NOUN PHRASE

*descriptive grammar

- the classes of nouns together with articles or other closed-class determinative elements that can occur before the noun head, including predeterminers like all, central determiners like these, and postdeterminers like last and few

all these last few days

‘BASIC’ NOUN PHRASE

NOUN PHRASE

subject object complementof clauses and complementof prepositions

The girl

The blonde girl

The blonde girl in blue jeans

The blonde girl wearing blue jeans

The blonde girl who is wearing blue jeans

She

is my sister.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

definite article & noun

personal pronoun

postmodification

prepositional phrase

nonfinite clause

relative clause

premodifying adjective

Personal pronouns can ‘deputize’ for noun phrases and hence cannot normally occur with determiners such as the definite article, premodification, or (normally) postmodofication:

*the blonde she ?she in blue jeans

Count Nouns Countable Nouns

Noncount Nouns Mass Nouns / Uncountable Nouns

Proper Nouns

NOUN CLASSES

(1) (2) (3) (2+3)(a) Sid *book furniture brick(b) *the Sid the book the furniture the brick(c) *a Sid a book *a furniture a brick(d) *some Sid *some book some furniture

some brick(e) *Sids books *furnitures bricks

Degree of Variation Between the Noun Classes

I saw. . .

(1) (2) (3) (2+3)(a) Sid *book furniture brick(b) *the Sid the book the furniture the brick(c) *a Sid a book *a furniture a brick(d) *some Sid *some book some furniture

some brick(e) *Sids books *furnitures bricks

Degree of Variation Between the Noun Classes

w/out any determinerw/ the lightly stressed determiners

plural

(1) (2) (3) (2+3)(a) Sid *book furniture brick(b) *the Sid the book the furniture the brick(c) *a Sid a book *a furniture a brick(d) *some Sid *some book some furniture

some brick(e) *Sids books *furnitures bricks

Degree of Variation Between the Noun Classes

with only 1 possibilitywith all possibilities

Proper Noun Common Nouns

individual countable entitiesNOT undiffrentiated mass

Column 2 bookCOUNT NOUNS

EXAMPLES:bottle, chair, forest, idea

undiffrentiated mass or continuum

Column 3 furniture

NONCOUNT NOUNS

EXAMPLES:bread, grass, warmth, music

- either count nouns or noncount nouns

Column 2+3

May be classified grammatically in two ways:1. Lexical class of noun w/c combines the

characteristics of count and noncount nouns

2. Two separate items, one count and other noncount

- such nouns will said to have ‘dual class membership’

The house is built of brick.noncount material

He used bricks to build the house.countable object

the two nouns look superficially alike in terms of article usage

music – ZERO ARTICLESid – NO ARTICLE

I like music. I like Sid.

the label ‘zero ’ is appropriate in the case of common nouns which have article contrast (eg: music as opposed to the music) in:

I like music and dancing.

I think the music is too loud in here.

nouns

CONCRETE and ABSTRACT NOUNS

common

proper:

count

noncount concrete:

abstract:

concrete:

abstract:

bun, pig, toy,…

difficulty, remark…

butter, gold,…

music, homework,…

John, Paris, …

CONCRETE NOUNS- accessible to the senses, observable, measurable

ABSTRACT NOUNS- typically nonobservable and nonmeasutable- may be a count noun (remark/ remarks) or noncount noun (warmth / *warmths)

CONCRETE and ABSTRACT NOUNS

NOUNS WITH ‘DUAL CLASS MEMBERSHIP’• Point of view of both count and noncount

A: Would you like a cake?B: No, I don’t like cake.

• Difference in meaningI want an evening paper. [‘newspaper’]Wrap the parcel up in brown paper. [‘wrapping paper’]

NOUNS WITH ‘DUAL CLASS MEMBERSHIP’

• Variation of quantifiers (many/much)

She’s had many difficulties. [count]

She’s not had much difficulty. [noncount]

He’s had several odd experiences. [count]

He hasn’t had much experience. [noncount]

NOUNS WITH ‘DUAL CLASS MEMBERSHIP’

They raise a great many calves, pigs, and sheep.

We eat a great deal of veal, pork, and mutton.

• Separate lexical items

The lambs were eating quietly. [count]animal

There is lamb on the menu today. [noncount]the meat from the animal

NOUNS WITH ‘DUAL CLASS MEMBERSHIP’

• Contrast between the noncount noun money and the count nouns naming different units of money:

We haven’t much money left. We’ve only got a few coins/ two dollar bills/ some pound notes.

NOUNS WITH ‘DUAL CLASS MEMBERSHIP’

“The justification for the count/noncount distinction is based on the grammatical characteristics of the English noun.”

RECLASSIFICATION

“Nouns may also be shifted from one class to another by means of conversion.”

RECLASSIFICATION

Do you want tea or coffee?

Can I have a coffee, please. [‘a cup of coffee’]

Two coffees, please. [two cups of coffee’]

This is a nice coffee.

I like Brazilian coffees best.

[1]

[1a]

[1b]

[1c]

[1d]

RECLASSIFICATION

[1] normally noncount

[1a] can be reclassified as a count noun [1b] to mean an ‘appropriate unit of’

[1c] can be reclassified as a count noun [1d] to mean a ‘kind/sort/brand of’

PARTITIVE CONSTRUCTIONS

-constructions denoting a part of a whole

- express both quality partition (a kind of paper) and quantity partition (a piece of paper)

QUALITY PARTITION

partitive count noun (kind,

sort, or type) + of-phrase

SINGULAR PARTITIVES PLURAL PARTITIVESa new kind of computer new kinds of computersa delicious sort of bread delicious sorts of breadanother type of research other types of research

“Quality partition of noncount nouns may thus be expressed either by a partitive construction or by reclassification.”

A nice kind of coffee – a nice coffeeEnglish types of cheese – English cheeses

QUALITY PARTITION

Whether we are dealing with count or noncount nouns, we can express the quality partition in the form:

a + adjective + noun

We are importing a new Italian shirt.

QUALITY PARTITION

1. Noncount nounsa. General Partitive Nouns

- the expression of quantity and thus countability (piece, bit, item)

b. Typical Partitives- the expression with specific concrete noncount nouns

GENERAL PARTITIVE NOUNS

SINGULAR PARTITIVES PLURAL PARTITIVESa piece of cake two pieces of cakea bit of chalk some bits of chalkan item of news several items of news

GENERAL PARTITIVE NOUNS

QUANTITY PARTITION

“Quantity of noncount nouns may thus often be expressed either by partitive nouns or by reclassification.”

two lumps of sugar = two sugars

The most widely used partitive expression is a piece of, which can be combined with both concrete and abstract nouns, eg:

Concrete: a piece of bacon/chalk/coal/paperAbstract: a piece of advice/information/news/research

GENERAL PARTITIVE NOUNS

- some restricted and descriptive typical partitives:

a block of ice/flats <BrE> / seats [in a theathre]/ shares [in a business]

a stick of rock [a sweet] <BrE>/candy <AmE>

TYPICAL PARTITIVES

2. Plural nouns

QUANTITY PARTITION

Whereas the general partitive a piece of can be used with many of the noncount nouns (a piece of paper/ bacon/ news, etc), it cannot be used with plural count nouns. Other partitives are used with them, eg:

a packet <BrE>/ pack <esp EmE> of cigarettesa bunch of flowers/ keys [In formal style, bunch is also used about people, like ‘group’: a bunch of teenagers.]

3. Singular Count Nouns

QUANTITY PARTITION

Partition can also be expressed in reference to singular count nouns, eg:

a piece of a loafa page of a booka verse of a poem

3. Singular Count Nouns

QUANTITY PARTITION

Fractional partition can also be expressed by such general quantitative items as half, all, whole + of + noun:

I’d like that piece (of meat). half ofall ofthe whole of

MEASURE PARTITIVES -relate to precise quantities denoting length, area, volume, and weight

Length: a mile of cableArea: a hectare of landVolume: a quart of milkWeight: a kilo of apples

Note the compulsory of

MEASURE PARTITIVES can be either singular or plural:

a/ one gallon two/ several gallons

of water

If count, the second noun must be plural:one kilo of applestwo kilos of *apple

NONCOUNT NOUNS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING EQUIVALENTSThere is no necessary connection between classes of nouns and entities to which they refer. In some related languages, the nouns corresponding to information, money, news, and work, for example are count nouns, but in English they are noncount:

He didn’t give us much information.

She doesn’t like hard work.

NONCOUNT NOUNS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING EQUIVALENTS

Some noncount nouns with count equivalents are given below:

NONCOUNT NOUN COUNT EQUIVALENTThis is important information. a piece/bit/word of information

Sample of nouns which are noncount in English, but correspond to count nouns in some other languages:

anger chess violence

The kind of reference a particular noun phrase has depends on its determinative element.

- item which determines it

DETERMINATIVE

DETERMINATIVES

This function is typically realized by a set of closed-class items, or DETERMINERS, which occur before the noun acting as head of the noun phrase (or before its premodifiers).

a bicylce? [indefinite reference]

Have you seen the bicylce? [definite reference]

DETERMINATIVES

This function is typically realized by a set of closed-class items, or DETERMINERS, which occur before the noun acting as head of the noun phrase (or before its premodifiers).

INDEFINITE REFERENCE

- is typically indicated by the indefinite article a/an

DEFINITE REFERENCE

- is typically indicated by the definite article the, but there are also other determiners with a similar function

3 CLASSES OF DETERMINERS

(I) PREDETERMINERS(half, all, double)

(II) CENTRAL DETERMINERS(the articles the, a/an)

(III) POSTDETERMINERS(cardinal and ordinal numbers, many, few)

3 CLASSES OF DETERMINERS

We do not find central determiner + determiner (*their all trouble), or postdeterminer+central determiner+predeterminer (*five the all boys), but only the order

I+II+III (all their trouble,all the five boys)

CENTRAL DETERMINERSUse of articles with count and noncount nouns

COUNT NONCOUNT

definite the book the furnitureSINGULAR

indefinite a book furniture

definite the booksPLURAL

indefinite books

ARTICLES

The forms of the articles depend on the initial sound of the following word. It is unstressed (and normal) use, the definite article is always written the but pronounced /

/ before consonants and / / before vowels.

the boythe understanding

ARTICLES

The unstressed indefinite article is a before consonants and an before vowels. It is the pronunciation, not the spelling, of the following word that determines their form.

a boy a usagean understanding

CENTRAL DETERMINERS

The use of articles is not the only possibility for ‘determining’ nouns. Instead of a or the, we may use this/that/every/each/no + noun. Like the articles, these words are called central determiners.

CENTRAL DETERMINERS

-are in a ‘choice realtion’ they occur one

instead of another

-are not like all, many, and white which are ‘chain relation’

they occur one after another in the NP

(all the many white houses)

PREDETERMINERS

-follow detreminers or central determiners (if such determiners are present). But they precede any adjectives and other premodifying objects.

POSTDETERMINERS

-can occur before certain central detrminers

The determiners all, both, and half have restrictions on coocurence with determiners and noun heads. They can occur before the articles (all the time), possessive determiners (all my time), demonstrative determiners (all this time).

POSTDETERMINERS

A. CARDINAL NUMBERS (my three children)

B. ORDINAL NUMBERS AND general ordinals(the first day, the last month)

C. CLOSED-CLASS QUANTIFIERS(few people)

D. OPEN-CLASS QUANTIFIERS(a large number of people)

THE USE OF ARTICLES WITH COMMON NOUNS

1. SPECIFIC REFERENCE – particular specimens of the class

2. GENERIC REFERENCE – a class without reference to the noun

A lion and two tigers are sleeping in the cage.Tigers are dangerous animals.