English Grammar Understanding the Basics - Evelyn P. Altenberg, Robert M. Vago 2010
Lesson 28: The basic structure of noun phrases
Unit 9: Noun phrases
Part II: Kinds of phrases
Just as you know a lot about word categories without necessarily realizing that you do, you know a lot about combining words into phrases and phrases into sentences. As we talk about phrases and sentences, we’ll be referring to many of the word categories you learned about in Part I, so check back there if you need to.
Let’s start by taking a look at the following sentence:
1. The little boy laughed.
If you were asked to divide the sentence into two parts, what would the parts be? Speakers of English typically separate the sentence after the word boy:
2. The little boy + laughed.
Other groupings, like the ones below, generally seem unnatural to native speakers of English:
3. The + little boy laughed.
4. The little + boy laughed.
That is, we all sense that the little boy forms a unit and that laughed forms another unit. Units like these are called phrases.
So we can start off our discussion by suggesting that there are two parts to sentence
1.We could call them Part A and Part B, or Harry and George, but we’ll use the terminology of modern linguistics and refer to them as the noun phrase and the verb phrase. The noun phrase in our sentence is the little boy ; the verb phrase is laughed. Of course, there are other phrases as well. We’ll look at the most common ones in the units of Part II.
Unit 9: Noun phrases
Lesson 28: The basic structure of noun phrases
There are all kinds of noun phrases and we can discover them by seeing some of the things we can substitute for the noun phrase, the little boy. The underlined portions of the sentences below are all noun phrases and any one of them can replace the little boy in the sentence The little boy laughed.
1. Audiences laughed.
2. Younger audiences laughed.
3. The girl laughed.
4. The little girl laughed.
5. The cute little girl laughed.
6. John laughed.
7. They laughed.
Of course, there are lots of things that cannot replace the little boy, for example:
8. *My very quickly laughed.
9. *Near his laughed.
10. *Went away laughed.
You’re probably not surprised to learn that My very quickly, Nearhis, and Went away are not noun phrases.
So what can be a noun phrase?
In sentences 1-6, the noun phrases all have something in common: each consists of at least a noun. (See Unit 1 to refresh your memory about nouns.)
Here are the noun phrases again, with the nouns underlined:
audiences
younger audiences
the girl
the little girl
the cute little girl
John
In sentence 1, Audiences laughed, and in sentence 6, John laughed, the noun phrase consists of just a noun: audiences in sentence 1 and John in sentence 6.
Quick tip 2 8.1
A noun phrase can consist of a noun alone, for example, audiences, John.
Test yourself 28.1
Underline the noun phrase in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always consist of a noun alone. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Sample: Sugar is not very healthy.
Getting started (answers on p. 119)
1. Pirates were looking for treasure.
2. Furniture can be expensive.
3. Boys often want to be policemen.
4. People think money is useful.
5. Jeremy was eating rice.
More practice (answers on the website)
6. Sometimes juries make mistakes.
7. Jenny visited friends yesterday.
8. Oil is thicker than water.
9. Joel hates bananas.
10. Writers often like to work alone.
You can also see, in sentences 2-5, that a noun phrase can have other words in addition to just a noun. Let’s see what those other words can be:
(See Units 3 and 4 to remind yourself about determiners and adjectives.)
Quick tip 28.2
A noun phrase can consist of a determiner, one or more adjectives, and a noun. The determiner and adjective(s) are optional.
Test yourself 28.2
Underline the noun phrases in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always consist of a determiner + noun; the determiner will always be an article, that is, the, a, or an. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Sample: A man stole the car.
Getting started (answers on p. 119)
1. The winner was overjoyed.
2. The crowd dispersed peacefully.
3. A minute can seem like an eternity.
4. The dentist gave the patient a toothbrush.
5. The couple forgot to tip the waiter.
More practice (answers on the website)
6. A Mercedes costs more than a Chevy.
7. The Andersons bought a house.
8. The children are sleeping.
9. The lake is near the village.
10. The professor paid the student a compliment.
Here are some more examples with different determiners and nouns. (You may recall from Unit 3 that the determiner always comes before the noun.) The whole noun phrase is underlined.
11. A man laughed.
12. Her friend laughed.
13. That lady laughed.
14. Many people laughed.
Notice that these noun phrases don’t have to appear only at the beginning of the sentence:
15. The criminal is a man.
16. I looked at her friend.
17. Do you know that lady?
18. The clown made many people laugh.
Test yourself 28.3
Underline the noun phrases in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always consist of a determiner (any kind) + noun. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Sample: My hat blew off in the wind.
Getting started (answers on p.119)
1. His doorman hailed a taxi.
2. As the doctor toured the ward, a group of her interns went along.
3. Your daughter looks great in this picture.
4. Some people keep their jewelry in a safe deposit box.
5. Jack’s friend is an artist.
More practice (answers on the website)
6. While driving in a snowstorm, Alex’s car veered off the road.
7. Several spectators wanted that ballplayer thrown out of the game.
8. The train pulled into the station.
9. Most people are proud of their country.
10. Andrea’s grandmother used to bake a pie in her kitchen for her grandchildren.
Here are examples of noun phrases consisting of a determiner plus an adjective plus a noun (the whole noun phrase is underlined):
19. The best fruit is grown on the west coast.
20. Our new shoes got completely soaked.
21. That old dog is my favorite one.
22. Every new task is challenging.
Test yourself 28.4
Underline the noun phrases in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always consist of determiner + adjective + noun. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Sample: My young cousin got on that scary roller-coaster.
Getting started (answers on p.119)
1. That adorable baby was born in a rundown house in a small town.
2. The elderly woman wrote a short novel.
3. His crazy adventure began with those strange letters.
4. Some Enchanted Evening is a beautiful song from a classic show.
5. Jackie’s famous father is a talented immigrant from a South American country.
More practice (answers on the website)
6. These old cookies are stale.
7. A little attention often helps a bruised ego.
8. Each passing moment is a terrible waste.
9. Our new house sits on the outermost edge of this secluded island.
10. Many submitted manuscripts are piled up on the cluttered desk of the finicky editor.
Test yourself 28.5
For each of the underlined noun phrases below, decide if it is: determiner + noun or determiner + adjective + noun.
Sample: He was not in a reasonable mood. determiner + adjective + noun
Getting started (answers on p. 119)
1. The pleasure in his voice was real.
2. That annoying customer still got a good deal.
3. Count your blessings!
4. Jonathan’s jacket is brand new.
5. He plays with his new gadget every day.
More practice (answers on the website)
6. His divorce received much publicity.
7. I want the latest model for my office.
8. Let’s hope this terrible weather changes soon.
9. I don’t care for her new attitude.
10. The motorcade passed by quickly.
Here are some examples where the noun phrase consists of a determiner, more than one adjective, and a noun (the whole noun phrase is underlined):
23. The dull brown liquid spilled onto his priceless antique carpet.
24. Elderly, infirm individuals really need that important health benefit.
25. A worn checkered apron hung by the sagging, unpainted kitchen door.
Test yourself 28.6
Underline the noun phrases in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always consist of determiner + adjective(s) + noun. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Sample: The pushy, aggressive salesman at the automobile dealership was not helpful.
Getting started (answers on p. 119)
1. The small white dog ran away.
2. The close friends loved watching the old, classic movies.
3. Some Japanese cars are rated very highly.
4. My lovely niece arrived in a brand new convertible.
5. Those pesky files ruined my Australian vacation.
More practice (answers on the website)
6. Your beautiful shiny hair is enviable.
7. The crazy idea of your nutty sister turned out to be not so crazy after all.
8. The Siamese cat was extremely sociable.
9. My reliable old friend made a terrible mistake.
10. This poor, hungry man is craving a hearty hot meat sandwich.
Don’t forget that a noun phrase doesn’t have to have a determiner. Here are some examples in which the noun phrases (underlined) consist only of adjective(s) and a noun:
26. Cold drinks are delicious.
27. Talented, creative actors don’t always become big stars.
28. Individual rights are important to preserve.
Proper nouns generally don’t have adjectives or determiners in front of them. *creative Nicole, for example, is ungrammatical.
Sentence 7, They laughed, is yet another kind of noun phrase. In this case, the noun phrase consists of just a pronoun, they. (See Unit 7 to remind yourself about pronouns.)
Quick tip 28.3
A noun phrase can consist of just a pronoun, for example he or them.
Notice that you can have a determiner before a noun, for example, the monkey, but you’d never put one before a pronoun: *the he, for example, is ungrammatical. We also do not usually put an adjective before a pronoun: *pretty she, for example, is ungrammatical.
Test yourself 28.7
Underline the noun phrase in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always consist of a pronoun. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Sample: You are always good to her.
Getting started (answers on p.120)
1. He ran away.
2. I love watching them.
3. They were extremely sociable.
4. We want to invite you over.
5. He did it and didn’t even tell us about it.
More practice (answers on the website)
6. It made me curious.
7. She left us confused.
8. I am better for it.
9. You will help me, won’t you?
10. They left yesterday.
To sum up, the kinds of noun phrases we’ve discussed are listed below. While there are more kinds of noun phrases, what we’ve done here is to show you some basic ones.
Test yourself 28.8
Identify the part of speech of each word in each of the underlined noun phrases below. It will be either: noun (alone), determiner + noun, adjective(s) + noun, determiner + adjective(s) + noun, or pronoun (alone).
Sample: He spoke in a friendly, cooperative manner. determiner + adjectives + noun
Getting started (answers on p. 120)
1. The pleasure in your voice was real.
2. I still have that infamous necklace.
3. I forgot to mention it to you.
4. Mr. Bentley is a successful businessman.
5. Cobras are dangerous snakes.
More practice (answers on the website)
6. Don’t forget to buy a low-fat turkey sandwich!
7. The coffee is too hot to drink.
8. She buys a pair of new shoes every year.
9. He took a cruise with his rich, generous uncle.
10. You may not know that whales are mammals.
Test yourself 28.9 - Grand finale
Underline the noun phrases in the sentences below. There may be more than one in a sentence.
Sample: I am sharing the relevant information with you.
Getting started (answers on p. 120)
1. Joe traveled often.
2. The blazing sun can cause damage to your skin.
3. The unlucky scientist walked back.
4. We turned and left.
5. Those calculating politicians responded evasively.
More practice (answers on the website)
6. The beaches of Tahiti are high on my list of places to visit.
7. Cigarettes are not good for your health, don’t you agree?
8. I think you should recommend this book to them.
9. Disneyland is a popular destination for European tourists.
10. Arnold hurried in.