Noun Phrases
When a group of nouns come together, they form a noun phrase. To know what is a noun phrase and how short or how long a noun phrase can be, start here!
What Are Noun Phrases?
A noun phrase is a group of words headed by a noun and its modifiers (such as 'the,' 'a,' 'of him,' 'with her'). In this case, the preceding words modify the head.
Different Parts of a Noun Phrase
A noun phrase consists of a noun, which is called the head, and any dependent word(s) before or after the head which modifies the head and is called a modifier. These dependent words (modifiers) give us specific information about the head.
Basically, a noun phrase is consist of three main parts:
- pre-modifier(s)
- head
- post-modifier(s)
Pre-modifiers
There are different types of modifiers that are used before the head of the noun phrase to modify it that are called pre-determiners. These pre-modifiers are:
Determiners
A modifier can be a 'determiner' that is used before the head of noun phrase. There are different types of determiners in English; each has its own order.
Here, 'my' is a determiner and 'my friend' is a noun phrase.
Here, 'this' is a determiner and 'this book' is a noun phrase.
Here, 'all' is a quantifier (pre-determiner), 'these' is a determiner and together they form a noun phrase.
Possessive Nouns
Possessive nouns can be used before the head of a noun phrase as modifiers to show possessions and relations. Check these examples:
I called his
Attributive Prepositive Adjectives
A noun phrase can also be comprised of an adjective and a noun. Adjectives are words that modify and describe the nouns.
He wanted to buy
Here, 'new' is an adjective that modifies the noun 'shoes.'
The
Noun Modifiers
Noun (pre)modifiers are optional nouns that modify another noun. They function similarly to an adjective. Take a look at some examples:
I love
I'm looking for a
Post-modifiers
Post-modifiers are placed after the head of a noun phrase to describe them. the most important non-finite post-modifiers are participles and infinitive clauses. Here are some of the common post-modifiers on the list:
- prepositional phrases
- that-clauses
- infinitive clauses
- participle clauses
- relative clauses
- adnominal adverbs
Prepositional Phrases
A prepositional phrase is a phrase that is placed after a preposition. When it comes to noun phrases, prepositional phrases can be put after the noun and modify it. Here are a few examples:
the house
that room
the man
the doll
That-clauses
That-clauses are clauses that start with the term 'that' and are used to modify a noun. Here are the examples:
the dog
the house
the teacher
the doctor
Infinitive Clauses
Infinitive clauses are made up of the particle 'to' followed by the base form of the verb. Remember not to confuse infinitive clauses with prepositional phrases. Check out the examples:
a dog
a cat
a house
a car
Participle Clauses
Participles can also be used to post-modify a noun. Here are a few examples that help you learn them better:
the dog
the cat
the house
the girl
Relative Clauses
Relative clauses are clauses that start with a relative pronoun or a relative adverb, and are used to post-modify the head of a noun. Here are the examples:
the season
the man
the food
the teacher
Adnominal Adverbs
Adnominal adverbs are a kind of adverb that is used as the modifier of a noun and comes immediately after the noun or pronoun it modifies. For example:
Look at the man
Let's climb up that tree
When Do We Use Noun Phrases?
Using a Noun Phrase as the Subject
Noun phrases can be a single word or a group of words that can be used as the subject, object, complement, object of the preposition, or appositive. Here are the functions of a noun phrase on the list.
Here are a few examples for each function of noun phrases:
She has
The box is
He chose
Peter,
Noun Phrases Without Modifiers
A noun phrase can just be one noun, which means sometimes the head of a noun phrase can be a noun phrase on its own.
I called
Noun Phrases: Word Order
Here is the order of pre-modifiers that is required to make a noun phrase:
- determiner + adjectives + nouns as modifiers + head
Check out the examples:
A broken wooden door
A (determiner) + broken (adjective) + wooden (adjective) + door (head)
His light green silk scarf
His (determiner) + light (adjective) + green (adjective) + silk (noun) + scarf (head)
Using Adverbs with Noun Phrases
Adverbs can be used in different positions. So, based on the context, you can use adverbs in different positions.
A Noun Phrase within a Noun Phrase
Sometimes one of the modifiers of a noun phrase can be a noun phrase on its own. For example:
the
Here, the noun 'tree' is the head of the phrase 'near that tall tree' which is a modifier for the wider noun phrase 'the corner near that tall tree.'
the little
Here, 'girl' is the head of the noun phrase, modified by a prepositional phrase 'in the corner.' 'Corner' is also the head of the phrase 'in the corner.'
Noun Phrase Vs. Noun Clause
Noun phrases never have a verb, they may be one or more words, however, noun clauses can never be only one word and they usually have a subject and a verb.
Some noun clauses such as non-finite noun clauses do not follow the same rule. Check out the examples:
In this example, the relative pronoun 'whoever' is the subject of the verb 'wants,' so, it is a noun clause.
Here, the noun phrase 'that beautiful girl' has no verbs.
The Importance of Spotting the Head Noun
You have to spot the head noun, because when it is the subject of a verb, it is the head noun that determines the verb. Look at the example:
His big bag of chips were) in the kitchen.
Here, the head noun is 'bag' not 'chips,' therefore we should use a singular verb for the sentence.
Review
A noun phrase is a group of words headed by a noun or a pronoun that includes modifiers.
Noun Phrase Structure
| Determiner + Noun |
|
|---|---|
| Adjective + Noun |
I have bought |
| Quantifier + Determiner + Noun |
|
Noun Phrase Order
- determiner + adjectives + nouns as modifiers + head
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