Part 9: Understanding the language point Task 16: Read the following information about noun phrases.
A noun phrase can be defined as a group of words acting together as one unit, in which a noun is the most important word. Noun phrases are important because, by adding more information before and after the noun, we can say exactly what we want. The two ways of making a noun more complex (= turning it into a noun phrase) are through adding information before (pre-modification) and adding information after (post-modification).
Producing noun phrases can seem very difficult. To make it easier, think of it like blowing up a balloon. You start with your main noun, and gradually add information to it, making it more complex. People often try to create the whole noun phrase in one go, resulting in phrases which make no sense.
Good writing, especially in an academic context, will often use nouns which contain both pre- and post-modification, e.g., for the head noun changes in the following noun phrase: significant environmental changes in many regions.
Five ways to add information before a noun
1. Use an adjective (e.g., a peaceful and free world). This is the most basic strategy to add information to a noun. Remember, it is possible to use more than one adjective per noun, but when doing so, they must follow a specific order. Adjectives can also appear in different forms: comparative (e.g., a more peaceful world) or superlative (e.g., the most peaceful outcome).
2. Use a past participle (e.g., an increased likelihood). The past participle (~ed form) can work like an adjective. In the example above, increased likelihood is a better way of saying likelihood which has increased. Generally speaking, where past participles can be used before the noun, they are in the passive voice.
3. Use a present participle (e.g., concerning events). The present participle can also work like an adjective. The present participle (~ing form) can be used as a pre-modifier when it refers to a permanent quality or characteristic.
4. Other nouns (e.g., problem area) Nouns can be placed before other nouns to provide more information about them. The function of this structure is often to say that the main noun is part of the phrase which comes before.
5. A possessive phrase (e.g., many countries’ average temperatures) Phrases which indicate the ownership of the noun can also be used as pre-modifiers. Generally speaking, the ‘owner’ is followed by ’s. Often, a possessive adjective (e.g., my, your, her) may come before.
Five ways to add information after a noun
1. Combine with another phrase (e.g., ways of working). Noun phrases can be combined with other types of phrases to form bigger and more complex noun phrases. Very often, this will be a prepositional phrase. Of, as in the example, is frequently used to link two nouns together.
2. Use a relative clause (e.g., policies which have teeth). A relative clause is a common type of dependent clause (see Unit 1). A relative clause can be used to add detailed information about the noun phrase which comes before. Relative clauses are introduced by a relative pronoun. The following words can act as relative pronouns in English: that, which, who, whose, whom, what, where, when and why.
56
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137
