SLS 640
Nouns and noun phrases
Nouns are the heads of noun phrases
1. Kinds ("subcategories") of nouns:
a. countable (count, or unit) nouns vs. uncountable (non-count, or mass) nouns.
b. singular nouns vs. plural nouns
Non-count nouns cannot occur in the plural. Singular count nouns cannot occur in bare noun
phrases.
There are dialect differences. In Hawaii English, stuff can occur in plural, like a count noun.
Non-count nouns can be used as count nouns to indicate types or kinds: we tasted three different
wines.Non-count nouns can sometimes be used as count nouns indicating portions or servings:
They ordered two coffees.
In some varieties of English (especially British English) non-count nouns that refer to groups of
people or organizations (sometimes called “collective nouns”) have plural agreement. The jury
have reached a verdict. In American English, such nouns usually exhibit singular agreement.
2. External syntax of noun(phrases)
Since the external syntax of a phrase ("what does it do?"; "where does it come it sentences?")
of a phrase is determined by the syntactic features of the head, we often just say "noun", where it
sometimes might be more appropriate to say "noun phrase."
a.
Can be the subject of a verb(phrase).
(Sometimes, people say "subject of sentence"; or "subject of clause").
We'll say "subject of verb(phrase)".
Cats kill mice.
John is a teacher.
b. Objects of verbs
(verbs with noun objects are called "transitive verbs")
Cats kills mice.
I gave Mary a book. ("indirect" object)
I gave Mary a book. ("direct object)
c. Complements of complement verbs (such verbs are also called "linking verbs"). In these
cases, we say the noun is used "predicatively"; we call these "predicate noun(phrases)" or
"complement noun(phrases)". These noun phrases are "predicated of the subject."
They are men.
He became a lawyer.
In the case of complements that are predicated of the subject, linguists often say that the subject
noun phrase is the subject of the complement NP, as well as the subject of the verb phrase. For
example, in they are men, they is said to be the "subject of" the verb phrase are men and also (in
turn) the subject of the complement men.
d. Complements of object-complement verbs. (Such verbs are also called “object-predicative”
verbs”.) In these cases, we say that the noun phrase is “predicated of the object.”
They elected him their first president.
I made him my friend.
e. Objects of prepositions
I will meet you after the concert.
I gave a book to Mary. (also "oblique object" of the verb)
I depend on friends. (also "oblique object" of the verb)
If the preposition is closely associated with the verb, as in give to and depend on, we
sometimes say that the noun is the "oblique object of the verb".
f.
There are other uses of noun phrases; we'll get to these later. For example, possessive
noun phrases can function as subjects of ingform verbs, in examples like: My father's arriving
late [surprised me]. Here, my father's is the subject of arriving.
3. How to make a noun phrase (the "internal syntax of noun phrases")
There are many ways. Here are eight basic types, concentrating on what can precede the head
noun (and ignoring adjectives, which can freely precede the noun; we'll consider adjectives
separately).
1. Precede the noun with nothing at all. These are bare noun phrases: men, rice. Singular count
nouns cannot be the heads of bare noun phrases; bare noun phrases must be headed by non-count
or plural nouns.
2. Precede the head noun with an article (the, a/an): the men, a boy, an apple. [Some scholars
consider unstressed some to be an article.] [The pronouns you and we can be used like definite
articles: we men, you students.]
3. Precede the head noun with a demonstrative: these men, that rice
4. Precede the noun with a possessive ("possessive/genitive adjective/determiner"): my uncle.
(Possession can also be indicated by a post-nominal of-NP: a friend of the teacher; or a
post-nominal of-genitive: a friend of the teacher's There is more to say about how
genitives work: presentation topic.)
[DETERMINERS: Articles, demonstratives, and possessives are classed together as
determiners. Bare noun phrases are often said to have a zero determiner. In contemporary
linguistics, noun phrases are often called "determiner phrases." A few misguided grammarians,
including Parrot, also call quantifers and numerals determiners. ]
5. Precede the noun with a numeral: three cars.Numerals can also be preceded by determiners:
the three cars, my three cars, these three cars.
6. Precede the head noun with a quantifier: some men, many men, much money, a-few men, alot-of men, both women, each girl. Some quantifiers can occur in the partitive construction (see
below): followed by of: many of the men. What quantifiers are permitted depends in part on the
kind of noun (±count, ±plural). (We return to quantifiers later in the course.)
[PREDETERMINERS:The quantifiers all and both can precede determiners: all my friends, all
those cars; this is called the "predeterminer" position of all and both. Other words that can occur
in predeterminer position are half, one-half, two-thirds (all fractions: one can be replaced with
a); twice, thrice, three times, etc. Eg: half a loaf, three times the speed of sound. ]
7. Pronouns and proper nouns can function as noun phrases all by themselves.
I, you, he, we, etc. (definite pronouns)
someone, anyone, no one, etc. (indefinite pronouns)
this, that, these, those (demonstrative pronouns)
mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs (possessive/genitive pronouns)
8. Precede the noun with a quantifying phrase. The quantifying phrase has a measure noun
followed by the preposition of: a ton of pebbles, a glass of that wine.
Note that the measure nouns themselves can be preceded by stuff, just like other nouns:
these three boxes of paper. Noun phrases with measure nouns are called partitive noun
phrases. Partitives often provide a way of counting non-count nouns: three blades of
grass, many pieces of paper, a loaf of bread. Partitives are a complex area (presentation
topic). Sometimes if a partitive noun phrase is the subject, the verb will have plural
agreement even though the measure noun is singular: a bunch of people were invited.
Agreement is a good presentation topic.
4. Selection of following phrase types by nouns
Certain nouns “take” following phrases in a particular form, for example, phrases headed by a
particular preposition. This is especially true of nouns that are related to verbs. For example, the
noun dependence is related to the verb depend, and the noun dependence “takes” prepositional
phrases headed with on as does the verb depend. The noun dependence also takes prepositional
phrases headed by for to indicate a different sort of semantic relationship.
My dependence on my mother for support.
These resemble the “oblique objects” of verbs.
The “direct objects” of nouns are mediated with the preposition of:
The ruler of France.
Not all nouns that take particular phrase types are directly and obviously derived from verbs:
The king of France
A scholar of medieval Latin
His awareness of my presence
Here, we can consider France to be the “direct object” of king, even though there is no verb king.
Many nouns also take clauses headed by that or infinitive phrases, or other types of phrases:
The ability to play violin
The suggestion that we should go on a picnic
[I have] no intention of helping him.
Learning what follows a noun is an essential part of learning to use the noun.