NounsandNounPhrases

Lecture2.1

Anounisalexicalcategory(pos)whose members:
HavetwoinecEonalmarkings:onefornumberandonefor possession

Whatarenouns?

UElizecertaincharacterisEcderiva'onalaxes(er,ment, ion)

Nameaperson,place,thingoridea

Whatisnumberandhowisit indicated?
Singular
Nospecialmarking

Plural
(1)Suxsores (2)Changevowelsoundof root (3)Nochange[zeroing] (4)Axingwithn (5)Foreign[LaEn,Greek]

Illustra.on
CatCatsBoxBoxes FootFeetManMen

DeerDeerFishFish ChildChildrenOxOxen AlumnusAlumni FormulaFormulae

Discussion
Thepluralofshishistoricallysh,yetthe regularizedpluralsheshascomeintousage inrecentEmes.Somepeopleassigndierent meaningstothetwopluralforms.Whatmight bethetwomeanings?

Whatindicatespossession?
TheaddiEonofthesuxS,separatedfromthenounrootinwriEngwithanapostrophe.

Unliketheplural,thepossessiveformofnounsiscompletelyregular.

RegularNouns

boyscatsjudges

Smithsboys

IrregularNouns

MensMans

ChildsChildrensCharless

CommonSubcategoriesofNouns

CommonSubclassesofNouns

CommonSubclassesofNouns

CommonSubclassesofNouns
Countnouns Haveplural Maynotstandalone insingular Canoccurwitha/an QuanEEes:more fewer Sample beans Beanisgoodforyou Abean (too)manybeans (too)fewbeans Morebeans Fewerbeans Mass/Noncount nouns Havenoplural Maystandalonein singular Cannotoccurwitha/ an Sample rices Riceisgoodforyou Arice

QuanEEes:moreless (too)muchrice (too)liclerice Morerice Lessrice

NounPhrases

Whatmakesupanounphrase?

NounPhraseFormula

Pre determiner

Determiner

Post determiner

Noun

Noun Phrase

Determiners
Ar.cles Denite:The Indenite:a,an Closetothespeaker:this, these Plural:some Demonstra.ves[cross referencingrule:numberin pronounmustagreewith thatofthenoun Possessivepronouns Atsomedistancefromthe speaker:that,those

Singular:my,your,his,her,its Plural:our,your,their

Possessivenounphrase

[anynounsingularorplural inectedforpossession] Many,several,few,any,some, Enough,li@le,much,any, no,two[withcountnouns] some,no[withmasscount nouns]

Quan..es

Predeterminers
Words: all,half,both Thesemaybefollowedbythepreposi'onof Whatandsucharealsoconsidered predeterminers,buttheiruseisrestrictedto theindenitear'cledeterminer.

Postdeterminer
Cardinalnumbers(one,two,three) Ordinalnumbers(rst,second,third) IndenitequanEEes(several,many,few).

NounPhraseFormula

Pre determiner

Determiner

Post determiner

Noun

Noun Phrase

Review
NounPhrases Determiner+Noun Determiner+Predeterminer+Noun Determiner+Postdeterminer+Noun Predeterminer+Determiner+ Postdeterminer+Noun Example Thegroundiswet. Sheissuchaliar. Hermanyfriendscametotheparty. AllJohnsmanyrelaEvesliveinthathouse.

RolesofNounPhrases

Nouns

MostCommonRoles
Complement Indirect Object Direct Object Subject Objectofthe PreposiEon

OurgoalforthissecEonis tolearntoidenEfy.

Subject:TrickyatEmes
Ohen,whenwerefertothesubjectnounphraseofa sentence,weohenmeanthedoeroftheacEon. (1) Marylehearly. Thedogjumpedoverthefence. Mychildrencaughttheballoons. SomeEmesthedoeroftheacEonmightnotbethesubject: (2)Thehousewasbuiltbythecontractor. Theexamwasgradedbytheprofessor. SomeEmesthereisnodoerexpressedatall: (3)Thisoldhouseisamess. Mymanyacemptsatlearningtoplaychessallfailed. Thedoctorsbillwasastounding.

Tip!
AmorereliablewayforustoidenEfythesubject nounphraseofasentenceisbyitslocaEon. Itisalmostalwaystherstnounphraseinthe sentenceandtheonethatimmediately precedestheverb.

Note:
AllformalstandardEnglishsentencesmust haveasubject,grammaEcallyspeaking,i.e. exceptincommands,theremustbeanoun phraseprecedingtheverb.

dummy,placeholder,or expleEve?
Awordlikeitinitisraining Awordlikethereintherearesixbooksontheoor

Anexple.vellstheplaceofthesubjectalthough itmaynotbethesubject.
Itisthesubjectofisraining Sixbooksisthesubjectofare.

QuickExercise
Theplayfulchildfrightenedthepony. Mycatisinthecupboard. Mrs.Smithjustleh. Thetelephoneinthelivingroomisportable. Asmallbirdewintothechimney. Hiscomputerisobsolete. Bothherparentsacendedherwedding.

DirectObject
OhenthoughtofasthereceiveroftheacEon(doesnot alwayswork). (1) Thegirlhittheball. Theclownentertainedhischildren. ThereceiveoftheacEonmightnotbethedirectobject Itusuallycomesimmediatelyahertheverb. (3)Thepitcherthrewtheball. Theballwasthrownbythepitcher.(passive)

IndirectObject
Almostalwaysrefertothepeoplewhoare,in someway,indirectlyaectedbytheacEon. (1)Jimmygaveanappletotheteacher. (s) (d.o.) (i.o.) **Indirectobjectsareohenprecededbythe wordto,orthewordfor

IndirectObjectInversion
TestforidenEfyingtheindirectobject. Itispossibletorearrangesentencesbydropping thewordtoorforandmovingthedirectobjectto theposiEonimmediatelyahertheverb. Jimmygaveanappletotheteacher. Jimmygavetheteacheranapple. Meaninghasnotchangednortherela'onships amongthenounphrases.

QuickApplicaEon
KeithgaveMaryapresentforherbirthday. Theprofessortaughtthosestudentsin linguisEcs. JackreadthisbooktoMildred.

ObjectofaPreposiEon
PreposiEons,indicaEnglocaEon,direcEon, accompaniment,andpurpose,arewordsthat indicatetherelaEonshipofthefollowingnoun phrasetotherestofthesentence. PreposiEonslinkwithafollowingnounphrase toformaconsEtuentcalledapreposi.onal phrase.

ObjectofaPreposiEon
Allthephrasesintheexamplephrasesare preposiEonalphrases,andtheunderlinednoun phrasesareobjectsofpreposiEons. inthebarn(locaEon) towardsthere(direcEon) withanescort(accompaniment) foragoodreason(purpose) *inversion??? Alstudiedalgebraforareason.

Complements
Acomplementisanounphrasethatdescribesanother nounphrasetotherestofthesentence. Janesawthepresident. (d.o.) Janewasthepresident. (subjectcomplement) Theyconsideredthechildagenius Shedeclaredherbrotheraliar (directobjectcomplement)

VerbalNoun
Verbalnounsmaynotberecognizedasnouns atrstbecausetheirmeaningstendtobe acEonsratherthanthings.Thesewordsare builtfromverbs,buttheyexhibitmanyofthe properEesofnouns.

Twokindsofverbals:
Gerunds:inglaughing,coughing,playing Whatmakesthemnouns? Theycanbeheadsofnounphraseswithmanyof theusualmodiersthatoccurwithnouns. Hislaughingannoyedher. Allthatcoughingisdisturbingthemusicians Thechildscryingmademenervous.

Twokindsofverbals:
Inni.ves Theseareverbswiththewordtoinfrontof them:totalk,tolove,torun Whentheyareheadsofnounphrasestheyare calledinni.valphrases. Togiveupnowwouldbefoolish(subject)

NextEme..
Wewilldiscusswhattheseplayersinthe sentencearedoingorwhatisbeingsaidabout them. VERBSANDVERBSPHRASES