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Chapter 4
Nouns, Pronouns, and The Basic Noun Phrase

Introduction:
This chapter begins by looking closely at nouns and how they combine with other words to make up
"noun phrases". It examines the structure of basic noun phrases and how they function within sentences.
The discussion focuses on simple basic phrases with nouns and determiners.
Traditionally, a noun phrase is often described as a phrase that contains a noun as "a head" (i.e. main
word).It may or may not contain words of other categories as well.
Examples:
- Ahmad is a clever student.
" Ahmad" is a noun phrase in which the head is also Ahmad. "A clever student" is another noun phrase but
the head is " student". So a noun phrase may consist of one word or a group of words that can substitute for
a noun.
- Rand came to stay with us. ( "us" is a noun phrase and the head is the objective pronoun" us"
- He is my best friend. (" he" is a noun phrase and " my best friend" contains a pronoun " my" as
determiner, An adjective and the noun " friend" as the head of the phrase).
- I eat an apple every day.
- My beautiful daughter got full mark.
A noun phrase could be longer than that; e.g. :
The old man who I saw last night was really kind.

This is one noun phrase and the head is " man"

1- A noun phrase and its functions:

Noun phrases can function as subjects, objects or complements:
1. That sophisticated woman is beautiful. (That sophisticated woman is a noun phrase
that functions as a subject.)
2. I likethe book that you bought. (the book that you bought is a noun phrase that
functions as an object.)
3. She is a very clever student. (a very clever student is a noun phrase that functions as a
subjective complement.)
4. They made him a president. (a president is a noun phrase that functions as an objective
complement.)
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5. They live in the city. (the city is a noun phrase that functions as a complement in the
prepositional phrase).

2- Noun classes ( student book pages 59+ 60 + 61):

In order to understand how nouns and noun phrases function in sentences, we can view
nouns as falling into different classes and subclasses.

"Proper nouns" are names of specific people ( Salem, Adam, Sara, Reema, etc.), places and
countries ( Irbid, Jordan University of Science and Technology, America, Australia), days
( Monday, Sunday, etc.), months (August, September… etc.), holidays (Christmas).
"Common nouns" are like : table, tree, bottle, music, furniture, meat…… etc. As shown in
the previous diagram, common nouns are divided into two other subcategories:
- Countable nouns: They are nouns that are seen as individual countable entities and
cannot be viewed as an undifferentiated mass, e.g. :
Boys, chair, remark, finger, word and so forth.
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- Non countable nouns: They are seen as undifferentiated mass that cannot be counted,
e,g, grass, warmth, humour, furniture….. etc.
On the other hand, countable and noncountable nouns could be divided into "
abstract" and "concrete".
Abstract = immaterial/ can't be touched. ( warmth, happiness)
Concrete= tangible. ( bottle, man, tree … etc)
See your book page 60 ( 4.3) for further examples
Nevertheless, there is a large class of nouns in English which can be both count and non
count. For example: the word paper; Bring an evening paper (paper here is countable)
versus wrap the present in brown paper (here it is uncountable mass)
Important:See your book page 61(4.4) for further examples.
A final distinction among common nouns is that both count and non count nouns may be
either concrete or abstract. Concrete nouns are typically observable and may be
measurable, like cup (countable, concrete), sugar (uncountable, concrete).But abstract
nouns are typicallynonobservable and nonmeasurable, like opinions (count, abstract),
and music (noncountable, abstract) .

3- Noun phrase construction:

As mentioned before, a noun phrase must have either a noun as a head or a pronoun as a
head, but A noun phrase may optionally contain noun modifiers. Modifiers include:
Determiners, predeterminers, postdeterminers, Adjectives and complements.

E.g. All the three clever students in that class won the competition.
Subject verb object
optional optional Optional optional Obligatory optional
(the head)
predetermine determiner postdetermine Adjective Noun or Complement
r r pronoun
All the Three clever students In that class
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Notice that: the optional categories in the noun phrase could be removed and the head is
still the same:
All the students.
The three students
The clever students
Clever students ….etc.

A- Dterminers:
Determiners are used to identify things in further detail. To take the dictionary definition,
they are modifying words that determine the kind of reference a noun or noun group has.
Determiners are different to pronouns in that a determiner is always followed by a noun.
Personal pronouns ( I , you , he , etc.) and possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, etc.)
don't act as determiners.
Determiners Are:see your book page 62( very important)
(note S.C.N =singular countable- P.C.N= plural countable-
N.C.N=noncountable nouns)
Important notes:
1- Determiners aren't used together…. E.g. "*the either student can go in the
school trip" is not correct.

Dterminers How to be used

Possessive pronouns ( my, your, her, his All types of nouns
….etc) Countable or noncountable
Wh-words: (what, which, whose…… so on) Countable or noncountable
Articles: the, a, an and zero article. The: all nouns
A/n: S.C.N
Ө article: P.C.N and N.C.N
Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, This and that with sing. Count nouns
those. and uncountable nouns.
These and those only with plural
countable nouns.
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Some, any, enough, every, each, much, many
( some other grammarian consider them
quantifiers)
Neither and either
Some: all nouns
Any: all noun
No: all nouns
Every, each, either , neither: S. C.N
Much:N.C.N
Many: P.C.N
Enough: N.C.N + P.C.N
Note: be aware to the difference
between (neither ,nor) as a negative
conjunction and (neither) alone as a
determiner … as a determiner it is used
only with S.C.N:
e.g. neither student came to school
yesterday.
Also be aware to the difference
between ( either, or) and either alone
…. Either is used with S.C.N:
e.g. We can go to either restaurant.

B- predeterminers:
Predeterminers are modifiers that usually appear before determiners in a noun phrase.
They are:
Predeterminers:
All, Both, Half (Important. Important.
Important …go to your book page 63 and
study carefully the table there)
How to be used
1- They are used with all types of nouns
except " both" which is only acceptable
with P.C.N.
2- These predeterminers can occur only
before articles or demonstratives but not
with every, each, neither, either, some, any,
no, enough.
3- They have " of- construction" i.e. you
can use them optionally with "of":
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Double, twice, and" three or any number +
times"…… (important. Important …. Go to read the examples in your book
your book page 64)
Fractions: - "one- third" / two- fifth ….etc
C- post- determiners:
Pot- determiners are items which must follow determiners but precede adjectives in the
premodification structure. They are numerals and quantifiers.
Pot- determiners
Numerals
1- Cardinls ( occur only with plural
countable nouns …. But remember "one"
occur with singular nouns.
2- Ordinals: (occur with countable nouns
only singular or plural ……. But "first" is
e.g. all of the meat/ both of the men… etc.
But it is obligatory to use them with " of" if
the head is a pronoun:
all of it/ half of them.
4- you can use them "pronominally" i.e. ad
pronouns themselves. E.g.:
All passed the exam.
Both came to my party.
5- All and Both can occur after the head but
not " half" ….. for example:
They both passed their exam.
6- Notice that the predeterminer "both" and
the determiners" neither" and " either" are
not plural but "dual", i.e. they refer only to
two. example:
Both (the) students = The two students
important. Important
important. Important ….. Go to your book
page 64)
How to be used
important. Important ….. Go to your book
page 65 and read the examples).
Note:
-All ordinals come before cardinals in the
noun phrase if they are used together, e.g.:
The first three planes
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used with all nouns. The second two students

3- general ordinals (last and next) -The general ordinals can be used freely
before or after cardinals, e.g. :
His last two books or His two last books.

Quantifiers important. Important ….. Go to your book

pages 66 and 67 and read all the
examples…. All of them are very
important).

4- Reference and the articles:

Dear students ……. Depend on what have been discussed in the class and read your book
from page 68 till page 79 …. Be aware to the table on page 74.
5- pronouns:
From page 101 till page 105

Best of luck