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What Is A Noun Phrase

The document defines and explains what a noun phrase is. A noun phrase is a group of words that functions like a noun, and can be the subject or object of a sentence. The document provides examples of different types of noun phrases, such as those containing nouns and conjunctions, gerunds and nouns, articles and nouns, and determiners and nouns.

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128 views3 pages

What Is A Noun Phrase

The document defines and explains what a noun phrase is. A noun phrase is a group of words that functions like a noun, and can be the subject or object of a sentence. The document provides examples of different types of noun phrases, such as those containing nouns and conjunctions, gerunds and nouns, articles and nouns, and determiners and nouns.

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What Is a Noun Phrase?

– Meaning and Definition

A noun phrase, as the term suggests, is a group of two or more words that functions like a
noun when put together. Like a noun, a noun phrase can also take the place of a subject or
an object. According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, a noun phrase is defined as “a
word or group of words in a sentence that behaves in the same way as a noun, that is, as a
subject, an object, a complement, or as the object of a preposition.”

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a noun phrase as “a group of words in a sentence that
together behave as a noun”, and according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a noun
phrase is “a phrase formed by a noun and all its modifiers and determiners” and “any
syntactic element (such as a clause, clitic, pronoun, or zero element) with a noun’s
function (such as the subject of a verb or the object of a verb or preposition)”.

How to Identify a Noun Phrase?

Now that you know what a noun phrase is, identifying a noun phrase in a sentence should
not be difficult. There is no particular rule that a noun phrase should contain a noun. The
only thing that is required is for the phrase to perform the role of a noun in the sentence.
Also, keep in mind that there can be any number of noun phrases in a sentence.

Knowing the different combinations that can aid in the formation of a noun phrase can
help you better. So, take a look at the following points to see the various ways in which a
noun phrase can be formed.

Components of a Noun Phrase

A noun phrase can consist of,

 A noun, a conjunction and a noun


 A gerund and a noun
 An article, an adjective and a noun
 An article, a noun and a prepositional phrase
 A determiner and a noun

The above mentioned components are not necessarily the only elements that can make up
a noun phrase. An adverb used with an adjective and a noun and many other
combinations can also constitute a noun phrase.
Let us see what each of these components are, in short.

 A noun is a naming word that is used to represent a person, place, animal, thing or
idea.
 A conjunction is a short word that is used to combine two or more words, phrases
or clauses.
 An article, such as ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’ play the role of a modifier.
 An adjective is a word that provides extra information about the noun or pronoun.
 The term ‘gerund’ refers to words that are formed by the addition of an ‘ing’ to the
root verb.
 A prepositional phrase is a group of words that has a preposition followed by an
object.
 A determiner describes a noun and includes demonstrative adjectives such as this,
that, these and those.

Examples of Sentences with Noun Phrases

Take a look at the following sentences and analyse how the noun phrases are used. See
how the various components, when put together, function just like a noun.

Examples of Noun Phrases Containing a Noun, a Conjunction and a Noun

 Rakesh and Seeta are from Chhattisgarh.


 Music and dance interests me more than anything else does.
 Schools and offices have been shut down due to the heavy rains.

In the above sentences, the noun phrases (marked in bold) containing a noun, a
conjunction and a noun are seen to perform the role of the subject in the respective
sentences.

 We had bread and butter for breakfast.


 My mom went to the grocery store to buy fruits and vegetables.
 Most students find science and maths more interesting than history and geography.

In the above sentences, the noun phrases (marked in bold) containing a noun, a
conjunction and a noun are seen to perform the role of the object in the respective
sentences.
Examples of Noun Phrases Containing a Gerund and a Noun

 Reading books is my favourite pastime. (Noun phrase used as subject)


 Listening to music is her hobby. (Noun phrase used as subject)
 The only thing my brother does not like to do is solving trigonometric equations.
(Noun phrase used as object)

Examples of Noun Phrases Containing an Article, an Adjective and a Noun

 The new girl became known to the whole school in just a day. (Noun phrase used
as subject)
 A three-legged puppy was found at the corner of the street last week. (Noun phrase
used as subject)
 My father bought my brother a smart watch for his birthday. (Noun phrase used as
object)
 We finally visited the well-known museum of arts today. (Noun phrase used as
object)

Examples of Noun Phrases Containing an Article, a Noun and a Prepositional Phrase

 The building near the bus stand was taken down in order to expand the roads.
(Noun phrase used as subject)
 The hypermarket at the end of the street is being renovated. (Noun phrase used as
subject)
 Did you meet the boy from London? (Noun phrase used as object)
 Nobody seemed to know the way to the passport office. (Noun phrase used as
object)

Examples of Noun Phrases Containing a Determiner and a Noun

 These books belong to Suman. (Noun phrase used as subject)


 That building is where I live. (Noun phrase used as subject)
 What are you going to do with those oranges? (Noun phrase used as object)
 Are you thinking of buying this dress? (Noun phrase used as object)

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