THE COMPLEX NOUN PHRASE

HOW MANY TYPES OF NOUN PHRASES ARE THERE?

There are two types of noun phrases

THE THE
BASIC COMPLEX
NOUN NOUN
PHRASE PHRASE
 Basic Noun Phrases
Often a noun phrase is just a noun or a pronoun:
People like to have money.
I am tired.
But noun phrases can also include:
determiners: She bought many dresses.
quantifiers: I've lived in a lot of houses.
numbers: My brother owns two hotels.
adjectives: I love old buildings.
demonstratives: These cars are very expensive.
These parts of the noun phrase are called premodifiers because they
go before the noun.
Why is the head
syntactically and
semantically the
most important
element?
1. The head of a phrase is the word that determines the syntactic
category of that phrase. For example, the head of the noun phrase
(big black dog) is the noun (dog). It determines that the phrase is a
noun phrase, not any other type of phrases.

2. The other elements of the phrase, the adjectives (big) and (black)
modify the head (dog), and are therefore the head's dependents.

3. Semantically, it is important because it determines the basic

meaning of the noun phrase.
 The main types of postmodification in English are
realized by:

• A Non-Finite •A
. A Finite Clause Prepositional
Clause Phrase
 The minor types of
postmodification in English
are realized by:

Certain Adverbs Certain Adjectives

 The main types of postmodification in English

(1) A Finite Clause

Two kinds of finite clauses are used as postmodifiers:

Relative Clauses Appositive Clauses

 Restrictive /
Defining

Non-restrictive/
Non-defining
 Appositive Clauses
Apposition is less frequent than relative clauses.

Like relative clause, appositive clauses can be restrictive, or non-

restrictive.

Appositives are introduced by (that) or infrequently by (zero).

The old saying that a friend in need is a friend indeed appeals to

selfish elements in humanity. (Restrictive)

The irrelevant fact, that the door was closed, does not prove
anything. (Non-restrictive)
 The difference between relative clauses and appositive clauses

(A) (That) is used in restrictive and non-restrictive appositive

clauses. While in relative clause is used only in restrictive clauses.

(B) The antecedent is a factive abstract noun.

The fact that he wrote several books on grammar does not prove that
he is a remarkable grammarian. (Restrictive)

Your brilliant suggestion, that we spilt ourselves into two groups, has
very few advantages. (nonrestrictive)
 (2) A Non-Finite Clause

Postmodification by a non-finite clause may be realized by means of

the:
(A)(-ing) clauses: The student reading a newspaper is John.
(B) the past participle clauses: The house painted yellow is mine.
(C) the infinitive clauses: The time to go out for a walk is after 8
o’clock.
These nonfinite postmodifiers may be regarded reduced relative
clauses.
 Other examples of postmodification by non – finite clauses

The candidate selected for this post is my brother.

She is carrying a box containing toys.
The proposal examined today was presented by Tom.
The man standing in the corner is waving to me.
The child playing on the swings has fallen off.
The house built by the river is delightful.
The letter written by his mother contained good news.
The next bus to arrive will be the 14:30 to Manchester.
A good restaurant to visit is the Golden Horn.
The instructions to follow are written on the box.
 (3) A Prepositional Phrase

Prepositional phrases are commonly used as postmodifiers:

The man in the garden is Ali.

The boy in the blue shirt is my cousin.
The car in front of the house belongs to Jack.
The house on the corner was built last month.
The road to Baghdad is over there.
 (Of) Construction

One of the commonest prepositional phrases used as postmodifier is

the (Of construction):

The door of the garden is painted white.

The edge of the table was sharp.
The shooting of the elephant was a cruel act.
The window of my room is broken.
The escaping of the prisoners must have taken place between 3 and 4
o'clock in the morning.
 The minor types of postmodification in English

Adverbs are sometimes used as postmodifiers:

The journey back was uneventful.

The sentence below illustrates the point.
The cliffs above looked formidable.
The neighbor upstairs is nice.
The meeting afterwards was very dull.
The day before we had been to the beach.
His trip overnight was uncomfortable.
Certain adjectives are used in postmodifying position. Although
English adjectives normally premodify the head:

He worked as an attorney general.

The President-elect has been preparing to take office in January.
I need somebody stronger to help me.
I am looking for someone brighter.
She is trying to find something cheaper.
He wanted to travel to somewhere quieter.
She was waiting to meet the persons concerned.
 Multiple Postmodification

A noun may have multiple postmodification (whether major or

minor):

Here are the books of the writers that you like.

This is an eight-year old boy with a gun who tried to rob a sweet
shop.
That girl over there in a green dress drinking a Coke is my cousin.
The girl in the corner reading a book is Polish.
The soldiers wounded in the battle and whose names are stated in the
paper will receive medals.