PRÁCTICA GRAMATICAL DEL INGLÉS

THE NOUN PHRASE

Prof. Titular: Fabián Negrelli

Prof. Asistente: Candelaria Luque Colombres

CICLO LECTIVO 2020

THE NOUN PHRASE - LESSON 1

THE NOUN PHRASE

The NOUN PHRASE (NP) is a syntactic unit with a structure that can range from very simple to
very complex (Biber et al., 1999; Payne, 2011). Also, it can have several different functions in
the sentence. The underlined chunks in the sentences below illustrate the complexity
continuum.

He slunk away.

The man slunk away.

The old man slunk away.

The old man in brown slunk away.

The old man in brown that was sitting at the front slunk away.

The old man in brown that was sitting at the front when I was teaching slunk away.

Noun phrases are made up of obligatory and optional elements. An indispensable element is the
HEAD, the one without which there could exist no Noun Phrases (NPs). The head is most typically
a noun but it can also be a NOUN EQUIVALENT, that is, an element which is not originally a noun
but which can be used in place of it. PRONOUNS are usually called noun equivalents and
frequently constitute the heads of NPs (for instance, he in the first sentence above). Not in all
cases but for a great number of NPs a DETERMINATIVE element cannot be dispensed with either.
One clear example of this is the definite article the, which in all but one of the foregoing
sentences is definitely obligatory. An optional constituent can be the MODIFIER. As stated by
Greenbaum and Nelson, a modifier is a unit which is “dependent on the main word and can be
omitted” (2009, p. 66). In addition, there are two subtypes in this category: PRE-MODIFIERS
and POST-MODIFIERS. As the morphology suggests, the former comes before the head and the
latter follows the head. Looking at the sentences above, we can mention old (premodifier) and
in brown (postmodifier).

From this brief discussion, it can be concluded that NPs contain both independent and
dependent units. The two most common units in NPs are nouns and pronouns. Both are equally
correct as heads but are not equally distributed in terms of how and when they are used in the
language. For instance, whereas nouns are more frequent in formal registers (academic and
news texts), pronouns are much more common in informal registers (for instance,
conversations).

In this unit, for reasons related to the organization of the course, we will deal only with nouns
and determiners (also known as determinatives). The other possible constituents are discussed
elsewhere in the material and during the course.
Nouns

Nouns make up for the largest c ategory in terms of number of dictionary entries,
and in texts we find more nouns than words of any other category (about 37% of
the words in almost any text ). We use nouns for the purpose of identification.
Nouns can be defined notionally (i.e. semantically). In this sense, Huddleston and Pullum
(2005) state that “nouns allow us to put names to people, things, concepts and
ideas in the world around us ” (p.16). This notional definition does account for what are
the central members of the noun lexical category. However, the notional definition fails to
account for several nouns, such as deverbal nouns like jump or destruction (which are notionally
more like actions). For this reason, many grammatical descriptions of English define nouns in
terms of grammar (i.e. according to their morphological and syntactic behaviour).

e.g. chair, flower, pencil, Tuesday, Spain, advice, army freedom, nature .

We may classify nouns into countable nouns, uncountable nouns, proper nouns,
and collective nouns .

 Countable nouns : They have both singular and plural forms. Those nouns
that are preceded by “a / an” are always countable and are always singular.
A singular countable noun is usually preceded by a, an, the or some other
determiner .

an apple three apples

a book some books
the cup the cups
my car our cars

 Uncountable nouns : There are two types of uncountable nouns: mass nouns
(they cannot be easily counted or divide d) and abstract nouns (they refer
to general concepts and ideas).

MASS NOUNS
Category Nouns Example sentence
Liquids water, wine, tea I’d like some tea
I need little flour to make a
Food flour, butter, bread
cake.
We haven’t had much rain or
Natural elements rain, snow, heat
snow this month.
They use a lot of wood for
Material wood, paper, gold
construction.
tennis, baseball, I like playing tennis.
Games / Sports
football
mumps, measles,
Diseases She suffers from arthritis.
arthritis, flu
physics, medicine, Betty studies medicine.
Subjects of study
history
Languages French, Italian, German She speaks French.
 luggage, money,
vocabulary, equipment,
We should carry some better
Miscellaneous items furniture, blood,
equipment.
advice, news,
information

ABSTRACT NOUNS
NOUNS SENTENCE EXAMPLES
I wish you all the happiness you so
happiness, anger, freedom, love, deserve.
beauty, friendship, comfort, peace, These boots provide warmth and comfort in
warmth, strength the coldest temperaturas.

SOME OTHER COMMON MASS AND ABSTRACT NOUNS ARE:

rubbish advice dirt information machinery

sunlight anger education knowledge money
thunder behaviour fun laughter moonlight
transport length furniture leisure news
underwear china harm lightning permission
violence courage housework luck photography
weather luggage progress happiness poetry

Characteristics of countable nouns:

1. We can use a/an as determiners ( a pen, an umbrella)

2. They have a plural form and can be used in the question how many.
3. We can use a numeral as a determiner: ( one tree, two trees, etc.)

Characteristics of uncountable nouns :

1. We do not normally use a/an as determiners

Ø Love is important in life.

2. They do not normally have a plural form; they can be used in the question
how much.

3. We cannot use a numeral as a determiner.

Nouns with dual class membership

The division of nouns according to countability into countable and uncountable nouns is basic
in English. However, the language makes it possible to look upon some objects from the point
of view of both count and noncount. Such nouns are said to have dual class membership.

a) Some nouns are uncountable when we talk about the abstract concept, but they are
countable when we talk about one specific or indiv idual instance of
a state, quality or concept.
 Uncountable Countable

light a light
truth a truth
hair a hair
education an education
crime a crime
sound a sound
beauty a beauty
iron an iron
understanding an understanding
strength strengths

Crime has increased in our city in the last few years. (uncountable use)
More and more crimes happen every year. (countable use)

She had beauty in her youth. (uncountable use)

She was a beauty in her youth. (countable use)

Light travels faster than sound. (uncountable use)

There are bright lights and harsh sounds. (countable use)

We’ll never learn the truth. (uncountable use)

I’ve told him a few truths about himself. (countable use)

They have received kindness, thoughts and good wishes from total strangers. (uncountable use)
It would be a “cruel kindness” to uphold the country court order. (countable use)

I appreciate your kindness and understanding. (uncountable use)

After lengthy discussions, both sides in the negotiation reached an understanding. (countable
use)

Swimming is a sport which requires strength and endurance. (uncountable use)

Your plan has both strengths and weaknesses. (countable use)

b) Some nouns which are uncountable when we talk about the material become countable
when we refer to a specific thing that has a particular meaning.

wood
paper
iron
cloth
rock

Wood burns more easily than coal. (uncountable use)

We got lost in a wood. (countable use)

How much paper do you need to wrap up the present? (uncountable use)
She bought the paper last Sunday. (countable use)

Rock is defined as the inorganic mineral material covering the earth ’s surface.
(uncountable use)
 There is no way to tell you how old a rock is merely by looking at its minerals.
(countable use)

c) Many substances, drinks and food stuffs are uncountable when they are thought of as a
mass, but can be countable when they refer to a unit, a piece of specimen or a particular
variety. In informal English, drinks and some types of food which are normally uncountable
can be count ed, especially when we are making an order in a café or
restaurant .

Uncountable Countable
wine an excellent wine
cheese a strong cheese
fruit a very sweet fruit
melon a water melon

We usually drink wine for dinner. (uncountable use)

She brought an excellent wine for dinner. (countable use)

Would you like some cheese for breakfast? (uncountable use)

I had never tasted such a strong cheese before. (countable use)

Would you like some fruit for dessert? (uncountable use)

Some fruits from tropical areas are very expensive in the U.S. (countable use)

I rarely drink beer. (uncountable use)

Could you give me a beer? (countable use)

I’m going to have some tea after lunch.(uncountable use)

Two teas, please. (countable use)

Sarah usually has a little coffee after dinner. (uncountable use)

Sarah usually has three coffees a day. (countable use)

They don’t eat chicken very often. (uncountabl e use)

That farmer doesn ’t raise chickens . (countable use)

d) Some mass nouns cannot be used to refer to a single item, so a different word
must be used:
clothing a garment
laughter a laugh
luggage a case, a bag
poetry a poem
money a coin, a note
work a job

e) Nouns for animals are count nouns; nouns for meat are mass nouns:
a cow / beef a deer / venison
a pig / pork a sheep / mutton