Differences between noun phrase and verb phrase.

Syntax is the way in which words are put together to form the sentences and a
phrase is a group of words functioning as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence. In
order to identify phrases, we have three ways. The three ways are movement,
meaning and substitution. There are 5 types of phrase and most phrases have a
central word defining the type of phrase. This word is called the head of the phrase.
However, some phrases can be headless. Types of phrase is prepositional phrase,
noun phrase, verb phrase, adjectival phrase and adverbial phrase. Next discussion
will focus on differences between noun phrase and verb phrase.

The noun phrase is a string of words that all depend or focus in some way on
a single noun. In other words, noun phrases normally consist of a head noun, which
is optionally modified. The modifier can be added before the noun called pre-modifier
and after the noun called post-modifier. Possible modifiers include determiners,
adjectives and complements.

Pre-modifiers Head Post-modifiers

Hisyam
the women
a moderately old man
the book on the table
the animals’ captivity in dirty cages

The verb phrase is a phrase headed by a verb. A verb phrase may be

constructed from a single verb. However, the verb phrase will consist of various
combinations of the main verb and any auxiliary verbs, plus optional specifies,
complements, and adjuncts.

From the introduction above, we can recognize that the biggest difference
between noun phrase and verb phrase is the head of phrase. Head of phrase will
determine whether the phrase is noun phrase or verb phrase. For example, Mary
saw the man through the window. This sentence has 3 phrases which is noun
phrase, verb phrase and prepositional phrase.

i) Mary saw
ii) the man
iii) through the window
From the phrases, we can determine the phrase whether noun or verb phrase. Refer
to i), Mary is a noun and saw is a verb. This phrase is the verb phrase because word
saw is more dominant than Mary in this phrase. In other words, saw is head of the
phrase and it refers to Mary’s action.