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AS English language and literature Introduction to language

Describing the World

Contents
Section 1: nouns and noun phrases Section 2: determiners Section 3: modifiers Section 4: the main noun in a noun phrase Section 5: noun phrases in sentences Section 6: expanding the noun phrase Section 7: more on premodifiers (adjectives) Section 8: special premodifiers (intensifiers and superlatives) Section 9: more on postmodifiers Section 10: where does the noun phrase start and end? Analysing noun phrases in texts Creating texts using noun phrases Homework Further reading

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1. Nouns and noun phrases Words group together with other words in patterns. Here are some examples of one familiar pattern, known as the noun phrase (with thanks to Stan Lee of Marvel Comics): The Amazing Spiderman The Incredible Hulk The Fantastic Four The Silver Surfer The Uncanny Xmen The Mighty Thor The Green Goblin We can break this noun phrase pattern into the following elements: determiner + modifier + noun Name game: create a few noun phrases for yourself, using your own name. Share them with a partner and decide on the best one. Then introduce yourself to the class using your noun phrase. For example: the fabulous Fatima, the talkative Temi 2. Determiners Here are some words that can fill the determiner position: a, the, some, all, many, my, this, two 3. Modifiers How would you describe the job of the modifiers?

4. The main noun The main noun is the key item. Determiners and modifiers are optional items that cluster round the main noun. The main noun itself is not optional; it cannot be left out: The amazing Spiderman ate breakfast. Spiderman ate breakfast. The ate breakfast. The amazing ate breakfast.

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5. How do noun phrases fit into sentences? The noun phrase pattern fits into the larger patterns we call sentences. Here are three very common sentence patterns: The Subject + Verb (SV) pattern: Spiderman slept. The incredible Hulk snored. The Green Goblin dreamed. The Subject + Verb + Object (SVO) pattern: Spiderman climbed the building. The Hulk smashed the tank. The Silver Surfer blasted Mr Fantastic. The Subject + Linking Verb (is/was) + Complement (SVC) pattern: Spiderman was my hero. The Hulk is a huge, green monster. The mighty Thor is the god of thunder. Underline the noun phrases in all the examples above (some contain just the main noun, others have determiners and modifiers added). Nouns and noun phrases usually fill the Subject position in the sentence. What information would you say is conveyed in the subject of the sentence? The subject of the sentence tells us

Nouns and noun phrases are also very common in the Object position in the sentence. What information is the object conveying? The object of the sentence tells us

The Subject-Verb-Complement pattern shows us that noun phrases can also fill the complement position. What information does the complement give us?

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6. Expanding the noun phrase premodifiers and postmodifiers The last example in section 5 above shows us that modifiers can occur after the main noun as well as before it: d m n d n m The mighty Thor | is | the god of thunder. Modifiers that occur before the noun are premodifiers (the mighty Thor). Modifiers that occur after the noun are postmodifiers (the god of thunder). 7. More on premodifiers Premodifiers are very often adjectives. The number of adjectives in the language is vast. Here are some typical examples:
blue true big small round happy tasty funny bendy trendy ambiguous carnivorous serious rigorous delicious effective defective creative corrosive explosive washable possible responsible comfortable terrible friendly surly burly curly girly

These lists show that many adjectives, though not all, are recognisable by their endings (-y, -ous, -ive, -ble, etc). Most adjectives can also be moved out of their premodifier position and slotted into the complement position in an SVC sentence: Noun phrase
the funny man a rigorous inspection a cheap washable vest

SVC sentence
The man is funny. The inspection was rigorous. The vest is cheap and washable.

This shows that in SVC sentences, the complement can either be a noun phrase (as shown in section 5), or one or more adjectives: The Hulk is a huge green monster. (noun phrase + verb + noun phrase) The Hulk is huge and green. (noun phrase + verb + adjectives) 8. Special premodifiers: intensifiers and superlatives Intensifiers are words like very, really, extremely, totally, highly, slightly. A superlative is an adjective with an -est ending or most in front of it: cheapest, newest, fastest, most beautiful, most comfortable

How do intensifiers and superlatives add to the meaning of these sentences? Coming home has never felt so very very good (Alan Johnson, BBC reporter and former hostage) The clearest, most comprehensive mini dictionary available (Blurb on the jacket of the Oxford English Minidictionary)

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9. More on postmodifiers Postmodifiers are usually groups of words. They can be very long:
The dog growled. (No modifiers) The large guard dog growled. (Premodifiers added) The large guard dog with sharp teeth growled. (Postmodifiers added) The large guard dog with sharp teeth, who prowled the perimeter, growled.

Note that postmodifiers often have noun phrases embedded in them:

| postmodifier 1 | postmodifier 2 | d m m n m n d n The large guard dog with sharp teeth, who prowled the perimeter, growled.

Basically, one noun phrase is being used to postmodify another noun phrase. So, noun phrases can be short and simple:
d n n The Hulk swings tanks around.

And noun phrases can also be expanded into long complex units:
d m n m m n m The incredible Hulk swings massive ten-ton tanks with armour-plating around.

Expand these noun phrases using premodifiers and postmodifiers. The dog bit the man.

10. How can you be sure where the noun phrase starts and ends? When a phrase becomes very long and complex it can be difficult to tell at a glance where it starts and ends. However, any noun phrase, no matter how long and complex, can be replaced with a pronoun such as it or he or they. Therefore, applying the pronoun test will enable you to pick out the noun phrase with precision.
The Hulk swings tanks around. He swings tanks around.

(The Hulk = noun phrase).

The terribly lonely Hulk sitting in the desert sucking his thumb swings tanks around when provoked. He swings tanks around when provoked.

(The terribly lonely Hulk sitting in the desert sucking his thumb = noun phrase.)
Replace the two main noun phrases in this sentence with pronouns. The famous outlaw Robin Hood who led his band of merry men in a guerrilla campaign against the evil Sheriff of Nottingham took aim and split the arrow sticking out of the centre of the archery target.

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Putting it into practice: analysing noun phrases in different texts How do noun phrases add to the impact of these 3 texts?

Text A: Magwitch (from Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens)

Hold your noise! cried a terrible voice, as a man started up from among the graves at the side of the church porch. Keep still, you little devil, or Ill cut your throat! A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head. A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars; who limped and shivered and glared and growled; and whose teeth chattered in his head as he seized me by the chin.

Text B: This is India (from a website promoting India to tourists)

Bounded by the majestic Himalayan mountain ranges in the north and edged by a spectacular coastline surrounded by three seas, India is a vivid kaleidoscope of landscapes, magnificent historical sites and royal cities, golden beaches, misty mountain retreats, colourful people, rich cultures and festivities. At any part of the year India can offer you a dazzling array of destinations and experiences. In summer, when the subcontinent is sizzling, there are spectacular retreats amidst the heady beauty of the Himalayas or the lush heights of the Western Ghats with cool trekking trails, tall peaks to conquer, or stretches of white water for the adventure seekers.

Text C: Reebok trainers (advertisement text only without images)

Reebok
AZTREK Running is your life. Here is your life support. The Reebok Aztrek. A rugged running shoe with a medially posted dual density midsole and Hexalite lightweight cushioning. Life is hard. So is asphalt. One of them just got easier. Maybe two. SATELLITE You play, you lift, you train, you run. And you wear the Reebok Satellite, a lightweight cross training shoe with a running profile and Hexalite to cushion the heel, because its a truly runnable cross trainer. And you keep on running.

Youve got the heart. Youve got the drive.

REEBOK

BELIEVES
in the athlete

IN ALL OF US
Youve got the desire. Weve got the shoes.

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Putting it into practice: creating your own text using noun phrases Look at the following text: NEW

NIVEA FOR MEN

EXTRA SOOTHING BALM

Extra soothing and protective After Shave care for easily irritated skin.
Immediate Relief & Gentle Protection

Extra gentle, quickly absorbed formula with Chamomile, Vitamin E and Provitamin B5

This text is taken from the label of a bottle of after shave lotion. Notice how such product packaging text does more than just provide information; it also persuades the reader to use the product by emphasising its positive qualities. Heavily modified noun phrases are a common feature of such texts because they enable the writer to stack up lots of impressive and enticing modifiers, while keeping the text concise. In fact, the whole text is made up entirely of noun phrases.

Group task Using a large sheet of sugar paper, create the text for the packaging of one of the following products: a skin cream a health drink a hair product a deodorant a toothpaste

You can invent the brand name too, or use an existing brand name. Be prepared to explain your language choices to the rest of the class. Target length for text: 25-50 words.

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Homework Reading and analysing (1-2 sides of A4) Gather three examples of language from different texts which contain a noticeable use of noun phrases. Copy out your selected examples (around 25-50 words for each quote) Add a note to say where you found the text. Comment on the writers language choices (around 50-100 words per text). Example

NEW Honey Shreddies

...Shreddies whole grain goodness, with the great taste of honey!
Crunchy squares of whole grain wheat, lightly sweetened, with the delicious taste of honey. [From the back of a cereal box]

Comment
This text consists entirely of noun phrases, which enables the writer to add descriptive detail while keeping expression very concise. The opening modifier new is an advertising buzzword used to excite the consumers curiosity. It is capitalised for visual impact. Use of parallelism reinforces the tempting message by repeating the same noun phrase pattern: d m n m d m n m the great taste of honeythe delicious taste of honey These noun phrases have an identical structure with premodification and postmodification of the noun taste. The premodifier great is changed to delicious in the second phrase to heighten the promise of pleasure.

Note: you can take your text from any source that helps you to complete the task. For example: newspapers, magazines, leaflets, brochures, the internet, fliers, adverts, poems, recipes, shopping lists, labels, packaging, reviews, books, letters (eg charity appeals, financial offers), instructionsand so on. Further reading The college library has two excellent texts that will reinforce and extend your understanding of the terminology introduced in this booklet and a range of other grammatical terms: Rediscover Grammar, by David Crystal Making Sense of Grammar, by David Crystal

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(They work very well together; the first text explains grammatical terms and the second text expands on these explanations using in a wide range of examples of language taken from different contexts.)

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