** Noun Phrase:
A noun phrase includes a noun—a person, place, or thing—and the modifiers—either before or after—which distinguish it. The pattern looks like this:
>Optional Modifier + Noun + Optional Modifier.
- A great English teacher
Teacher = noun; a, great, English = modifiers.
- With her love of Shakespeare and knowledge of grammar, Jasmine will someday be a great English teacher. (A great English teacher = subject complement.)
-
- I like singing in the bath.
- I know the back streets.
- I’ve met the last remaining chief.
- Compare the three examples above to these:
-I like it.
-I know them.
-I’ve met him (In these three examples, the words in bold are all pronouns.)
> More Example:
- The reading of newspapers is a good habit.
- Swimming in the river is dangerous.
- To walk in the morning is a good exercise.
- To rise early is a good habit.
- His coming here is uncertain.
- I know the ins and outs of it.
- The man gave him food and clothing.
- He is a full time worker.
- We could not see him at the time of arrival.
>Noun phrases are extremely common. A noun with any sort of modifier (including just a number or an article) is a noun phrase. Here are some examples of noun phrases:
- The best defense against the atom bomb is not to be there when it goes off. (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.(In this example, both noun phrases are direct objects.)
- The best car safety device is a rear-view mirror with a cop in it. (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.
# Link:
ENGLISH PLACEMENT 