Noun Phrases

Exercises

Explanation

Examples of simple noun phrases

• the cup

• a new laptop

• this teacher

• the boy with curly hair

The extra words—such as articles, adjectives, possessives, or prepositional phrases—are called modifiers.

A noun phrase can also begin with a pronoun, not only with a noun:

• someone new

• those in the back

• anyone with experience

Both nouns and pronouns can function as the head of a noun phrase.

1. What does a noun phrase do?

A noun phrase has the same function as a noun. In a sentence, it can be:

• the subject

• the object

• a complement

Examples

Subject:
The young artist from Spain won the competition.
(noun phrase = subject)

Object:
We visited a modern museum near the river.
(noun phrase = object)

Complement:
He is the manager of the new branch.
(noun phrase = complement)

To check whether a group of words is a noun phrase, use the pronoun test:
If you can replace it with he, she, it, or them, it is a noun phrase.

Example:
The young artist from Spain → She
We visited a modern museum near the river → We visited it

2. What can be inside a noun phrase?

A noun phrase can contain many types of modifiers. These can come before or after the head noun.

Modifiers you may find in a noun phrase

• Articles: a, an, the

• Possessives: my, his, their

• Adjectives: bright, tall, delicious

• Numbers: three books, two children

• Prepositional phrases: the chair by the window

• Relative clauses: the woman who wrote the book

New example noun phrases

• the three excited students in the front row

• a calm voice from the other room

• my favorite cafe near the library

• this strange noise behind the door

• those children who won the award

3. Why are noun phrases important?

Almost every noun in natural English appears as part of a noun phrase. Knowing how noun phrases work helps you:

• create more detailed descriptions

• build more accurate and natural sentences

• understand sentence structure more easily

• make correct subject–verb agreement

Subject–verb agreement reminder

The head noun decides whether the verb is singular or plural—not the surrounding words.

Correct: A list of names is on the desk.
Incorrect: A list of names are on the desk.

Head noun = list (singular)

4. More examples of noun phrases

People

• the little girl with a blue scarf

• our new classmates

• a friendly man from Italy

Animals

• that big brown horse

• the kitten under the table

• your neighbor’s dog

Places

• the restaurant on the hill

• a quiet street near the beach

• this village in the mountains

Things

• an old camera with a broken lens

• the large box in the hallway

• that heavy wooden desk

Ideas

• a surprising solution

• the meaning of the story

• her dream of living abroad

5. Long noun phrases

Some noun phrases include many details and become quite long. These often include prepositional phrases or relative clauses.

Example of a long noun phrase:

The book that we borrowed from the library last weekend is fascinating.

Head noun = book
Everything else describes which book.

Quick Summary

• A noun phrase = noun/pronoun + modifiers

• It can be a subject, object, or complement

• Modifiers may come before or after the noun

• The head noun controls the verb

• Noun phrases can be very simple or very detailed