3 Ways to Use Noun Phrases (2024)

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Co-authored byDiana Con Webber

Last Updated: June 7, 2023References

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   Use a simple determiner. Determinators are words like "the," "a", and "an" that are often placed before nouns. One of the simplest ways to create a noun phrase is to use a determiner.^[1]

   • Take the sentence, "A dog is scratching at the door." It uses the noun phrase "a dog."
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   Add possessive nouns or pronouns. Adding possessives is often necessary in a sentence. Adding a possessive noun or pronoun before a noun is a simple way to create a noun phrase.^[2]

   • Take the sentence, "Aunt Jenny's dog needed to go the the vet." It uses the noun phrase "Aunt Jenny's dog."
   • Or, consider the sentence, “It was their house,” which uses the noun phrase “their house.”
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   Use a number. Oftentimes, you need to use a number before a noun to specify a precise number. Any time a number precedes a noun, you've created a noun phrase.^[3]

   • For example, take the sentence, "There were 15 people in attendance at the rally." It uses the noun phrase "15 people."
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   Describe the noun with an adjective. One of the most common noun phrases involves putting an adjective in front of a noun. The addition of an adjective often helps better describe a noun.^[4]

   • For example, take the sentence, "The man had grey-blue eyes." It uses the noun phrase "grey-blue" eyes.

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   See Also

   What is a phrase?Identifying Phrases: Definition, Examples, & Exercises | Albert.ioNoun Phrases & Noun Phrases Expanded - A Teacher's GuideWhat Are Object Complements in English?

   Use prepositional phrases. Prepositional phrases are phrases that start with a preposition (i.e., at, on, in) and end with either a noun, pronoun (i.e., his, hers), gerund (i.e., running) or clause (i.e., "what we need").^[5] When added after a noun, prepositional phrases make a noun phrase.^[6]

   • For example, take the sentence, "Keep an eye on the toddler in the back seat." The noun "toddler" is modified by the prepositional phrase "in the back seat," creating the noun phrase "toddler in the back seat."
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   Try an "-ing" phrase. If a verb ending in "-ing" follows a noun, this makes a noun phrase. An "-ing" verb is often necessary to specify something about the action a noun takes in a sentence.^[7]

   • For example, the phrase, "Look at that horse running in the field" contains the noun phrase "horse running."
   • Also, the phrase, “The girl dancing on the street is my friend,” contains the noun phrase “girl dancing.”
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   Add a clause. You can use a wide variety of clauses to make a noun phrase.^[8] A clause is a group of words containing a subject (the noun, like a person, place, thing, or idea) and predicate (the part of the sentence containing a verb). Complete sentences always have at least one clause, but noun phrases can be created by adding a clause after your noun.^[9]

   • For example, take the sentence, "I need to talk to the woman I met yesterday." It uses the noun phrase "woman I met yesterday." The noun "woman" is modified by the clause "I met yesterday."
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   Use a "to infinitive." To infinitives are phrases that start with "to" and end in a verb. They are commonly used as a part of noun phrases.^[10]

   • The phrases, "Bring something to eat," "Make sure you have something to read," and "Pack an extra shirt to wear" are all noun phrases using to infinitives. They use the noun phrases "to eat", "to read" and "to wear."

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   Identify the noun used in your noun phrase. To make sure your noun phrase is grammatically sound, first identify the noun used in your noun phrase. Sentences often have more than one noun, so it's important to make sure you identify the noun that's actually part of a noun phrase.^[11]

   • For example, take the sentence, "She decided to speak to the woman in the office." While "she" is a pronoun and the subject of the phrase, it is not being modified. "Woman" is the noun in the phrase, and it's modified by the prepositional phrase "in the office."
   • You can tell that "she" is not a noun phrase because it contains a pronoun but no noun. Noun phrases always have a noun.^[12]
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   Identify a pronoun to replace the noun phrase. If a noun phrase is grammatically sound, the entire thing should be able to be replaced with a pronoun. The sentence should still make sense when the noun phrase is replaced.^[13]

   • For example, in the sentence, "She decided to speak to the woman in the office," the pronoun "her" can be used to replace "the woman in the office."
   • Consider again the phrase, "Her dog was barking." The noun phrase "her dog" can be replaced with "it."
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   See if the sentence still makes sense. After figuring out the right pronoun, rewrite your sentence. If your noun phrase is sound, the sentence will still make sense.^[14]

   • For example, "She decided to speak to the woman in the office" would be rewritten as "She decided to speak to her." The sentence still makes sense, so your noun phrase is grammatically correct.
   • Also, with a pronoun, the sentence "The dog was barking" becomes "It was barking." This still make sense, so the noun phrase is grammatically correct.

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