Noun Phrases

Exercises

Explanation

Examples of simple noun phrases:

• the dog

• a jacket

• my phone

• the girl in the red coat

The extra words (articles, adjectives, prepositional phrases, etc.) are called modifiers. They help us describe the noun more clearly.

A noun phrase can also be headed by a pronoun:

• someone important

• those behind you

• anyone in this room

Both nouns and pronouns can lead a noun phrase.

1. What does a noun phrase do?

A noun phrase works like a noun in a sentence. It can be:

• the subject

• the object

• a complement

Examples:

Subject:

• The tall boy near the window is my brother.
  (“The tall boy near the window” = noun phrase)

Object:

• I met a friendly woman from Canada.
  (“a friendly woman from Canada” = noun phrase)

Complement:

• She is the manager of this store.
  (“the manager of this store” = noun phrase)

If we replace each noun phrase with a pronoun (he, she, it, them), the sentence still works. This is called the pronoun test.

2. What can be inside a noun phrase?

A noun phrase may include:

• articles: a, an, the

• possessives: my, your, his, their

• adjectives: small, happy, blue

• numbers: two chairs, three days

• prepositional phrases: the car with the broken mirror, the book on the table

• relative clauses: the boy who won the contest

Examples:

• the little cat under the sofa

• my two best friends from school

• a delicious cake with chocolate cream

• those people who live next door

• this old bridge near the river

3. Why are noun phrases important?

Most nouns in English appear inside noun phrases. It is rare to see a noun completely alone.

Understanding noun phrases helps you:

• make your descriptions more detailed

• write clearer sentences

• recognize subjects and objects easily

• check subject–verb agreement correctly

Subject–verb agreement tip:

The verb must agree with the head noun, not with the modifiers.

Correct: The group of students is ready.
Incorrect: The group of students are ready. (head noun = “group,” which is singular)

4. More examples of noun phrases

People:

• the new teacher

• our friendly neighbors

• a young woman with glasses

Animals:

• this tiny hamster

• the dog in the backyard

• your black cat

Places:

• the building on the corner

• a quiet café near the station

• the city of Prague

Things:

• that heavy suitcase

• an old guitar with cracked paint

• the blue umbrella in the hall

Ideas:

• a brilliant solution

• the importance of teamwork

• your dream of traveling abroad

5. Long noun phrases

A noun phrase can be very long, especially when it includes descriptive phrases or relative clauses.

Example:

• The woman who teaches chemistry at the college near my house is very kind.

Here, the head noun is woman, and the rest describes her.

Quick Summary

• A noun phrase = noun/pronoun + modifiers

• It can act as a subject, object, or complement

• Modifiers can come before or after the noun

• The head noun controls the verb

• Noun phrases can be short or long