noun phrase

noun phrase (plural noun phrases)

1. (grammar) A phrase that can serve as the subject or the object of a verb; it is usually headed by a noun, (including pronouns), with any associated dependents such as determiners or modifiers.

Examples

• The term “noun phrase” itself
• “Fred” in “Fred fell asleep at the keyboard.”
• “The day Fred . . . keyboard” in “The day Fred fell asleep at the keyboard was very hot, and he had had too much to drink at lunchtime.”

Additional examples

• banana (a noun)
• big bananas (an adjective 'big', and a plural noun)
• a big banana (an article 'a', an adjective and a singular noun)
• this big banana (a determiner 'this', an adjective and a singular noun)
• a very big banana (an article, an adverb 'very', defining an adjective, and a singular noun)
• a very big banana that tastes great (an article, an adverb defining an adjective, and a singular noun; followed by a relative clause made up of a relative pronoun 'that', a verb 'tastes', and an adjective 'great')

• verb phrase
• adjective phrase
• adverbial phrase
• prepositional phrase