Expanded noun phrases
How to grow the teacher into the strict maths teacher with curly hair, and when to stop.
The answer
An expanded noun phrase is a noun phrase with extra words added to give more detail, such as the strict maths teacher with curly hair.
Examples
The blue butterfly landed on a leaf.
A Year 2 example from the national curriculum.
The strict maths teacher with curly hair marched in.
The Year 4 example: an adjective, a noun and a preposition phrase added.
A tiny, frightened mouse squeaked.
I found an old wooden chest in the attic.
How to spot it
- Start with the noun, then look left for adjectives and nouns that describe it, and right for a preposition phrase (with curly hair, in the attic).
- Ask whether you could say it with just the and the noun. If extra words tell you which one or what it is like, it has been expanded.
The common mistake
Piling on adjectives that mean the same thing.
‘The big, huge, enormous dog’ tells the reader nothing new after big. One strong adjective and a preposition phrase often do more: the enormous dog with muddy paws.
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 2
- On the pupil word list
- Not as a separate term
Year 2 uses expanded noun phrases for description and specification (the blue butterfly, plain flour, the man in the moon). Year 4 expands them with modifying adjectives, nouns and preposition phrases. The named term is noun phrase, in Year 2.
Try a question
Expand the noun phrase the house by adding an adjective and a preposition phrase.
Show the answer
Answer: One possible answer: the crooked house at the end of the lane.
Crooked is an adjective before the noun, and at the end of the lane is a preposition phrase after it. Any answer with both parts is right.
Related terms
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
What do description and specification mean?
Description tells you what something is like (the blue butterfly). Specification tells you exactly which one or which kind (plain flour, the man in the moon).
Do adjectives in a noun phrase need commas?
When two adjectives each describe the noun in the same way, a comma can separate them: a tiny, frightened mouse. No comma is needed in the old wooden chest, where old describes the wooden chest.
Is an expanded noun phrase still a noun phrase?
Yes. It is a noun phrase with more detail, and it still works like a noun: you can swap the whole thing for a pronoun.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
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