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?
Noun phrases are groups of words that function together to act as a noun in a sentence. A noun phrase can consist of just a single word, or it can be more complex and include modifiers, determiners, and other words that provide additional information about the noun.
Structure a Noun Phrase
In general, a noun phrase will include a head noun, which is the word that the phrase is centered around. Other words in the phrase will modify and provide additional information about the head noun, such as its quantity, possession, location, or other qualities. These modifiers are called dependents. A noun phrase can have one or more dependents or no dependents at all.
Basically, a noun phrase can consist of three main parts:
- pre-modifier(s)
- head
- post-modifier(s)
Pre-modifiers
Pre-determiners are a type of modifier that can be used
Determiners
A determiner is a pre-modifier that provides information about the identity, quantity, or possession of the head noun. There are several different types of determiners in English, including articles, demonstratives, possessives, and quantifiers. These determiners appear in a specific order. in the phrase. Pay attention to the examples:
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, and 'these' is a demonstrative determiner and together with the noun (house) they form a noun phrase.
Possessive Nouns
Possessive nouns can function as modifiers in a noun phrase, providing information about the possession or relationship of the head noun. Check these examples:
I called his
Attributive Prepositive Adjectives
A noun phrase can consist of an adjective and a noun. In this case, the adjective modifies or describes the noun, providing additional information about its characteristics or qualities.
He wanted to buy
Here, 'new' is an adjective that modifies the noun 'shoes.'
The
Noun Modifiers
Noun (pre)modifiers are optional words that come before a noun and modify its meaning. These modifiers function similarly to adjectives by providing additional information about the noun. Take a look at some examples:
I love
I'm looking for a
Post-modifiers
Post-modifiers are words or phrases that come after a noun or noun phrase to modify or provide additional information about it. Here are some of the most common post-modifiers in English:
- 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. In the case of noun phrases, prepositional phrases can be placed after the noun and modify it. Here are a few examples:
the house
that room
the man
the doll
That-clauses
That-clauses are subordinate clauses that begin with the word 'that' and modify or provide additional information about a noun or noun phrase. Here are some 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. Check out the examples:
a dog
a cat
a house
a car
Infinitive clause vs. Prepositional phrase
Do not confuse infinitive clauses with prepositional phrases. While prepositional phrases consist of a preposition followed by a noun or pronoun, infinitive clauses consist of the particle "to" followed by a verb.
Participle Clauses
participle clauses are a type of non-finite clause that can modify a noun or noun phrase in a sentence. When used as postmodifiers, they follow the noun they modify. Here are a few examples:
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
Using a Noun Phrase as the Subject
Noun Phrases: Functions
Noun phrases can be a single word or a group of words that serve several functions within a sentence, including the following:
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 consist of just one noun, which means that the head of a noun phrase can sometimes be a noun phrase in itself.
I called
Noun Phrases: Word Order
Pre-modifiers that can be used to form a noun phrase appear in a particular order:
- 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 typically do not contain a verb and can consist of one or more words. In contrast, noun clauses must contain a subject and a verb, and cannot consist of only one word. However, certain types of noun clauses, such as non-finite noun clauses, may not follow this 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 Identifying the Head Noun
It's important to identify the head noun in a sentence because when the head noun is the subject of a verb, it determines the form of the verb that should be used. Look at the example:
His big bag of chips were) in the kitchen.
Here, the head noun is 'bag' not 'chips,' therefore a singular verb is used.
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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Prepositional Phrases
What are prepositional phrases? Generally, as its name requires, prepositional phrases are phrases made of prepositions. To get to know them, read the article.
Adjective Phrases
Phrases are two or more words that can function as specific parts of speech. Adjective phrases are groups of words that function as adjectives.
