Noun Phrases and

Expanded Noun
Phrases
Rainforests
 Nouns
A noun names a person, place, idea, thing or feeling.
 

a tree
the boys
an orangutan
a waterfall

In front of a noun, we often have

a an the
determiners
 If you have more
tree
than one adjective,
use a comma to
Adjectives
separate them. An adjective is a describing word.
It tells you more about a noun.
a lofty tree a lofty, endless tree
the busy boys the busy, excited boys
a frightened orangutan a frightened, gentle orangutan
a powerful waterfall a powerful, loud waterfall
The waterfall is powerful.
Adjectives sometimes come next to ‘their’ nouns…
but sometimes they do not.
 Noun Phrases
A noun phrase adds extra detail to the noun.
 

noun phrase

a lofty tree
the busy boys Adverbs can also be
a frightened orangutan part of a noun
a powerful, loud waterfall phrase.
the extremely fragile environment
a very violent storm

The noun phrase includes the noun, adjectives, adverbs and determiner.
 Expanding nouns
We can expand noun phrases by adding adjectives, adverbs and determiners.
the rather peaceful, tranquil rainforest

Try building some noun phrases around the noun: rainforest.

a surprisingly noisy rainforest

a sadly depleted, old rainforest

an amazingly beautiful rainforest

Expanding Noun Phrases using Prepositional Phrases
Prepositions
with, of
Can you remember what a preposition is?
by, from
on, under, below,
Prepositions tell us how words are related. between, inside,
next to, over, by, in
Expanding Noun Phrases using Prepositional Phrases
You can develop an expanded noun phrase by adding a
prepositional phrase.
 

a beautiful, ancient tree

a beautiful, ancient tree with succulent green leaves
a beautiful, ancient tree in the heart of the forest
a beautiful, ancient tree from a time long past
Prepositions
with, of
by, from
on, under, below,
The prepositional phrase modifies the noun. between, inside, next
to, over, by, in
Expanding Noun Phrases using Prepositional Phrases
Try developing this noun phrase with some prepositional phrases.
 

Prepositions
with, of
the messy, tangled undergrowth by, from
the messy, tangled undergrowth with spiky green thorns on, under, below,
between, inside, next
the messy, tangled undergrowth between the ancient trees to, over, by, in

the messy, tangled undergrowth in the furthest reaches of the forest

The prepositional phrase modifies the noun.

Spotting Expanded Noun Phrases in Sentences adjective
adverb
Can you spot the head noun in each noun phrase? determiner
Can you explain how the expanded noun phrase has been built?  preposition

The boys ran excitedly into the lush, green forest beside the river.

The air was filled with the rather beautiful sound of birdsong from the trees.

The wind blew gently through the paper-thin, delicate leaves above their heads.
 Why use expanded noun phrases?
 

They tell us more about a noun. This can give extra information to help build an image.

leaves The expanded noun phrases

make an image more vivid.
The emerald green leaves on the trees
waterfall The expanded noun phrases can
make readers feel emotion.
The secret waterfall deep in the heart of the forest
Appealing to emotion is a
They can also be used to influence and persuade a reader. powerful way to persuade.

They stared at the vast dead section of forest with brittle twigs poking from the dust.
It was here that I first saw the secret waterfall deep in the heart of the forest.