The Functions of Nouns and Noun Phrases in English (Page 2 of 2)

Nouns and noun phrases function as prepositional complements. A prepositional complement is a word, phrase, or clause that directly follows the preposition in a prepositional phrase. Prepositional complements are also called complements of prepositions and objects of prepositions. The following italicized noun phrases are examples of prepositional complements:

• That little boy gave his toy to his baby brother.
• The mother warned her children not to go into the woods.
• During his vacation, the man decided to move to the Tropics.

Although adjectives are traditionally defined as words that describe nouns, nouns and noun phrases can function as noun phrase modifiers. A noun phrase modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that describes another noun or noun phrase. The following italicized noun phrases are examples of noun phrase modifiers:

• The bedroom walls are all oak panels.
• Books are repaired in the Conservation Lab.
• Mylar encapsulation is a technique for protecting brittle paper.

Like other determiners, nouns and noun phrases can also function as determinatives. A determinative is a noun or noun phrase plus the possessive clitic (apostrophe s or s apostrophe) that indicates possession of or some other relationship to another noun or noun phrase. The following italicized noun phrases are examples of determinatives:

• The cat is eating the dog's food.
• My parents' house is in the same part of town as mine.
• Why did your mother-in-law's cat run away?

Nouns and noun phrases functioning as determinatives can simultaneously function as subject complements. The following italicized noun phrases are examples of bother determinatives and subject complements:

• This bowl is the dog's.
• The two parking lots north of town are the university's.
• Those books by the door are the library's.

Nouns and noun phrases also function as appositives. An appositive is a word, phrase, or clause that modifies or explains another noun or noun phrase. The following italicized noun phrases are examples of appositives:

• Eagle-Eye Cherry, the musician, is an individual, not a group.
• Your aunt Lily is an eccentric lady.
• John Smith, the colonial captain, founded Jamestown in 1607.

Finally, nouns and noun phrases can function as adverbials. An adverbial is a word, phrase, or clause that describes an entire clause by providing information such as time, place, manner, condition, reason, or purpose. Adverbials answers such questions as "when?" "where?" "why?" and "how?" The following italicized noun phrases are examples of adverbials:

• Today I need to go to bed early.
• I get to sleep in late Sunday morning.
• The puppy ran home.

For a printable study sheet of the grammatical functions of nouns and noun phrases in English grammar, please download The Grammatical Functions of Nouns and Noun Phrases Reference Sheet.

• The Internal Structure of Noun Phrases in English
• The Forms and Functions of Noun Clauses in English
• Teaching Preschoolers about Nouns as People, Places, and Things
• Lesson Plan: Teaching Nouns and Adjectives
• The Use of Nouns as Adjectives in English
• Lesson Plan: How to Teach ESL Students the Difference between Subject Complements and Direct Objects
• Possessive Determiners, Possessive Pronouns, and When to Use an Apostrophe