THE STRUCTURE OF NOUN PHRASES
1. While we were on one of those Breton holidays she swam so far out that she met the only other person who could swim, who turned
out to be an Austrian and that was only the beginning of our link with Austria.
2. Australia’s best-known businessman and yachtsman, Alan Bond, had little time to savour his victory in Australia’s premier yacht
race.
3. objects and substances, abstract entities
4. head and dependent
determiner
premodifier
head
the only other
we
one
she
person
the
that
beginning
determiner
Australia’s
premodifier
best-known
little
his
complement
of those Breton holidays
who could swim, who
turned out to be an
Austrian
of our link with Austria.
head
businessman and
yachtsman
Alan Bond
time
victory
complement
5. head: common noun, proper noun, pronoun, adjective
6. Properties of prototypical nouns
6.1 meaning (see 3 above)
6.2 inflection holidays
plain case
genitive
singular
student
student’s
plural
students
students’
6.3 suffixes victory, childhood BUT Austrian
7. Properties of prototypical pronouns
*the me, *a myself; nominative I and accusative me
7. dependent
7.1 determiner: the news, a pear, some cheese, no reason
7.2 modifier: a young woman, a friend from Boston, people who complained
7.3 complement: the loss of blood, a ban on smoking, the fact that she’s alive
7.4 more than one head: see above
Men, I want you just thinking of one word all season. One word and one word only: Super Bowl.
more than one dependent of the same type: see above
8. embedding
his victory in
postmodifier
Australia’s premier yacht race
1
postmodifier
in Australia’s premier
yacht race
9. nominal
NP
Determiner: Head:
Determinative Noun
the
guy
NP
Modifier:
Relative clause
Determiner:
Determinative
who fainted
the
Head:
Nominal
Head:
Noun
Modifier:
Relative clause
guy
who fainted
10. internal and external dependents
complement: a [knowledge of Latin]
determiner: these [old papers]
modifier- internal: a [big dog]
external: almost the [only survivor], even a [young woman]
11. discontinuous phrases and word order
det
I met
determiner
the
premodifier
a
head
complement
postmodifier
this morning
man
premodifier
head
discovery
postmodifier
in the course of this century
carrying an injured child
complement
of new building materials
12. Ambiguity
antique desk [suitable for lady] [with thick legs and large drawers]
OR
antique desk [suitable for [lady with thick legs and large drawers] ]
CITIZENS COMPLAIN ABOUT LOUD NOISE AT CITY MEETING
ENRAGED COW INJURES FARMER WITH AXE
WHY YOU WANT SEX CHANGES WITH AGE
Conviction for manslaughter carries a penalty of 1 to 10 years in California
Organ donations from the living reached a record high last year, outnumbering donors who are dead for the first time
TEACHERS STRIKE IDLE KIDS
PANDA LECTURES THIS WEEK AT NATIONAL ZOO
2