Noun phrases
A noun with all the words that belong to it, and the pronoun swap that finds the whole group.
The answer
A noun phrase is a group of words built around a noun, such as the tall tree or some foxes, which works like a noun in the sentence.
Examples
The playground was empty.
My little brother loves dinosaurs.
We saw a huge whale.
The house on the corner has a blue door.
Two noun phrases, one as the subject and one as the object.
How to spot it
- Find the noun, then collect every word that belongs with it: the determiner, any adjectives and any phrase after it.
- Swap the whole group for a pronoun. If it works (My little brother loves dinosaurs, He loves dinosaurs), you have found the noun phrase.
The common mistake
Thinking a noun phrase must include an adjective.
‘The dog’ is a noun phrase too. Adding describing words makes it an expanded noun phrase.
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 2
- On the pupil word list
- Year 2, as “noun phrase”
Year 2 names noun phrase and teaches expanded noun phrases (the blue butterfly). Year 4 expands them further with adjectives, nouns and preposition phrases.
Try a question
Which words make up the noun phrase that is the subject of this sentence?
The muddy football boots by the door belong to Zac.
Show the answer
Answer: The muddy football boots by the door
Swap it for a pronoun and the sentence still works: They belong to Zac.
Related terms
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
What is the key word in a noun phrase?
The noun. In the tall tree by the gate, the noun tree is the key word, and every other word tells you more about it.
Can a noun phrase be the object of a sentence?
Yes. In ‘We saw a huge whale’, a huge whale is the object: it is what we saw.
Is a pronoun a noun phrase?
A pronoun can stand in for a whole noun phrase, which is why the pronoun swap is such a good test for finding one.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
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