Does anyone have a simplified definition for syntax error? I would also like to know a little about a Runtime error.

A syntax error is when your code is in the wrong format. So the compiler does not know what you are trying to express. This often happens when you forget to enter something like a semicolon.

A runtime error happens when your program successfully compiled and when you run the program an error occurs. This can happen because the compiler can't know every detail that is known during the execution (runtime). The compiler for example can't know what precise data a user might enter.

if you violate java syntax, you will get syntax error; java says, "At the end of any statement there should be a semicolon", so if you have a statement with no semicolon at the end of it, you are violating the java syntax rule, so you the compiler will tell you have syntax error by highlighting it.