17 Phrase Structure: NP

Dr. Archana Singh

epgp books

 

 

Learning outcome:

This chapter deals with the Phrase Structure Grammar in general and Noun Phrase in particular.   At the end of this module learners will be able to define Noun Phrase, they will    also be able to analyze and identify the Noun Phrase in any given sentence. Multiple-choice questions, bibliography, You Tube videos will be helpful for them for in-depth and further reading related to this chapter.

Introduction:

As we all know that Noun is the name of a person, place or thing. Phrase is a small group of words that forms a meaningful unit within a clause. The traditionally progression in the size of any syntactic unit is word > phrase > clause. It means a single word cannot be a phrase. Many modern linguists deny such restrictions. According to them a phrase can be a word or combination of words.

She liked someone.

Ram joined the club.

In the above sentences She (Pronoun) and Ram (Noun) are considered to be Noun Phrases.

Syntax is a set of rules that govern the structure of sentences in a given language in order to convey a complete thought. A basic feature of a language’s syntax is the sequence in which the subject (S), verb (V), and object (O) usually appear in sentences. Over 85% of languages usually place the subject first, either in the sequence SVO or the sequence SOV. In ancient India Panini’s “Astadhyayi” deals with the syntactic theory. Noam Chomsky, the Father of Linguistics has given a new approach to language in his revolutionery book “Syntactic Structure”. In this revolutionary book Chomsky has given three models of grammar: – Finite State Grammar, Phrase Structure Grammar and Transformational Grammar. The Finite State Grammar is the most basic and elementary and is full of inadequacies. The Phrase Structure Grammar is rather advanced in explaining the rules of grammar. In the Fourth Chapter of this book of Chomsky, he discussed “Phrase Structure”.

Phrase Structure Rule:

Phrase structure rules are used to break down a natural language sentence into its constituent parts, also known as syntactic categories, including both lexical categories (parts of speech) and phrasal categories. A sentence is a linear sequence of elements. The purpose of this Phrase Structure Rule is to identify these elements and to classify them. According to the Phrase Structure Rules:-

 

a. S → NP VP

b. VP → V NP

c. NP → Det N

d. N → NP Plur

e. V → VS Past

f. Det → the

g. NS → boy

h. NS → girl

i. VS → go

 

Syntactic categories which occur on the left are known as non-terminal symbols and those occurring on the right are called terminal symbols representing morphemes.

 

To avoid this lengthy and exhaustive description, a set of phrase-structure rules in the form of re-write rules can be given. According to the re-write rules, each symbol on the left hand can be replaced by a symbol on the right hand.

For example:-

beautiful girl went to market.

1. S – NP VP

A Sentence consists of an NP (Noun Phrase) and a VP (Verb Phrase).

2. NP – (Det) N1

An NP (Noun Phrase) consists of an optional Det (Determiner) N (Noun).

3. N1 – (AP) N1 (PP)

An N (Noun) can be preceded by an optional AP (Adjective Phrase) and followed by an optional PP (Prepositional Phrase).

4. VP – Verb (MV) + PP (Prep. Phrase)

A VP (Verb Phrase) consists of a (MV) Main Verb and a PP (Prepositional
Phrase)

5. VP – Verb

6. PP – Preposition + NP

7. NP – N

Tree-diagram of the sentence will be like this:-

Noun-Phrase:

 

Noun Phrases (NP) are the expressions used to refer to entities like things, people, places, ideas etc. An NP can be a proper noun, a personal noun, a pronoun, demonstrative pronoun, and all that can function grammatically in this position like I, we, he, she, you, they, her, it and so on, and everyone, anyone, no one, none, some, etc. Noun Phrase or Nominal Phrase (NP) has a noun as its Head Word which performs the function of a phrase. In NP a noun can be identified by removing all other words from the phrase, without damaging the sentence structure. Such words are called Head Words. By removing this Head Word the sentence structure is damaged and we are left with no meaning. For example:-

My new blue saree is attracting the attention of every body in the party.

 

In the above sentence ‘My new blue saree’ is an NP. If my, new, blue words are removed from the sentence it won’t cause any damage to the sentence, but the removal of the word ‘saree’ will damage the meaning of the sentence. Hence, ‘saree’ is the Head Word here. As Noel Burton-Roberts defines, “In a phrase containing a modified form the essential centre of the phrase is said to be the Head of the phrase.” Any word functions as a Noun can be the Head word.

Tree-diagram of a Noun Phrase:-

A Noun Phrase can function in several different ways in a sentence. Some of the most common functions of noun phrases are:-

A noun phrase can be a subject. Like in the sentence:

The black cow is grazing.

A noun phrase can be a direct object. See italicized words in the following sentence: I have bought a white car.

A noun phrase can be the object of a preposition. For example:-

She is writing with a pen.

A noun phrase can be an indirect object. See the sentence:-

My mother has given me a saree.

Components of Noun Phrase:

A typical Noun Phrase consists of a noun (the head of the phrase) together with zero or more dependents of various types. These dependents, since modify a noun, are called adnominal. These adjuncts show morphological changes for form and class.

Determiners:

A determiner (Det) is a word, phrase or affix that occurs together with a noun or noun phrase in the context. A determiner may indicate whether the noun is referring to a definite or indefinite element of a class, to a closer or more distant element, to an element belonging to a specified person or thing, to a particular number or quantity, etc. Determiners can be divided into following categories:-

(i) Pre-determiners

(ii) Central-determiners

(iii) Post-determiners

(i) Pre-determiners are a type of determiners that co-occur with determiners and precede other determiners in a Noun Phrase. They are used to express proportion of the whole, such as all, both or half. They are often quantitative in meaning. Like determiners, pre-determiners are functional elements of structure and not word classes. They generally do not co-occur. They are of following types:

(a) Expressing proportion:

For example: – All the children went to play in the park

(b) Multiplying expressions:

For example: – Double the books

(c) Fraction:

For example: – Two-third my salary.

(d) Exclamative:

For example: – What a beautiful garden!

Pre-determiners perform very particular functions:-

  • Add information to a determiner.
  • Demonstrate a speakers or writers opinion about the quantitative of the noun.
  • Often are used to show surprise or intensify other kinds of emotions.

Expressing Proportion

Multiplying Expressions

Fractions

Exclamative
All, both, half etc. Double, triple….. Two-third, one-fourth etc. What, how

(ii) Central-determiners are used before a noun in a sentence and preceded by a pre- determiner. They also do not co-occur. They are of three types:

(a) Articles:- The most common central determiners are the definite article the and the indefinite articles a/an.

For example: – all the children.

(b) Possessives:- As it is stated earlier that some words we use as pronouns can also be used as determiners, as central determiners. Possessives can occupy the central determiners’ slot.

For example: – all their clothes.

(c) Demonstratives: – The demonstratives, too, are central determiners.

For example: – twice that size. Central-determiners’ functions are:-

  • Give information about definiteness and indefiniteness of the noun or noun phrase
  • To modify a noun or noun phrase by attributing possession.
  • To indicate which entities are being referred to.
Articles Possessives Demonstratives
A, an, the, each, every etc. My, our, your, his, her, its, their,

N’s

 This, that, these, those

(i)    Post-determiners follow the determiners and precede the adjectives. While adjectives can occur in any order, post-determiners have fixed positions. They can co-occure in a sentence. They are of three types:-

(a) Ordinals: – Ordinal determiners are used to tell the order of the Noun or Noun Phrase. They tell us level or position in a group. For example: – the first few days.

(b) Cardinals:- Cardinal determiners are used in counting to indicate quantity of noun or noun phrase.

For example: – the first four girls.

(c) Quantifiers: – Other Quantifiers are also used as post-determiners.

For example: – my many friends.

Ordinal Numbers Cardinal Numbers Quantifiers
First, second, third….

Next, final etc.

 One, two, three……

Several etc.

 Much, many, more, few, less etc.

Modifiers:-

 

A modifier is an optional element in phrase structure which is said to modify and add descriptive information to the head word in the structure, on which it is dependent. These modifiers are optional because there removal don’t affect the grammar of the sentences.

Modifiers enable the writer to pack a lot of information into a limited number of words, thus making the style more concise.

For example: – This is a pink house.

In the above mentioned sentence pink is a modifier because if we remove it from the sentence it won’t affect the grammar of the sentence and equivalent in structure to the original sentence. Secondly, the word pink cannot come independently; it is dependent on the head word ‘house’. According to their position modifiers are divided into two types:-

Pre-modifiers

 

Pre-modifiers are placed before the head word. They can be an adjective or a noun and describes or restricts its meaning in some way.

For example: – a young man. The adjective young is a pre-modifrier here.

Adjectives can be modified by other adjective.

For example: – a small pretty girl met me. Here adjective small is modified  by another adjective pretty.

Adjectives can also be modified by degree adverbs.

For example: – She is a very pretty girl. Here very is an adverb which modifies adjective pretty.

In a sentence in which two nouns occur, one of them can act as preomodifier.

For example: – football match. Here football is a pre-modifier of the noun ‘match’.

These pre-modifiers can be a. Proper nouns, like Delhi Conference.

  • Cardinal numbers like two birds.
  • Ordinal numbers like first class.
  • General ordinals like last birth.

Post-modifiers are placed after the head word. It follows the noun or noun phrase it qualifies or limits. It is a one-way dependency/function.

For example: – the bedroom upstairs. Here upstairs is a post modifier to the head word bedroom.

Similarly, in the sentence- The girls won the match will meet the chief minister. Here won is a post-modifier follows the head word ‘girls’. Actually this is a ‘reduced relative clause’ and can be read as: The girls (who) won the match will meet the chief minister.

 

Noun Phrase Modifiers are grammatical functions. They are five in numbers:-
  1. Noun Phrases
  2. Adjective Phrases
  3. Prepositional Phrases
  4. Verb Phrases
  5. Adjective Clauses

1.  Noun Phrases: – See the sentence, I have written a new literary theory book.

In the above mentioned sentence literary theory is a noun phrase modifier, modifies the head word book. The phrase performs the grammatical function of noun phrase modifier.

 

2. Adjective Phrases:- Adjective Phrase is defined as phrase that consists of an adjective and  any modifiers such as adverbs and prepositions.

 

For example: I make very tasteless biryani. Here the phrase very tasteless modifies the head word biryani in the sentence.

3. Prepositional Phrase: – This is a grammatical form that performs the grammatical function of noun phrase formed by a preposition followed by a prepositional complement.

For example: – That lady in the blue saree is very pretty. In the sentence in the blue saree modifies the head word lady.

4. Verb Phrases:- Verb Phrases that modify the noun phrase are formed by one or more verbs plus any objects, modifiers, complements, particles, and infinitive markers such as nouns, verbs, adverbs, p-words, and prepositions.

For example: – The boy singing the melodious song is my brother. Here the italicized phrase verb phrase modifies the head word ‘boy’ in the sentence.

 

Adjective Clauses:- Adjective clauses are subordinate clauses that consist of a clause usually beginning with a relative pronoun. Sometimes, they perform the grammatical function of noun phrase modifiers.

For example: – the lady who fought with me in the hall. Italisized words are adjective clause modify the head word ‘lady’.

Summary

Syntax is a set of rules that govern the structure of sentences in a given language in order to convey a complete thought. A basic feature of a language’s syntax is the sequence in which the subject (S), verb (V), and object (O) usually appear in sentences. A sentence is a linear sequence of elements. The purpose of the Phrase Structure Rule is to identify these elements and to classify them.

S   →     NP  VP

 

Noun Phrase (NP) is the expression used to refer to entities like things, people, places, ideas etc. Noun Phrase has a noun as its Head Word which performs the function of a phrase. In NP a noun can be identified by removing all other words from the phrase, without damaging the sentence structure.

 

A typical NP consists of a noun (the head of the phrase) together with zero or more dependents of various types. These dependents, since modify a noun, are called adnominal.

These are:

 

Determiners (Det) Modifiers (Mod)

A determiner is word, phrase or affix that occurs together with a noun or noun phrase in the context. Determiners are of three types:-

  • Pre-determiners are used to express proportion of the whole, to show surprise or other kinds ofemotions. Like all, both, half, double, two-third, what etc.
  • Central-determiners are used before a noun or a post-determiner and preceded by a pre-determiner. They are used to give information about definiteness and indefiniteness of the NP, to modify it and to indicate which entities are being referred to. Like a, an, the, Possessives and demonstratives etc.
  • Post-determiners follow the determiners and are used to express level or position in a group, to indicate quantity of the NP. Like Ordinals, Cardinals and all the quantifiers.

A modifier is an optional element in a phrase structure which is said to modify and add descriptive information to the head word in the structure, on which it is dependent. According to their modifiers are divided into two types:-

  • Pre-modifiers are placed before the head word. They can be an adjective or a noun and describes or restricts its meaning in some way.
  • Post-modifiers are placed after the head word. It follows the NP it qualifies or limits. It is a one-way dependency / function

NP Modifiers are grammatical functions. They are five in numbers:-

  1. Noun Phrases
  2. Adjective Phrases
  3. Prepositional Phrases
  4. Verb Phrases
  5. Adjective Clauses.
you can view video on Phrase Structure: NP

Reference

  • Leech, Geoffrey, Swartvik, Jan, A Communicative Grammar of English, ELBS and Longman Group Ltd., 1973.
  • Noel Burton – Roberts, Analyzing Sentences, An Introduction to English Syntax, Longman, London & New York, 1987
  • Rajimwale, Sharad, Elements of General Linguistics, Rama Brothers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 2013.
  • Siloni, Tal, Noun Phrases and Nominalizations: The Syntax of DPs, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands, 1997
  • https://en.m.wikipedia.org>wiki>phrase structure rules
  • https://english.wise.edu>rfyoung>Phrase_structure_rules
  • https://www.englishgrammar.org>noun phrases exercise
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrase_structure_rules
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syntactic_Structure