Noun phrase

Noun Phrase

A noun phrase or nominal phrase (abbreviated NP) is a phrase that has a noun or a pronoun at its head or performs the same grammatical function as such a phrase. Noun phrases are very common cross-linguistically, and they may be the most frequently occurring phrase type.

Noun phrases often function as verb subjects and objects, as predicative expressions, and as the complements of prepositions. Noun phrases can be embedded inside each other; for instance, the noun phrase some of his constituents contains the shorter noun phrase his constituents.

Structure of Noun Phrases

In English, determiners, adjectives (and some adjective phrases), and noun modifiers may occur as dependents in noun phrases. These elements are optional and may be present or absent in the noun phrase structure. The head of the noun phrase, a noun or pronoun, is a compulsory element, except in some cases where the head is implied or can be inferred from context.

Functions of Noun Phrases

Noun phrases can perform several functions in a sentence, including:

• Subject of the Sentence: The noun phrase acts as the subject of the sentence.
• Object of the Sentence: The noun phrase acts as the object of the sentence.
• Complement of the Sentence: The noun phrase acts as the complement of the sentence.

Types of Noun Phrases

There are several types of noun phrases, including:

• Simple Noun Phrases: These consist of a single noun or pronoun.
• Complex Noun Phrases: These consist of a noun or pronoun along with one or more modifiers.
• Compound Noun Phrases: These consist of two or more nouns or pronouns combined in various ways.

See Also

• Phrase
• Noun
• Pronoun
• Verb
• Adjective
• Determiner
• Preposition