The condition of lacking or losing something that is needed or desired

Lack, want, need, require as verbs all stress the absence of something desirable, important, or necessary. Lack means to be without or to have less than a desirable quantity of something: to lack courage, sufficient money, enough

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).

odysseus shows many acts of bravery in homer's epic poem the odyssey. first, he shows bravery when he tricks polyphemus, the cyclops, and gouges out his eye. this is an act of bravery. it will also cost him because polyphemus was the son of poseidon, the god of the sea.

explanation: