GRAMMAR
Noun Phrases
What is a noun phrase?
A noun phrase is a phrase which includes:
- a noun (also called head)
- and optionally modifiers.
Examples:
- Love is a beautiful feeling. (Love is a noun phrase without modifiers. However, a beautiful feeling is a noun phrase that includes a noun, feeling, and the determiner a and the adjective beautiful)
- My house is over there. (My house is a noun phrase which consists of the noun house and a modifier - the possessive adjective my)
Possible noun modifiers
A noun phrase may optionally contain noun modifiers. If these modifiers are placed before the noun they are called pre-modifiers. However, if they are placed after the noun, they are called post-modifiers. Possible noun modifiers include the following:
1. Determiners:
- articles (the, a),
- demonstratives (this, that)
- numerals (two, five, etc.)
- possessives (my, their, etc.)
- quantifiers (some, many, etc.).
In English, determiners are usually placed before the noun;
2. adjectives (the delicious food)
3. complements, in the form of a prepositional phrase (such as: the student of physics), or a That-clause (the idea that the world is a small village )
Functions of a noun phrase
Noun phrases can function as subjects, objects:
- That sophisticated woman is beautiful. (That sophisticated woman is a noun phrase that functions as a subject.)
- I like the book that you bought. (the book that you bought is a noun phrase that functions as an object.)