The basic structure of noun phrases Worksheet Practice Exercises with Answers

Unit 9: Noun Phrases

Lesson 28: The Basic Structure of Noun Phrases

There are many kinds of noun phrases and we can find them by looking at what we can replace for the noun phrase, the little boy. The underlined parts of the sentences below are all noun phrases and any one of them can replace the little boy in the sentence The little boy laughed.

• Audiences laughed.
• Younger audiences laughed.
• The girl laughed.
• The little girl laughed.
• The cute little girl laughed.
• John laughed.
• They laughed.

Of course, there are lots of things that cannot replace the little boy, for example:

• *My very quickly laughed.
• *Near his laughed.
• *Went away laughed.

You are probably not surprised to learn that My very quickly, Near his, and Went away are not noun phrases.

So what can be a noun phrase?

In sentences 1-6, the noun phrases all have something in common: each holds at least a noun. (See Unit 1 to refresh your memory about nouns.)

Here are the noun phrases again, with the nouns underlined:

• audiences
• younger audiences
• the girl
• the little girl
• the cute little girl
• John

In sentence 1, Audiences laughed, and in sentence 6, John laughed, the noun phrase consists of just a noun: audiences in sentence 1 and John in sentence 6.

Quick Tip 28.1

A noun phrase can hold a noun alone, for example, audiences, John.

Question 1. Underline the noun phrase in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always hold a noun alone. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Sample: Sugar is not very healthy.

Getting Started (answers on p. 119)
Answer:
1. Pirates were looking for treasure.
2. Furniture can be expensive.
3. Boys often want to be policemen.
4. People think money is useful.
5. Jeremy was eating rice.

Exam Tip: A noun phrase that holds only a noun stands alone without any words before it to change or describe it.

Question 2. Underline the noun phrase in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always hold a noun alone. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Answer: More Practice (answers on the website)
6. Juries sometimes make mistakes.
7. Jenny visited friends yesterday.
8. Oil is thicker than water.
9. Joel hates bananas.
10. Writers often like to work alone.

Exam Tip: Look for single nouns without any describing words or articles before them.

You can also see, in sentences 2-5, that a noun phrase can have other words in addition to just a noun. Let's see what those other words can be:

(See Units 3 and 4 to remind yourself about determiners and adjectives.)

Quick Tip 28.2

A noun phrase can hold a determiner, one or more adjectives, and a noun. The determiner and adjective(s) are optional.

Question 3. Underline the noun phrases in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always hold a determiner + noun; the determiner will always be an article, that is, the, a, or an. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Sample: A man stole the car.

Getting Started (answers on p. 119)
Answer:
1. The winner was overjoyed.
2. The crowd dispersed peacefully.
3. A minute can seem like an eternity.
4. The dentist gave the patient a toothbrush.
5. The couple forgot to tip the waiter.

Exam Tip: Articles (the, a, an) always come before the noun they modify in a noun phrase.

Question 4. Underline the noun phrases in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always hold a determiner + noun; the determiner will always be an article, that is, the, a, or an. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Answer: More Practice (answers on the website)
6. A Mercedes costs more than a Chevy.
7. The Andersons bought a house.
8. The children are sleeping.
9. The lake is near the village.
10. The professor paid the student a compliment.

Exam Tip: Check each sentence carefully for all noun phrases, even if they appear in different positions.

Here are some more examples with different determiners and nouns. (You may recall from Unit 3 that the determiner always comes before the noun.) The whole noun phrase is underlined.

• A man laughed.
• Her friend laughed.
• That lady laughed.
• Many people laughed.

Notice that these noun phrases don't have to appear only at the beginning of the sentence:

• The criminal is a man.
• I looked at her friend.
• Do you know that lady?
• The clown made many people laugh.

Question 5. Underline the noun phrases in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always hold a determiner (any kind) + noun. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Sample: My hat blew off in the wind.

Getting Started (answers on p. 119)
Answer:
1. His doorman hailed a taxi.
2. As the doctor toured the ward, a group of her interns went along.
3. Your daughter looks great in this picture.
4. Some people keep their jewelry in a safe deposit box.
5. Jack's friend is an artist.

Exam Tip: Possessive determiners like his, your, and their also begin noun phrases.

Question 6. Underline the noun phrases in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always hold a determiner (any kind) + noun. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Answer: More Practice (answers on the website)
6. While driving in a snowstorm, Alex's car veered off the road.
7. Several spectators wanted that ballplayer thrown out of the game.
8. The train pulled into the station.
9. Most people are proud of their country.
10. Andrea's grandmother used to bake a pie in her kitchen for her grandchildren.

Exam Tip: Count all noun phrases in each sentence, including those that appear after verbs or prepositions.

Here are examples of noun phrases holding a determiner plus an adjective plus a noun (the whole noun phrase is underlined):

• The best fruit is grown on the west coast.
• Our new shoes got completely soaked.
• That old dog is my favorite one.
• Every new task is challenging.

Question 7. Underline the noun phrases in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always hold determiner + adjective + noun. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Sample: My young cousin got on that scary roller-coaster.

Getting Started (answers on p. 119)
Answer:
1. That adorable baby was born in a rundown house in a small town.
2. The elderly woman wrote a short novel.
3. His crazy adventure began with those strange letters.
4. Some Enchanted Evening is a beautiful song from a classic show.
5. Jackie's famous father is a talented immigrant from a South American country.

Exam Tip: Always place the adjective between the determiner and the noun it describes.

Question 8. Underline the noun phrases in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always hold determiner + adjective + noun. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Answer: More Practice (answers on the website)
6. These old cookies are stale.
7. A little attention often helps a bruised ego.
8. Each passing moment is a terrible waste.
9. Our new house sits on the outermost edge of this secluded island.
10. Many submitted manuscripts are piled up on the cluttered desk of the finicky editor.

Exam Tip: Some adjectives follow the noun; make sure you identify all adjective positions correctly.

Question 9. For each of the underlined noun phrases below, decide if it is: determiner + noun or determiner + adjective + noun.
Sample: He was not in a reasonable mood. determiner + adjective + noun

Getting Started (answers on p. 119)
Answer:
1. The pleasure in his voice was real. determiner + noun
2. That annoying customer still got a good deal. determiner + adjective + noun
3. Count your blessings! determiner + noun
4. Jonathan's jacket is brand new. determiner + noun
5. He plays with his new gadget every day. determiner + adjective + noun

Exam Tip: Remember that "brand new" is a compound adjective that appears after the noun, not before it.

Question 10. For each of the underlined noun phrases below, decide if it is: determiner + noun or determiner + adjective + noun.
Answer: More Practice (answers on the website)
6. His divorce received much publicity. determiner + noun
7. I want the latest model for my office. determiner + adjective + noun
8. Let's hope this terrible weather changes soon. determiner + adjective + noun
9. I don't care for her new attitude. determiner + adjective + noun
10. The motorcade passed by quickly. determiner + noun

Exam Tip: Pay attention to superlative adjectives like "latest" and "most" - these always come before the noun.

Here are some examples where the noun phrase holds a determiner, more than one adjective, and a noun (the whole noun phrase is underlined):

• The dull brown liquid spilled onto his priceless antique carpet.
• Elderly, infirm individuals really need that important health benefit.
• A worn checkered apron hung by the sagging, unpainted kitchen door.

Question 11. Underline the noun phrases in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always hold determiner + adjective(s) + noun. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Sample: The pushy, aggressive salesman at the automobile dealership was not helpful.

Getting Started (answers on p. 119)
Answer:
1. The small white dog ran away.
2. The close friends loved watching the old, classic movies.
3. Some Japanese cars are rated very highly.
4. My lovely niece arrived in a brand new convertible.
5. Those pesky flies ruined my Australian vacation.

Exam Tip: When multiple adjectives appear together, they usually follow a natural order (color before material, for example).

Question 12. Underline the noun phrases in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always hold determiner + adjective(s) + noun. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Answer: More Practice (answers on the website)
6. Your beautiful shiny hair is enviable.
7. The crazy idea of your nutty sister turned out to be not so crazy after all.
8. The Siamese cat was extremely sociable.
9. My reliable old friend made a terrible mistake.
10. This poor, hungry man is craving a hearty hot meat sandwich.

Exam Tip: Adjectives separated by commas can both describe the noun independently and should both be underlined as part of the noun phrase.

Don't forget that a noun phrase doesn't have to have a determiner. Here are some examples in which the noun phrases (underlined) hold only adjective(s) and a noun:

• Cold drinks are delicious.
• Talented, creative actors don't always become big stars.
• Individual rights are important to preserve.

Proper nouns generally don't have adjectives or determiners in front of them. *creative Nicole, for example, is ungrammatical.

Sentence 7, They laughed, is yet another kind of noun phrase. In this case, the noun phrase holds just a pronoun, they. (See Unit 7 to remind yourself about pronouns.)

Quick Tip 28.3

A noun phrase can hold just a pronoun, for example he or them.

Notice that you can have a determiner before a noun, for example, the monkey, but you'd never put one before a pronoun: *the he, for example, is ungrammatical. We also do not usually put an adjective before a pronoun: *pretty she, for example, is ungrammatical.

Question 13. Underline the noun phrase in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always hold a pronoun. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Sample: You are always good to her.

Getting Started (answers on p. 120)
Answer:
1. He ran away.
2. I love watching them.
3. They were extremely sociable.
4. We want to invite you over.
5. He did it and didn't even tell us about it.

Exam Tip: Pronouns stand alone as complete noun phrases without any additional words.

Question 14. Underline the noun phrase in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will always hold a pronoun. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Answer: More Practice (answers on the website)
6. It made me curious.
7. She left us confused.
8. I am better for it.
9. You will help me, won't you?
10. They left yesterday.

Exam Tip: Look for all pronouns in a sentence, including those used as direct objects or indirect objects.

To Sum Up

The kinds of noun phrases we've discussed are listed below. While there are more kinds of noun phrases, what we've done here is to show you some basic ones.

Question 15. Identify the part of speech of each word in each of the underlined noun phrases below. It will be either: noun (alone), determiner + noun, adjective(s) + noun, determiner + adjective(s) + noun, or pronoun (alone).
Sample: He spoke in a friendly, cooperative manner. determiner + adjectives + noun

Getting Started (answers on p. 120)
Answer:
1. The pleasure in your voice was real. determiner + noun
2. I still have that infamous necklace. determiner + adjective + noun
3. I forgot to mention it to you. pronoun
4. Mr. Bentley is a successful businessman. noun
5. Cobras are dangerous snakes. adjective + noun

Exam Tip: Proper nouns like "Mr. Bentley" count as nouns alone without determiners or adjectives.

Question 16. Identify the part of speech of each word in each of the underlined noun phrases below. It will be either: noun (alone), determiner + noun, adjective(s) + noun, determiner + adjective(s) + noun, or pronoun (alone).
Answer: More Practice (answers on the website)
6. Don't forget to buy a low-fat turkey sandwich! determiner + adjectives + noun
7. The coffee is too hot to drink. determiner + noun
8. She buys a pair of new shoes every year. determiner + adjective + noun
9. He took a cruise with his rich, generous uncle. determiner + noun; determiner + adjectives + noun
10. You may not know that whales are mammals. pronoun; noun

Exam Tip: When a sentence has more than one noun phrase, identify each separately and precisely.

Question 17. Underline the noun phrases in the sentences below. There may be more than one in a sentence.
Sample: I am sharing the relevant information with you.

Getting Started (answers on p. 120)
Answer:
1. Joe traveled often.
2. The blazing sun can cause damage to your skin.
3. The unlucky scientist walked back.
4. We turned and left.
5. Those calculating politicians responded evasively.

Exam Tip: Remember that nouns can appear anywhere in a sentence - not just at the beginning - so search the entire sentence for noun phrases.

Question 18. Underline the noun phrases in the sentences below. There may be more than one in a sentence.
Answer: More Practice (answers on the website)
6. The beaches of Tahiti are high on my list of places to visit.
7. Cigarettes are not good for your health, don't you agree?
8. I think you should suggest this book to them.
9. Disneyland is a popular destination for European tourists.
10. Arnold hurried in.

Exam Tip: Pay special attention to prepositional phrases that may hold additional noun phrases within them.