Syntactic Theory
The Noun Phrase (NP)
The distribution of the noun phrase
An NP can occur
- As the subject, i.e. at the beginning of a sentence before a verb as in: __ worked.
- As the direct object, i.e. after a transitive verb as in: Chris met/experienced __ yesterday.
- Following a preposition, as in: Pat talked about __ .
- In front of the possessive 's, i.e. in: __'s car broke.
An NP can be substituted by a personal pronoun (I, she, him, it, ...)
The internal structure of a noun phrase
- An NP must contain a noun
- An NP can contain:
- exactly one determiner at the beginning of the NP
- an arbitrary number of adjectives before the N
- an arbitrary number of preposition phrases (PP) after the N
- one or more sentences at the end of the NP
- This is summarized in the following phrase structure rule: NP -> (Det) A* N PP* S*
- Example 1: A complex NP
______NP___________ / / | \ / / | _____S______ / / | / \ Det A N / \ | | | /____________________\ the famous actor who played in ''High Noon''.
- Example 2: An NP consisting exclusively of a proper name
NP | N | Pat
More Internal Structure for the NP
Example 1 above gives a flat internal structure for the NP. Constituent tests show that there is more structure:
- Pronominalization: one is a pro-form for a partial NP, usually called N' .
Example: the brilliant student of English- him as a pro-form for NP:
I met [NP: the brilliant student of English], and you met him, too. - one as a pro-form for N':
I met [NP: the brilliant [N': student of English]] and you met the less talented one.
(one refers to student of English) - one as a pro-form for N':
I met [NP: a [N': brilliant [N': student of English]]] and you met the same one.
(one refers to brilliant student of English) - In this NP, A and N don't combine directly:
*I met the [brilliant student] of English and you met the one of physics.
- him as a pro-form for NP:
- Movement: An N' can be preposed in a though-construction.
Example: Though Pat is an excellent writer, she did not win the Pulitzer price.- [Excellent writer] though Pat is, she did not win the Pulitzer price.
- *An excellent though Pat is writer, she did not win the Pulitzer price.
__NP__ / \ / ____N'____ / / \ / / _______PP________ / / / \ Det N / \ | | /_____________________\ a novel about a young magicianExample 4: An NP with an adjective
_NP_ / \ / _N'_ / / \ / / N' / / | Det A N | | | no new furnitureExamle 5: An NP with a PP modifier
NP / \ / _N'_ / / \ / N' \ / | __PP__ Det N / \ | | /________\ the book on my desk
Example 6: An NP with only a proper name
(there is no N' level, because proper names don't allow for adjectives or PPs.)
NP | N | Chris
Example 7: An NP with only a count noun or a mass noun
(there is always an N' level, because there could be an adjective or a PP, and the one-test works.)
NP NP | | N' N' | | N N | | books furniture
When there is an adjective before the noun and a (modifying) PP following the noun, a structural ambiguity arises:
the nice student from England
- I met [the [nice student] from England] and you met the one from France.
- I met [the nice [student from England] ] and you met the arrogant one.
_NP_ / \ / ___N'___ / / \ / / ____N'_____ / / / \ / / / _____S______ / / / / \ Det A N / \ | | | /____________________\ the famous actor who played in ''High Noon''.
Read further on the other major phrases, VP, AP, PP.
Related exercises:
Categoriex: Glossary