A context-free grammar consists of a number of productions. Each production has an abstract symbol called a nonterminal as its left-hand side, and a sequence of zero or more nonterminal and terminal symbols as its right-hand side. For each grammar, the terminal symbols are drawn from a specified alphabet.

A chain production is a production that has exactly one nonterminal symbol on its right-hand side along with zero or more terminal symbols.

Starting from a sentence consisting of a single distinguished nonterminal, called the goal symbol, a given context-free grammar specifies a language, namely, the (perhaps infinite) set of possible sequences of terminal symbols that can result from repeatedly replacing any nonterminal in the sequence with a right-hand side of a production for which the nonterminal is the left-hand side.

A lexical grammar for ECMAScript is given in clause 12. This grammar has as its terminal symbols Unicode code points that conform to the rules for SourceCharacter defined in 11.1. It defines a set of productions, starting from the goal symbol InputElementDiv, InputElementTemplateTail, InputElementRegExp, InputElementRegExpOrTemplateTail, or InputElementHashbangOrRegExp, that describe how sequences of such code points are translated into a sequence of input elements.

Input elements other than white space and comments form the terminal symbols for the syntactic grammar for ECMAScript and are called ECMAScript tokens. These tokens are the reserved words, identifiers, literals, and punctuators of the ECMAScript language. Moreover, line terminators, although not considered to be tokens, also become part of the stream of input elements and guide the process of automatic semicolon insertion (12.10). Simple white space and single-line comments are discarded and do not appear in the stream of input elements for the syntactic grammar. A MultiLineComment (that is, a comment of the form /*…*/ regardless of whether it spans more than one line) is likewise simply discarded if it contains no line terminator; but if a MultiLineComment contains one or more line terminators, then it is replaced by a single line terminator, which becomes part of the stream of input elements for the syntactic grammar.

A RegExp grammar for ECMAScript is given in 22.2.1. This grammar also has as its terminal symbols the code points as defined by SourceCharacter. It defines a set of productions, starting from the goal symbol Pattern, that describe how sequences of code points are translated into regular expression patterns.

Productions of the lexical and RegExp grammars are distinguished by having two colons “::” as separating punctuation. The lexical and RegExp grammars share some productions.

A numeric string grammar appears in 7.1.4.1. It has as its terminal symbols SourceCharacter, and is used for translating Strings into numeric values starting from the goal symbol StringNumericLiteral (which is similar to but distinct from the lexical grammar for numeric literals).

Productions of the numeric string grammar are distinguished by having three colons “:::” as punctuation, and are never used for parsing source text.

The syntactic grammar for ECMAScript is given in clauses 13 through 16. This grammar has ECMAScript tokens defined by the lexical grammar as its terminal symbols (5.1.2). It defines a set of productions, starting from two alternative goal symbols Script and Module, that describe how sequences of tokens form syntactically correct independent components of ECMAScript programs.

When a stream of code points is to be parsed as an ECMAScript Script or Module, it is first converted to a stream of input elements by repeated application of the lexical grammar; this stream of input elements is then parsed by a single application of the syntactic grammar. The input stream is syntactically in error if the tokens in the stream of input elements cannot be parsed as a single instance of the goal nonterminal (Script or Module), with no tokens left over.

When a parse is successful, it constructs a parse tree, a rooted tree structure in which each node is a Parse Node. Each Parse Node is an instance of a symbol in the grammar; it represents a span of the source text that can be derived from that symbol. The root node of the parse tree, representing the whole of the source text, is an instance of the parse's goal symbol. When a Parse Node is an instance of a nonterminal, it is also an instance of some production that has that nonterminal as its left-hand side. Moreover, it has zero or more children, one for each symbol on the production's right-hand side: each child is a Parse Node that is an instance of the corresponding symbol.

New Parse Nodes are instantiated for each invocation of the parser and never reused between parses even of identical source text. Parse Nodes are considered the same Parse Node if and only if they represent the same span of source text, are instances of the same grammar symbol, and resulted from the same parser invocation.

          let str = "1 + 1;";
          eval(str);
          eval(str);
        

Productions of the syntactic grammar are distinguished by having just one colon “:” as punctuation.

The syntactic grammar as presented in clauses 13 through 16 is not a complete account of which token sequences are accepted as a correct ECMAScript Script or Module. Certain additional token sequences are also accepted, namely, those that would be described by the grammar if only semicolons were added to the sequence in certain places (such as before line terminator characters). Furthermore, certain token sequences that are described by the grammar are not considered acceptable if a line terminator character appears in certain “awkward” places.

In certain cases, in order to avoid ambiguities, the syntactic grammar uses generalized productions that permit token sequences that do not form a valid ECMAScript Script or Module. For example, this technique is used for object literals and object destructuring patterns. In such cases a more restrictive supplemental grammar is provided that further restricts the acceptable token sequences. Typically, an early error rule will then state that, in certain contexts, "P must cover an N", where P is a Parse Node (an instance of the generalized production) and N is a nonterminal from the supplemental grammar. This means:

1. The sequence of tokens originally matched by P is parsed again using N as the goal symbol. If N takes grammatical parameters, then they are set to the same values used when P was originally parsed.
2. If the sequence of tokens can be parsed as a single instance of N, with no tokens left over, then:
   1. We refer to that instance of N (a Parse Node, unique for a given P) as "the N that is covered by P".
   2. All Early Error rules for N and its derived productions also apply to the N that is covered by P.
3. Otherwise (if the parse fails), it is an early Syntax Error.

In order to facilitate their use in multiple parts of this specification, some algorithms, called abstract operations, are named and written in parameterized functional form so that they may be referenced by name from within other algorithms. Abstract operations are typically referenced using a functional application style such as OperationName(arg1, arg2). Some abstract operations are treated as polymorphically dispatched methods of class-like specification abstractions. Such method-like abstract operations are typically referenced using a method application style such as someValue.OperationName(arg1, arg2).

A syntax-directed operation is a named operation whose definition consists of algorithms, each of which is associated with one or more productions from one of the ECMAScript grammars. A production that has multiple alternative definitions will typically have a distinct algorithm for each alternative. When an algorithm is associated with a grammar production, it may reference the terminal and nonterminal symbols of the production alternative as if they were parameters of the algorithm. When used in this manner, nonterminal symbols refer to the actual alternative definition that is matched when parsing the source text. The source text matched by a grammar production or Parse Node derived from it is the portion of the source text that starts at the beginning of the first terminal that participated in the match and ends at the end of the last terminal that participated in the match.

When an algorithm is associated with a production alternative, the alternative is typically shown without any “[ ]” grammar annotations. Such annotations should only affect the syntactic recognition of the alternative and have no effect on the associated semantics for the alternative.

Syntax-directed operations are invoked with a parse node and, optionally, other parameters by using the conventions on steps 1, 3, and 4 in the following algorithm:

Unless explicitly specified otherwise, all chain productions have an implicit definition for every operation that might be applied to that production's left-hand side nonterminal. The implicit definition simply reapplies the same operation with the same parameters, if any, to the chain production's sole right-hand side nonterminal and then returns the result. For example, assume that some algorithm has a step of the form: “Return Evaluation of Block” and that there is a production:

but the Evaluation operation does not associate an algorithm with that production. In that case, the Evaluation operation implicitly includes an association of the form:

Runtime Semantics: Evaluation

Algorithms which specify semantics that must be called at runtime are called runtime semantics. Runtime semantics are defined by abstract operations or syntax-directed operations.

Context-free grammars are not sufficiently powerful to express all the rules that define whether a stream of input elements form a valid ECMAScript Script or Module that may be evaluated. In some situations additional rules are needed that may be expressed using either ECMAScript algorithm conventions or prose requirements. Such rules are always associated with a production of a grammar and are called the static semantics of the production.

Static Semantic Rules have names and typically are defined using an algorithm. Named Static Semantic Rules are associated with grammar productions and a production that has multiple alternative definitions will typically have for each alternative a distinct algorithm for each applicable named static semantic rule.

A special kind of static semantic rule is an Early Error Rule. Early error rules define early error conditions (see clause 17) that are associated with specific grammar productions. Evaluation of most early error rules are not explicitly invoked within the algorithms of this specification. A conforming implementation must, prior to the first evaluation of a Script or Module, validate all of the early error rules of the productions used to parse that Script or Module. If any of the early error rules are violated the Script or Module is invalid and cannot be evaluated.

This specification makes reference to these kinds of numeric values:

• Mathematical values: Arbitrary real numbers, used as the default numeric type.
• Extended mathematical values: Mathematical values together with +∞ and -∞.
• Numbers: IEEE 754-2019 binary64 (double-precision floating point) values.
• BigInts: ECMAScript language values representing arbitrary integers in a one-to-one correspondence.

In the language of this specification, numerical values are distinguished among different numeric kinds using subscript suffixes. The subscript _𝔽 refers to Numbers, and the subscript _ℤ refers to BigInts. Numeric values without a subscript suffix refer to mathematical values. This specification denotes most numeric values in base 10; it also uses numeric values of the form 0x followed by digits 0-9 or A-F as base-16 values.

In general, when this specification refers to a numerical value, such as in the phrase, "the length of y" or "the integer represented by the four hexadecimal digits ...", without explicitly specifying a numeric kind, the phrase refers to a mathematical value. Phrases which refer to a Number or a BigInt value are explicitly annotated as such; for example, "the Number value for the number of code points in …" or "the BigInt value for …".

When the term integer is used in this specification, it refers to a mathematical value which is in the set of integers, unless otherwise stated. When the term integral Number is used in this specification, it refers to a finite Number value whose mathematical value is in the set of integers.

Numeric operators such as +, ×, =, and ≥ refer to those operations as determined by the type of the operands. When applied to mathematical values, the operators refer to the usual mathematical operations. When applied to extended mathematical values, the operators refer to the usual mathematical operations over the extended real numbers; indeterminate forms are not defined and their use in this specification should be considered an editorial error. When applied to Numbers, the operators refer to the relevant operations within IEEE 754-2019. When applied to BigInts, the operators refer to the usual mathematical operations applied to the mathematical value of the BigInt. Numeric operators applied to mixed-type operands (such as a Number and a mathematical value) are not defined and should be considered an editorial error in this specification.

Conversions between mathematical values and Numbers or BigInts are always explicit in this document. A conversion from a mathematical value or extended mathematical value x to a Number is denoted as "the Number value for x" or 𝔽(x), and is defined in 6.1.6.1. A conversion from an integer x to a BigInt is denoted as "the BigInt value for x" or ℤ(x). A conversion from a Number or BigInt x to a mathematical value is denoted as "the mathematical value of x", or ℝ(x). The mathematical value of +0_𝔽 and -0_𝔽 is the mathematical value 0. The mathematical value of non-finite values is not defined. The extended mathematical value of x is the mathematical value of x for finite values, and is +∞ and -∞ for +∞_𝔽 and -∞_𝔽 respectively; it is not defined for NaN.

The mathematical function abs(x) produces the absolute value of x, which is -x if x < 0 and otherwise is x itself.

The mathematical function min(x1, x2, … , xN) produces the mathematically smallest of x1 through xN. The mathematical function max(x1, x2, ..., xN) produces the mathematically largest of x1 through xN. The domain and range of these mathematical functions are the extended mathematical values.

The notation “x modulo y” (y must be finite and non-zero) computes a value k of the same sign as y (or zero) such that abs(k) < abs(y) and x - k = q × y for some integer q.

The phrase "the result of clamping x between lower and upper" (where x is an extended mathematical value and lower and upper are mathematical values such that lower ≤ upper) produces lower if x < lower, produces upper if x > upper, and otherwise produces x.

The mathematical function floor(x) produces the largest integer (closest to +∞) that is not larger than x.

The mathematical function truncate(x) removes the fractional part of x by rounding towards zero, producing -floor(-x) if x < 0 and otherwise producing floor(x).

Mathematical functions min, max, abs, floor, and truncate are not defined for Numbers and BigInts, and any usage of those methods that have non-mathematical value arguments would be an editorial error in this specification.

An interval from lower bound a to upper bound b is a possibly-infinite, possibly-empty set of numeric values of the same numeric type. Each bound will be described as either inclusive or exclusive, but not both. There are four kinds of intervals, as follows:

• An interval from a (inclusive) to b (inclusive), also called an inclusive interval from a to b, includes all values x of the same numeric type such that a ≤ x ≤ b, and no others.
• An interval from a (inclusive) to b (exclusive) includes all values x of the same numeric type such that a ≤ x < b, and no others.
• An interval from a (exclusive) to b (inclusive) includes all values x of the same numeric type such that a < x ≤ b, and no others.
• An interval from a (exclusive) to b (exclusive) includes all values x of the same numeric type such that a < x < b, and no others.

For example, the interval from 1 (inclusive) to 2 (exclusive) consists of all mathematical values between 1 and 2, including 1 and not including 2. For the purpose of defining intervals, -0_𝔽 < +0_𝔽, so, for example, an inclusive interval with a lower bound of +0_𝔽 includes +0_𝔽 but not -0_𝔽. NaN is never included in an interval.

In this specification, ECMAScript language values are displayed in bold. Examples include null, true, or "hello". These are distinguished from ECMAScript source text such as Function.prototype.apply or let n = 42;.

In this specification, both specification values and ECMAScript language values are compared for equality. When comparing for equality, values fall into one of two categories. Values without identity are equal to other values without identity if all of their innate characteristics are the same — characteristics such as the magnitude of an integer or the length of a sequence. Values without identity may be manifest without prior reference by fully describing their characteristics. In contrast, each value with identity is unique and therefore only equal to itself. Values with identity are like values without identity but with an additional unguessable, unchangeable, universally-unique characteristic called identity. References to existing values with identity cannot be manifest simply by describing them, as the identity itself is indescribable; instead, references to these values must be explicitly passed from one place to another. Some values with identity are mutable and therefore can have their characteristics (except their identity) changed in-place, causing all holders of the value to observe the new characteristics. A value without identity is never equal to a value with identity.

From the perspective of this specification, the word “is” is used to compare two values for equality, as in “If bool is true, then ...”, and the word “contains” is used to search for a value inside lists using equality comparisons, as in "If list contains a Record r such that r.[[Foo]] is true, then ...". The specification identity of values determines the result of these comparisons and is axiomatic in this specification.

From the perspective of the ECMAScript language, language values are compared for equality using the SameValue abstract operation and the abstract operations it transitively calls. The algorithms of these comparison abstract operations determine language identity of ECMAScript language values.

For specification values, examples of values without specification identity include, but are not limited to: mathematical values and extended mathematical values; ECMAScript source text, surrogate pairs, Directive Prologues, etc; UTF-16 code units; Unicode code points; enums; abstract operations, including syntax-directed operations, host hooks, etc; and ordered pairs. Examples of specification values with specification identity include, but are not limited to: any kind of Records, including Property Descriptors, PrivateElements, etc; Parse Nodes; Lists; Sets and Relations; Abstract Closures; Data Blocks; Private Names; execution contexts and execution context stacks; agent signifiers; and WaiterList Records.

Specification identity agrees with language identity for all ECMAScript language values except Symbol values produced by Symbol.for. The ECMAScript language values without specification identity and without language identity are undefined, null, Booleans, Strings, Numbers, and BigInts. The ECMAScript language values with specification identity and language identity are Symbols not produced by Symbol.for and Objects. Symbol values produced by Symbol.for have specification identity, but not language identity.