
S – starting state

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 Cont.,
Derivation and Languages:
Generation of language using specific rules is called derivation.

Example 4.1: Construct the CFG for the language having

any number of a’s over the set Σ = { a }.
R.E = a* = {, a, aa, aaa, aaaa, ….}
Production rules for the same:
S  aS rule 1
S rule 2
Now if you want to derive the string ‘aaa’. Start with the start
symbol.
S
aS rule1
aaS rule1
aaaS rule1
aaa rule2
aaa 4
 Cont.,
Example 4.2: Construct the CFG for the given
language
L = {an bn | n > 0 }
L = { ab, aabb, aaabbb, ….} = { equal number of a
and b}
Production rule for the same:
S  aSb rule1
S rule2
Now if you want to derive the string ‘aabb’. You can
start the derivation from the start symbol
S
aSb rule1
aaSbb rule1
aabb rule1
aabb rule2 5
Leftmost Derivation and Rightmost Derivation
Generation of the string using production rules
is called derivation. In derivation of string: replacing
the non -terminal by appropriate rule. If there are
more non-terminal available then which non-
terminal has to replace first; which is based on the
two methods are listed below:
•Leftmost Derivation
- It’s a derivation in which, leftmost non-
terminal is replaced first from the sentential form

•Rightmost Derivation
- It’s a derivation in which, rightmost non-
terminal is replaced first from the sentential form
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Derivation Tree
Derivation tree is a graphical representation for the
derivation of the given production rules for the given
CFG. Its called parse tree.
Properties:
•Root node indicating start symbol
•Leaf nodes are terminals
•The interior nodes are non terminals

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 Cont.,
Example 4.3: Let G be the grammar
S  aB | bA
A  a | aS | bAA
B  b | bS | aBB
For the string baaabbabba find leftmost, rightmost
derivation and Derivation tree
First write the production rules separately like below
S  aB rule1
S  bA rule2
Aa rule3
A  aS rule4
A  bAA rule5
Bb rule6
B  bS rule7
B  aBB rule8 8
 Cont.,
Leftmost Derivation Rightmost
Derivation
S S
bA r1 bA r2
baS r4 baS r4
baaB r1 baaB r1
baaaBB r8 baaaBB r8
baaabSB r7 baaaBbS r7
baaabbAB r2 baaaBbbA r2
baaabbaB r3 baaaBbba r3
baaabbabS r6 baaabSbba
r7
baaabbabbA r1 baaabbAbba r2
baaabbabba r3 baaabbabba
r3 9
Cont.,

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Cont.,
Try yourself:
1.Consider the following production
S  aB| bA
A a |aS |bAA
B  b | bS | aBB
Find the leftmost derivation, rightmost derivation
and parse tree.

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Parsing
Parsing is the process of analyzing a string of
symbols, either in natural or computer language.

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Ambiguity

Grammar can be derived in either leftmost or

rightmost derivation. We can draw the derivation
tree called as parse tree or syntax tree. Parse tree is
a unique one though the derivation is leftmost or
rightmost.
If there exists more than one parse tree for a
given grammar that means more than one rightmost
or leftmost is possible: that grammar is said to be
ambiguous grammar.

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 Cont.,
Example 4.4: The given CFG is G = (N, T, P, S)
where
N={E}P={EE+E
T = { id } EE*E
S={E} E  id } Is the given grammar
ambiguous?
Now if the string is id * id + id then we can draw the
parse tree

So the above grammar is ambiguous grammar 14

Simplification of CFG

All Grammars are not always optimized. That

means grammars are containing some unnecessary
symbols(non-terminals) and this will increase the
length of the grammar. Simplification of grammar
means reduction of grammar by removing useless
symbols.
i.Removal of useless symbols
ii.Elimination of  production
iii.Removal of unit production

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 Cont.,
Removal of useless symbols:
remove the useless non-terminals from the production
rules. It will lead to reduce the length of the grammar.
Example 4.5: remove the useless symbols from the given
production rule:
P = {S  A11B | 11A
S  B | 11
A0
B  BB }
In the above production rule: non-terminals S and A are having
some terminal in the rules. But B is not containing any terminal
so it will not terminate at the production so non-terminal B is
useless symbol, so remove the non-terminal B from the
production rules. Remove the rules from the production rule
which are containing the non-terminal B in the rule, so the
rule1, rule3 and rule6 are removed from the Production rule, so
the minimize CFG is: 16
 Cont.,
P= { S  11A | 11
A0 }

Example 4.6: Simplify the given CFG

S  AB | CA
B  BC | AB
Aa
C  aB | b
In the above production rule: non-terminals A and C are having
some terminals. But non-terminal B is not containing any
terminal, so it will not terminate the derivation process. So
remove the rules which are containing the non-terminal B from
the production rule.
S  CA AA Cb

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 Cont.,
Elimination of  production rule:
Remove the  symbol from the grammar without
affecting the meaning of the grammar. Thus  is not
necessary for the grammar.

Example 4.7: Remove the  production from the

following CFG
S  XYX
X  0X | 
Y  1Y | 
To remove the  production, delete the  production rule
and to preserve the meaning of the CFG, placing the  value
in the other production instead of the corresponding non-
terminal.
Step1: remove the  production
Remove the rules X   and Y   18
 Cont.,
Step2: To preserve the meaning of grammar:
Place the X   to rule 1: S  XY   XY
S   YX  YX
SY Y
Place the Y   to rule 1: S  X  X  XX
Place the X   and Y   to rule 1: S    X  X
Place the X   to rule 2: X00
Place the Y   to rule 4: Y11
Collectively can write the CFG:
S  XY | YX | XX | X |Y
X0
Y1

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 Cont.,
Example 4.8: for the given CFG below remove the
 production
S  aSa
S  bSb
S
Apply the rule 3 in the rule1 and rule2
S  aSa  aa
S  bSb  bb
So the final CFG is
S  aSa
S  bSb
S  aa
S  bb
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 Cont.,
Removing the Unit production:
Unit productions are the productions in which one non-
terminal gives another non-terminal only without terminal.
X  Y and Y  Z
Then you can minimize the rule like X  Z
Example 4.9: Remove the unit productions from given CFG
S  0A | 1B | C
A  0S | 00
B1|A
C  01
In the above production rule: S  C is unit production so in rule3
you can replace the C value by rule8.
S  0A | 1B | 01
A  0S | 00
B1|A
C  01
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 Cont.,
Example 4.10: Optimize the given CFG by reducing the
grammar
S  A | 0C1
A  B | 01 | 10
C   | CD
B and D are useless symbols because B and D is not available
S  A is a unit production
C   -  production
After removal of useless symbols
S  A | 0C1
A  01 | 10
C
Again remove the unit production S  A
S  01 | 10 | 0C1
A  01 | 10
C 22
 Cont.,
Remove the  production:
S  10 | 01
A  01 | 10
Again in the above grammar A is useless symbol, so
remove that also. The final CFG is
S  10 | 01

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