THE STRUCTURE OF NOUN PHRASES

1. While we were on one of those Breton holidays she swam so far out that she met the only other person who could swim, who
turned out to be an Austrian and that was only the beginning of our link with Austria.
2. Australia’s best-known businessman and yachtsman, Alan Bond, had little time to savour his victory in Australia’s premier yacht
race.
3. objects and substances, abstract entities
4. head and dependent

determiner premodifier head complement postmodifier

we
one of those Breton
holidays
she
the only other person who could swim, who
turned out to be an
Austrian
that
the beginning of our link with Austria.

determiner premodifier head complement postmodifier

Australia’s best-known businessman and
yachtsman
Alan Bond
little time
his victory in Australia’s premier
yacht race

5. head: common noun, proper noun, pronoun, adjective

6. Properties of prototypical nouns
6.1 meaning (see 3 above)
6.2 inflection holidays

singular plural
plain case student students
genitive student’s students’

6.3 suffixes victory, childhood BUT Austrian

7. Properties of prototypical pronouns
*the me, *a myself; nominative I and accusative me
7. dependent
7.1 determiner: the news, a pear, some cheese, no reason
7.2 modifier: a young woman, a friend from Boston, people who complained
7.3 complement: the loss of blood, a ban on smoking, the fact that she’s alive
7.4 more than one head: see above
Men, I want you just thinking of one word all season. One word and one word only: Super Bowl.
more than one dependent of the same type: see above
8. embedding

his victory Australia’s premier yacht race

in

9. nominal NP NP

1
Determiner: Head: Modifier: Determiner: Head:
Determinative Noun Relative clause Determinative Nominal

the guy who fainted Head: Modifier:

Noun Relative clause

the guy who fainted

10. internal and external dependents

complement: a [knowledge of Latin]
determiner: these [old papers]
modifier- internal: a [big dog]
external: almost the [only survivor], even a [young woman]
11. discontinuous phrases and word order

det premodifier head complement postmodifier

I met a man this carrying an injured child
morning

determiner premodifier head postmodifier complement

the discovery in the course of this century of new building materials

12. Ambiguity
antique desk [suitable for lady] [with thick legs and large drawers]
OR
antique desk [suitable for [lady with thick legs and large drawers] ]

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