Noun Phrase

A noun phrase plays the role of a noun. In a noun phrase, the modifiers can come before or after the noun.

• the dog with fleas (This is a noun phrase headed by a noun.)
• the one with fleas (This is a noun phrase headed by a pronoun.)

Examples of Noun Phrases

• Man proposes, but God disposes. (German canon Thomas a Kempis) (This example features two nouns without any modifiers. That's rare. In other words, there are no noun phrases in this example.)

• People: the soldier , my cousin , dopey Alan , the lawyer with the big nose
• Animals: that aardvark , one rat , a shark , funny Mickey
• Places: the house in the corner, inner London , dirty factory , no shelter
• Things: this table , our London Bridge , the sharp chisel , that nitrogen , last month , an inch , her cooking
• Ideas: utter confusion , some kindness , your faith , the Theory of Relativity , a joy

The Function of Noun Phrases

• Singing in the bath relaxes me. (Here, the noun phrase is the subject of the verb "relaxes.")
• I know the back streets . (Here, the noun phrase is the direct object of the verb "know.")
• She was the devil in disguise. (Here, the noun phrase is a subject complement following the linking verb "was.")

Definition of "Phrase"

• It relaxes me.
• I know them.
• She was him.

• This man has a nice smile , but he's got iron teeth . (Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko on Mikhail Gorbachev) ("This man" is the subject of the verb "has." The phrase "a nice smile" is the direct object of "has." The noun phrase "iron teeth" is the direct object of the verb "got." Here's the "pronoun test": He has one, but he's got them.)
• I never learned from a man who agreed with me. (Science-fiction writer Robert Heinlein) (The noun phrase "a man who agreed with me" is the object of the preposition "from." Here's the "pronoun test": I never learned from him.)
• Every man of courage is a man of his word. (French dramatist Pierre Corneille) ("Every man of courage" is the subject of the verb "is." The noun phrase "a man of his word" is a subject complement following the linking verb "is." Here's the "pronoun test": He is one.)

More Examples of Noun Phrases

• The best defense against the atom bomb is not to be there when it goes off. (Anon) (In this example, there is a noun phrase within a noun phrase. The noun phrase "the atom bomb" is the object of the preposition "against." The prepositional phrase "against the atom bomb" modifies "defense.")
• I don't have a bank account , because I don't know my mother's maiden name . (Paula Poundstone) (In this example, both noun phrases are direct objects.)
• The best car safety device is a rear-view mirror with a cop in it. (Dudley Moore, 1935-2002) (In this example, the first noun phrase is the subject, and the second is a subject complement.)
• Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity , and I'm not sure about the former . (Physicist Albert Einstein, 1879-1955)

• Anybody who wants the presidency so much that he'll spend two years organizing and campaigning for it is not to be trusted with the office. (Journalist David Broder) (Here, "anybody" is a pronoun. The rest of the noun phrase is an adjective clause modifying the head "noun." Here's the "pronoun test": He is not to be trusted with the office.)

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Why Noun Phrases Are Important

Most native English speakers can form noun phrases without giving the grammar a second thought. So, if the truth be told, understanding how they function isn't particularly useful unless you're required to teach them or to compare them with similar structures in a foreign language you're learning.

That said though, there is a common issue associated with noun phrases.

When a noun phrase is the subject of a verb, ensure subject-verb agreement with the head noun.

• The Spitfire's 9-yard belt of bullets give us the term "the full nine yards." (The head noun in this noun phrase is "belt." All the other words in the noun phrase are modifiers. As "belt" is singular, the verb "give" is wrong. It should be "gives.")
• The Spitfire's 9-yard belt of bullets gives us the term "the full nine yards."

Key Point

• When a noun phrase is the subject of a verb, don't let the modifiers divert your eye from the head noun as it must govern the verb.

Noun Clauses vs Noun Phrases

• Single Word. A single word is not a phrase.
• Phrase. A phrase plays the role of one part of speech and has at least two words.
• Clause. A clause plays the role of one part of speech and has a subject and a verb. (Note: On occasion, the subject may be implied.)

• Anybody who wants the presidency so much that he will spend two years organizing and campaigning for it is not to be trusted with the office. (American journalist David Broder)

Well, no. It's a noun phrase. The text "who wants the presidency so much that he will spend two years organizing and campaigning for it" is functioning as an adjective modifying anybody. In other words, those subjects and verbs feature in an adjective clause. Get it? The bolded text is a noun phrase that contains an adjective clause. That doesn't make it a noun clause.

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This page was written by Craig Shrives.