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THE NOUN PHRASE Part 1
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DEFINITION They modify the meaning of the noun
A noun is a word that names the things we are talking about. A noun names a person, place or a thing (object or idea). A group of words which act like a noun Words can go before the noun : the great river and/or after the noun : man of honour They modify the meaning of the noun
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Look what happens to the noun
My sporty, red car with a sunroof It has just been expanded!!!
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Let’s see it again The mysterious woman in black
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Example noun phrases the three musketeers a gold ring
a class of excellent students a beautiful little girl my pen a Coca-Cola bottle the best school in the area a disappointed parent any question the lesson after Maths
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Why noun phrases? They give extra information about the noun very efficient way Complex noun phrases are effective It is very boring to read a text without them efficient: using minimum resources
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Make a simple noun phrase based on the picture!
What is this road like? What kind of road is it? Don’t just say it is a road, but add some more information to it
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Make a simple noun phrase based on the picture!
What are these books like? What kind of books are these? Don’t just say they are books, but add some more information to it Make a simple noun phrase based on the picture!
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THE NOUN PHRASE Part 2
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Noun phrases in sentences
Participant (Subject) Process (Verb) Participant (Object) Circumstance The little girl is reading her new book in the living room. noun phrase verb phrase noun phrase prepositional phrase preposition + noun phrase FUNCTION labels FORM labels
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See how a noun phrase can be built up
girl English girl nice English girl four nice English girls the four nice English girls the four nice English girls from the neighbourhood You can add more of this
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The possible components of a noun phrase
four nice English girls from the neighbourhood Determiner Classifier Qualifier Quantifier Head Describer
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Can you find the noun phrases in this extract from a novel?
Look for the nouns and see what you find around them Ours was the marsh country, down by the river, within, as the river wound, twenty miles of the sea. My first most vivid and broad impression of the identity of things, seems to me have been gained on a memorable raw afternoon towards the evening. At such a time I found out for certain, that this bleak place overgrown with nettles was the churchyard; and that Philip Pirrip, late of this parish … Extract from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
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Notice how much percentage of the text is basically noun phrases:
50/73 Ours was the marsh country, down by the river, within, as the river wound, twenty miles of the sea. My first most vivid and broad impression of the identity of things, seems to me have been gained on a memorable raw afternoon towards the evening. At such a time I found out for certain, that this bleak place overgrown with nettles was the churchyard; and that Philip Pirrip, late of this parish …
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THE NOUN PHRASE Part 3
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Components of the noun phrase
lesson those few great English lessons when I was twelve Head English lesson Qualifier Classifier Noun phrase Determiner Describer Quantifier great English lesson those few great English lessons a few great English lessons
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Let’s look at the parts of the noun phrase again and see some examples at work
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Head school evening school Martha evening Martha
The Head is the main part of the noun phrase; this is what gets modified by the other parts. It is usually a noun school evening Martha school evening Martha
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Classifier secondary school summer evening secondary school gold ring
The Classifier classifies the Head. It tells about the type of something rather than just describing it secondary school summer evening gold ring secondary school summer evening gold ring
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Describer improving secondary school warm summer evening
The Describer describes the Head. It tells about the quality of something rather than putting it in a class. It is usually an adjective or a participle (improving…/improved) improving secondary school warm summer evening beutiful gold ring improving secondary school warm summer evening beautiful gold ring
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Quantifier some good Grimsby schools one nice summer evening
The Quantifier tells how many Heads there are. This can be a number or some indefinite word some good Grimsby schools one nice summer evening some good Grimsby schools one nice summer evening
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Determiner a good complex sentence our last summer evening
The Determiner specifies the kind of reference a noun has. This can be an article or a possessive/ demonstrative/quantifier/numeral a good complex sentence our last summer evening a good complex sentence our last summer evening Type of Determiners
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Determiner article a/an, the, books (zero article when plural)
possessive determiner my, your, his, its, etc. demonstrative determiner this, that, these, those quantifier every/each, either/neither, any, no; all, many, some, (a) few, enough, several, both numeral one/two…
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a good school in the neighbourhood
Qualifier The Qualifier is some extra information put after the Head. This is usually a prepositional phrase (a preposition + another noun phrase). a good school in the neighbourhood our last summer evening in the countryside a good school in the neighbourhood our last summer evening in the neighbourhood
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Let’s analyse this noun phrase
this bleak place overgrown with nettles Qualifier Determiner Head Describer Determiner
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Let’s analyse this noun phrase
a memorable raw afternoon towards the evening Describer Qualifier Determiner Describer (describes the raw afternoon – that is why there is no comma) Head Determiner
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Let’s analyse this noun phrase
Describer of the Describer My first most vivid and broad impression of the identity of things Describer Qualifier Determiner Quantifier Describer Head Determiner Head Qualifier
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Can you add any information to these nouns?
The meeting went well. The bus came late. The cat is hiding under the bed. Their house is near the beach. After the show we went home.
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Identify the noun phrases in this extract. What is the purpose of them?
The sea which lies before me as I write glows rather than sparkles in the bland May sunshine. With the tide turning, it leans quietly against the land, almost unflecked by ripples or by foam. Near to the horizon it is a luxurious purple, spotted with regular lines of emerald green. At the horizon it is indigo. Near to the shore, where my view is framed by rising heaps of humpy yellow rock, there is a band of lighter green, icy and pure, less radiant, opaque however, not transparent. We are in the north, and the bright sunshine cannot penetrate the sea. Where the gentle water taps the rocks there is still a surface skin of colour. The cloudless sky is very pale at the indigo horizon which it lightly pencils in with silver. Its blue gains towards the zenith and vibrates there. But the sky looks cold, even the sun looks cold. The sea which lies before me as I write glows rather than sparkles in the bland May sunshine. With the tide turning, it leans quietly against the land, almost unflecked by ripples or by foam. Near to the horizon it is a luxurious purple, spotted with regular lines of emerald green. At the horizon it is indigo. Near to the shore, where my view is framed by rising heaps of humpy yellow rock, there is a band of lighter green, icy and pure, less radiant, opaque however, not transparent. We are in the north, and the bright sunshine cannot penetrate the sea. Where the gentle water taps the rocks there is still a surface skin of colour. The cloudless sky is very pale at the indigo horizon which it lightly pencils in with silver. Its blue gains towards the zenith and vibrates there. But the sky looks cold, even the sun looks cold. Extract from the novel, The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch The noun phrases in this opening paragraph serve as a resource for capturing both the look and the feel of the landscape.
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Analyse these noun phrases; use the table on your sheet
The sea which lies before me as I write glows rather than sparkles in the bland May sunshine. With the tide turning, it leans quietly against the land, almost unflecked by ripples or by foam. Near to the horizon it is a luxurious purple, spotted with regular lines of emerald green. At the horizon it is indigo. Near to the shore, where my view is framed by rising heaps of humpy yellow rock, there is a band of lighter green, icy and pure, less radiant, opaque however, not transparent. We are in the north, and the bright sunshine cannot penetrate the sea. Where the gentle water taps the rocks there is still a surface skin of colour. The cloudless sky is very pale at the indigo horizon which it lightly pencils in with silver. Its blue gains towards the zenith and vibrates there. But the sky looks cold, even the sun looks cold.
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More like a type Determiner Quantifier Describer Classifier Head
Qualifier the bland May sunshine luxurious purple* regular lines of emerald green Rising heaps of humpy yellow rock a band Of lighter green, icy and pure, less radiant, opaque* however, not transparent bright
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More like a type Determiner Quantifier Describer Classifier Head
Qualifier the gentle water a surface skin of colour cloudless sky indigo horizon
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The most common adjectives used as describers and classifiers in noun phrases
Size/Amount big little small long great high low large Time new old young Colour black white red dark Evaluative good best right nice important special Scope same whole different full general major final main single Topical political public social human international national economic These are all frequent in fiction These more in the news and academic writing Blue = in conversations
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Thank You
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