NOUN PHRASES may consist simply of a 'pre- modifying' article or determiner + noun . A pre determiner may come before the article or determiner.
For example:
1 a storm
2 my relations
3 some money
4 the postman
5 these fashions
But in many noun phrases the noun has , besides the article or determiner , one or more adjectives , adjectival phrases , or prepositional phrases before it or after it :
For example :
1 the larger picture
2 unusual happenings
3 some wonderful news
4 our new neighbours in the flat opposite
5 an extraordinarily talented girl in my class
6 the in-your-face language typical of today ' s TV soaps
7 an enormous plate of fish and chips
8 a politely worded letter to the managing director
9 last- minute applications for tickets for the show
10 my parents' old fashioned opinions about proper behaviour
11 recent important changes affecting many school - leavers
NOTICE that within the adjectival material attached to these nouns there are a lot of ' sub ' noun phrases:
the flat opposite , today's TV soaps,TV soaps, the managing director ,my parents ,tickets for the show , proper behaviour, fish and chips, the show ,many school-leavers
The MAIN NOUN that is being described ( picture, happenings, news, neighbors and so on in the original examples)is said to be the head of the noun phrases.
NOTICE that a pronoun can also be the head of a noun phrases :
* anybody with an interest in saving the planet
*the brutal few responsible for these atrocities
* those on income support
* the starving millions
*Modification before or after nouns or pronouns
The adjectival material added before or after a noun or pronoun is called modification. Many different types of modification can be added to a noun or pronoun; for example :
* before a noun (pre- modification):
1 a determiner ( or pre- determiner+ determiner) :
* the frog, my cousin, half the trouble, some products, that factory, all our houses, few reasons,
2 a number:
* four blackbirds, two thousand sheep
3 one or more adjectives:
* beautiful weather , a charming hostess . unhealthy, greasy food
4 a possessive :
* Helen' method, the city ' drain , tomorrow ' agenda
5 an adjective modified ( intensified , moderated, emphasized or characterized) by an adverb:
* an utterly unsuitable outfit, a highly appropriate punishment, the barely audible announcement , a cheerfully flamboyant outfit
6 a present or past participle :
* whirling leaves , a planned pregnancy
7 an adverb + participle :
* a slowly moving crowds, their closely observed progress
8 a descriptive or identifying noun :
* mountain scenery , the Singapore skyline
9 a hyphenated string :
* blood- red lipstick , crystal- clear water , a three- hour meeting , made- up stories , sun- dried
tomatoes ,longer -lasting lather ,an old - clothes shop, a fruit - and -vegetable shop ,an on- the -
spot report , a longed- for break
* The hyphenated string can be any of several kinds of phrase or word group , for example :
* a noun phrase ( three- hour , old- clothes)
* two nouns linked by a conjunction :( fruit- and - vegetable )
* a phrase based on an adjective ( blood- red ,crystal -clear )
* a prepositional phrase ( on- the- spot)
*a phrase using a participle ( longer-lasting , sun- dried)
* a form derived from a phrasal verb ( made-up , longed for)
For example:
1 a storm
2 my relations
3 some money
4 the postman
5 these fashions
But in many noun phrases the noun has , besides the article or determiner , one or more adjectives , adjectival phrases , or prepositional phrases before it or after it :
For example :
1 the larger picture
2 unusual happenings
3 some wonderful news
4 our new neighbours in the flat opposite
5 an extraordinarily talented girl in my class
6 the in-your-face language typical of today ' s TV soaps
7 an enormous plate of fish and chips
8 a politely worded letter to the managing director
9 last- minute applications for tickets for the show
10 my parents' old fashioned opinions about proper behaviour
11 recent important changes affecting many school - leavers
NOTICE that within the adjectival material attached to these nouns there are a lot of ' sub ' noun phrases:
the flat opposite , today's TV soaps,TV soaps, the managing director ,my parents ,tickets for the show , proper behaviour, fish and chips, the show ,many school-leavers
The MAIN NOUN that is being described ( picture, happenings, news, neighbors and so on in the original examples)is said to be the head of the noun phrases.
NOTICE that a pronoun can also be the head of a noun phrases :
* anybody with an interest in saving the planet
*the brutal few responsible for these atrocities
* those on income support
* the starving millions
*Modification before or after nouns or pronouns
The adjectival material added before or after a noun or pronoun is called modification. Many different types of modification can be added to a noun or pronoun; for example :
* before a noun (pre- modification):
1 a determiner ( or pre- determiner+ determiner) :
* the frog, my cousin, half the trouble, some products, that factory, all our houses, few reasons,
2 a number:
* four blackbirds, two thousand sheep
3 one or more adjectives:
* beautiful weather , a charming hostess . unhealthy, greasy food
4 a possessive :
* Helen' method, the city ' drain , tomorrow ' agenda
5 an adjective modified ( intensified , moderated, emphasized or characterized) by an adverb:
* an utterly unsuitable outfit, a highly appropriate punishment, the barely audible announcement , a cheerfully flamboyant outfit
6 a present or past participle :
* whirling leaves , a planned pregnancy
7 an adverb + participle :
* a slowly moving crowds, their closely observed progress
8 a descriptive or identifying noun :
* mountain scenery , the Singapore skyline
9 a hyphenated string :
* blood- red lipstick , crystal- clear water , a three- hour meeting , made- up stories , sun- dried
tomatoes ,longer -lasting lather ,an old - clothes shop, a fruit - and -vegetable shop ,an on- the -
spot report , a longed- for break
* The hyphenated string can be any of several kinds of phrase or word group , for example :
* a noun phrase ( three- hour , old- clothes)
* two nouns linked by a conjunction :( fruit- and - vegetable )
* a phrase based on an adjective ( blood- red ,crystal -clear )
* a prepositional phrase ( on- the- spot)
*a phrase using a participle ( longer-lasting , sun- dried)
* a form derived from a phrasal verb ( made-up , longed for)
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