THE NOUN PHRASE

LECTURER: Trần Thị Thơ

Group
Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Nhi
Trần Thị Mỹ Dung
Nguyễn Hoàng Nhất
Trần Thị Tố Lan
Nguyễn Thị Hòa
 CONTENT
Structure of the noun phrase
Specifiers
Determiners
Predeterminers
Post determiners
The postmodification in a noun phrase
The premodification in a noun phrase
Tree diagram for noun phrases
Definition of the noun phrase
 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.
Determiner+pre-modifier +Head + postmodifier
 E.x The poor people of the Society suffer most
Here, The-is Determiner “Poor” is premodifier ,People is head and of the society
is post modifier .

 So the noun phrase is built up in this way:

 Determiner + noun: the village, a house
 Quantifier + noun: some people; a lot of money
 Determiner + adjective + noun: our closest friends; a new house.
 Quantifier + determiner + noun: all those children;
 Quantifier + determiner + adjective + noun: both of my younger brothers
2. Specifiers  Singular nouns
The determiner always precedes the
Noun Phrase noun.
NP
The determiner is a definite article “the” .
And some other determiners :
Determiners - In definite article : a, no .
Noun
(Det) - Demonstrative adjective : this, that.
- Possessive adjective : whose, her.
- Det. : some, any, each, every,

the man
Specifiers  Plural nouns
Noun Phrase Other determiners : These, those, which,
NP few, some, any, several, two, many, all.
The number of determiners in English is
limited . You have now seen most of
Determiners them.
Noun
(Det)

the men
Determiners
NP

PropN : Det. N
O’Brian’s book
NP

NP:Det.
D N N
The music’s beat
Determiners
Determiners are a group of words that determine or limit the meaning of a
noun or a noun phrase in a sentence.
Example : - We are going to a picnic tomorrow.
- Please distribute these sweets among your friends.
 determiners : a, these, your.
Determiners are words placed in front of a noun to make it clear what the
noun refers to.
Example : - Can I have some chocolates please ?
- That dog is braking again.
 Determiners : some, that.
Nouns : chocolates, dog.
Determiners
Determiners can be specific or general
A determiner fixes or limits the meaning of a noun or a noun phrase showing
whether a phrase is definite, indefinite, or negative.
General Determiners Specific Determiners
General determiners are used in Specific determiners are used in
moun phrase when we are talking noun phrase when we are talking
about people or things in an about specific people or things.
indefinite way.
Determiners like ‘much’, Determiners like
‘many’,’some’,and ‘few’ are ‘this’,’my’,’the’,and ‘those’ are
general or indefinite determiners. specific or definite determiners.
‘No’ is a negative determiners.
Examples : - I received many gifts on my birthday.  general determiner :
many
- Those pens are kept on the table.  specific determiner : those
- I have no information about Rohit.  negative determiner: no
 Determiners
Determiners ca be categorized as follows:

Determiners

Articles Interrogatives

Demonstratives
Quatifiers/Number
Expressions
Articles :- a,an,the,etc. Possessive
Demonstratives:- this,that,those,these,etc. Distributives
Possessives: - my, our, your,his,her,their,etc.
Distributives: - each,every,etc.
Number Expressions/ Quantifers “ – another,many, some,few,a lot of,several,
(cardinal numbers) one, two,etc.
Interrogatives : - what, which,etc.
Predeterminers
Definition
Predeterminers are determiners that occur before a determiners.
Example : - I have only done half the work .
Predeterminer Determiner Noun
The predeterminer ‘ half’ comes before the determiner ‘ the’.
There are three types of predeterminers : multipliers, fractional expressions and
intensifiers.
Double, twice, four,five times, etc., are example of multipliers.
We are used with singular and plural countable nouns as well as with
uncountable nouns.
Example : - This is four times the cost of chat.
Multiplicative predeterminer determiner countable noun
Example : - She studies twice the time I study.
Multiplicative predeterminer determiner uncountable noun
Predeterminers
Fractional expressions are the second type of predeterminers.
We can be used with countables as well as uncountable nouns.
Two-third, one- fourth,three-quarters,etc., are examples of predeterminers.
Example :
Add one-fourth of the solution to the test tube.
Predeterminer determiner uncountable noun.
Both,half,all,etc., are also examples of predeterminers.
The prederterminer ‘all’ is used with a plurar verb to refer to a number of
persons or things considered a group.
Example : - All my clothes are washed.
predeterminer determiner noun
Predeterminers
Intensifiers are the types of predeterminers and normall come before the
indefinite article. We provide extra information about the noun in the
sentence.
Such,rather,quite,indeed,what, etc., are examples of indentifiers.
Example: - This is such a mess.
intensifier indenfinite article
Some quantifier such as many, any, several, few, some, etc., can be used as
predeterminers.
We atc as predeterminers when we are used with the word “of”.
Example: - Some of the seats are empty.
Quantifier determiner
Postdeterminers
 Postedeterminers are determiners that occur after a central determiner in a
noun phrase in order to make precise references.
 Example : postdeterminer
This is the last meeting
central determiner noun
The postdeterminer ‘ last’ comes after the central determiner ‘the’.
Postdeterminers
There are four types of postdeterminers : cardinal numbers, ordinal numbers,
general ordinals and number expressions or quantifiers.
Cardinal numbers are postdeterminers.
Examples of cardinal numbers are one, two,six,etc .
Example : - I lost those two books.
central determiner cardinal determiner
Ordinal numbers are the first of postdeterminers.
Examples of ordinal numbers are frist,second,third,etc.
Examples : This is my first novel.
Central determiner ordinal determiner.
Postdeterminer
General ordinals are the second type of postdeterminers.
Examples of general ordinals are next, last, previous,
sybsequent,othe,several,certain,etc.
Example : - This is her last performance.
central determiner general ordinal
Number experssions or quantifiers are the third type of post determiners.
We include cardinal numbers as well as quatifiers like many,few,several,etc.
Example : The few people left have gone home.
Central determiner postdeterminer.
Postdeterminers
Sometimes postdeterminers co-occur in a sentence.
Examples : general ordinal
These are my next three options
Contral determiner cardinal number
cardial number
The two other students were just here.
Central determiner general ordinal
More than one postdeterminer can occur in a sentence.
The postmodification in a noun phrase.
A postmodifier is a modifier that follows the word or phrase it limits or
qualifies. Modification by a postmodifier is called postmodification.
Types of post-modification of noun phrase :
 a preposition with a further nominal group (a prepositional phrase): the
boy in the garden...;
 a non-finite clause: the boy walking down the road...;
 a dependent clause which may be introduced by a relative pronoun or
simply attached directly to the nominal it modifies: the who was walking...;
 occasionally, an adjective:...and other things interesting."
-Non- finite clauses:
 3 types of non-finite clause can occur as postmodifers: “Ing-clause,Ed-
clause” are called participle clause and To-clause is called to-infinitve
clause or an infinitive clause.
The Premodification in a noun phrase.
 Premodifiers consist of single adjectives, adjective phrases, single nouns
and noun phrases which are used before the head in a noun phrase.
Adjective premodifiers
Adjectives describe the qualities or features of a noun. Opinion-Size/Shape-
Age-Color-Origin-Material-Purpose
OpSACOMP
EX: a very happy life
that big, black umbrella
Nouns acting as premodifiers
Nouns can act as premodifiers in noun phrases. They specify particular aspects
or features of the noun, such as type, material, etc.
EX : a university education
a recent government report
 The Premodification in a noun phrase.
Nouns which act as premodifiers are singular, even when the head is plural:
EX: Four metal cylinders were attached to the machine.
Not: metals cylinders
Noun phrase modifiers indicating time or measurements are singular in form even when
their meaning is plural. Hyphens are normally used in the modifying expression:
EX: an eight-hour flight a three-day tour of Amsterdam a two-litre bottle
Not: eight-hours

 The genitive 's pre-modifier

The genitive 's is straightforward usually and causes few problems so are readily
understood.
EX: Peter's car / the sea's power
The Premodification in a noun phrase
 Participle pre-modifiers
-ing participles
The howling wind
(and it looks like howling is acting as a simple adjective.)
Examples :We can't have => the very/more howling wind
so the word is not functioning at all as an adjective in the proper sense.

-ed participles
(The term -ed participles applies here to forms such as completed as well as to
irregular but parallel forms such as spoken.)
Example :his forced laugh -> the laugh was forced
 Tree diagrams for noun phrase.
S S
NP PP VP
NP NP NP
Det N P Art N Det N V Det N
The girl with a smile A man like the girl

S S
NP VP VP
NP NP PP
Det N V Det N NP
The chef cooks the soup Det Adj N V P Det N
The old tree swayed in the wind
 S
S’
VP PP
NP NP
Det N C Aux V P Det N
The man who is walking in the garden
GOOD BYE
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