The Noun Phrase
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Questions and Answers

What is the main part of a noun phrase?

  • Adjective
  • Adverb
  • Noun or pronoun (correct)
  • Verb

A noun phrase can consist of only one word.

True (A)

Identify an element that can be part of a noun phrase.

Determiner

In the expression, 'The students who enrolled late', the noun _______ is the head of the phrase.

<p>students</p> Signup and view all the answers

Match the noun category with its description:

<p>Countable noun = A noun that can be counted and has a plural form Uncountable noun = A noun that cannot be counted and does not have a plural form Proper noun = A specific name for a person, place, or organization Common noun = A general name for a class of objects or a concept</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of a post-modifier in a noun phrase?

<p>who spoke to me (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The phrase 'rubbing shoulders' is a proper noun.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What often causes learners difficulty regarding nouns?

<p>Countability</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which article is used before 'United States'?

<p>the (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The article 'a' can be used with plural nouns.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What phrase would you use to refer to a specific cinema as a fixed lexical phrase?

<p>the cinema</p> Signup and view all the answers

I like ____ opera.

<p>the</p> Signup and view all the answers

Match the article with its usage category:

<p>a = Used for singular non-specific items the = Used for specific items already known no article = Used for plural non-specific items an = Used for singular non-specific items starting with a vowel sound</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of using anaphoric reference in sentences?

<p>To clarify which specific noun is being referred to (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The article 'the' can be used with proper nouns like country names.

<p>True (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which article would change from 'a' to 'the' when the reader knows which item is being referred to?

<p>the</p> Signup and view all the answers

We took ____ children to the park yesterday.

<p>the</p> Signup and view all the answers

In the example, 'the children,' which concept is being referenced?

<p>Children known to the speaker and listener (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What type of noun is 'politics' considered to be?

<p>Abstract uncountable noun (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

'Heart throb' can be used as a typical adjective.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does 'anyone who's anyone' mean?

<p>Anyone important</p> Signup and view all the answers

The word 'them' in the phrase 'gossip about them' refers to __________.

<p>celebrities</p> Signup and view all the answers

Match the determiners to their groups:

<p>a/an = Group A many = Group B some = Group B the = Group A</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of an uncountable noun?

<p>Information (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The word 'time' is considered a countable noun.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the determiner 'its'?

<p>Possessive adjective</p> Signup and view all the answers

'There’s some _______' is grammatically correct with uncountable nouns.

<p>rice</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following pronouns refer to people?

<p>All of the above (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The phrase 'puckering up' indicates a positive interaction.

<p>True (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What role does 'it’s' play in the phrase provided?

<p>Dummy pronoun</p> Signup and view all the answers

Learners often confuse countable and uncountable nouns, such as saying 'some _______.'

<p>informations</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which determiner indicates a specific item?

<p>The (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is often a common issue students face when using articles?

<p>Misuse or omission of articles (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The indefinite article 'a' is easy to perceive in spoken English.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What educational approach did one teacher suggest for tackling article misuse?

<p>Waiting till the problem arises and tackling it with exercises.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Fumiko wrote, 'I had very __________ weekend.'

<p>wonderful</p> Signup and view all the answers

Match the error to its correction.

<p>Fumiko: I had very wonderful weekend = I had a wonderful weekend Roberto: I like very much the music = I like music very much Stefan: We went to United States = We went to the United States Shisuka: the cost of house = the cost of the house</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why do learners struggle with articles according to the teachers?

<p>Articles differ significantly in use compared to their native languages. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Specific nouns require the use of the definite article 'the'.

<p>True (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the error in Roberto's sentence, 'I like very much the music'?

<p>He should not use 'the' before 'music' when speaking generally.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Shisuka mentioned, 'I am going to spend two weeks at the __________.'

<p>countryside</p> Signup and view all the answers

Match the student to their article error.

<p>Fumiko = Used 'very' instead of 'a' before a singular noun Roberto = Incorrectly used 'the' before an abstract noun Stefan = Omitted 'the' before a specific place Shisuka = Missed 'the' before 'cost of the house'</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a recommended method for teaching article usage?

<p>Use examples from students' writing (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Learning articles in isolation is considered an effective teaching method.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What suggested activity could reinforce the correct use of articles?

<p>Have students pair up and check each other’s homework for article use.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements best defines an adjective?

<p>A word that describes a person, place, or thing (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The forms ‘-ed’ and ‘-ing’ in adjectives always have the same meaning.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of adjectives in sentences?

<p>Adjectives describe the qualities or characteristics of nouns.</p> Signup and view all the answers

An adjective that describes something possessing great quality is termed as __________.

<p>excellent</p> Signup and view all the answers

Match the adjective to its appropriate meaning:

<p>Difficult = Not easy to do Joyful = Filled with joy Expensive = Costing a lot of money Ancient = Very old</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which type of adjectives express a feeling related to a noun?

<p>Descriptive adjectives (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

All adjectives can be used interchangeably without changing the meaning of a sentence.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Identify one common problem learners face with the pronunciation of adjectives.

<p>Confusion with word stress, such as in 'fascinated' or 'interested'.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a compound noun?

<p>armchair (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The word 'greenhouse' describes a house that is painted green.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the common pattern observed in compound nouns?

<p>noun + noun or adjective/verb + noun</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a common issue with using ungradable adjectives?

<p>They can only be modified with extreme intensifiers. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The adjective 'wonderful' can be intensified using 'very.'

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

A _____ is formed when a noun is combined with an adjective or verb.

<p>compound noun</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a compound adjective?

<p>An adjective made up of two parts, often involving a participle.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Match the compound noun types with their definitions:

<p>greenhouse = institutionalised meaning for plants football coach = specific type of coach pen-friend = person who writes letters</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following represents an acceptable variation in spelling for a compound noun?

<p>mail box (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

You cannot say 'very _________' because it is considered an ungradable adjective.

<p>wonderful</p> Signup and view all the answers

Match the adjective with its correct category:

<p>Terrific = Ungradable Polite = Gradable Dead = Ungradable Interesting = Gradable</p> Signup and view all the answers

In compound nouns, stress typically falls on the second item.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following intensifiers can be used with ungradable adjectives?

<p>Utterly (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Give an example of a compound noun that is hyphenated.

<p>pen-friend</p> Signup and view all the answers

An example of a compound noun spelt as one word is ______.

<p>website</p> Signup and view all the answers

‘He was disappointed’ is an example of a passive construction.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which is NOT a type of compound noun?

<p>clause-linked (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why can’t 'very' be used with the adjective 'broken'?

<p>Because 'broken' is an ungradable adjective.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Compound nouns can often have their components separated without changing their meaning.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The pronunciation of the word ‘_________’ includes special stress, often difficult for learners.

<p>terrific</p> Signup and view all the answers

Match the intensifiers with their correct usage category:

<p>Absolutely = Used with ungradable adjectives Quite = Used with gradable adjectives Very = Typically used with gradable adjectives Completely = Used with ungradable adjectives</p> Signup and view all the answers

Identify a compound noun formed from a phrasal verb.

<p>stand-by</p> Signup and view all the answers

The definition of a _______ is when two or more nouns are joined by prepositions such as of, at, or in.

<p>binomial</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct adjective form: 'politer' or 'more polite'?

<p>Both are correct (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

'Mauve' is an adjective that learners pronounce easily.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Match the following examples to their type of compound noun:

<p>mailbox = one word bar-top = hyphenated corner shop = two separate words further education college = more than two items</p> Signup and view all the answers

In the phrase ‘she looked at the noisy children,’ what role does 'noisy' play?

<p>It is a descriptive adjective.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main characteristic of a compound noun?

<p>Has its own semantic meaning (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

A _________ adjective can be intensified, unlike extreme adjectives.

<p>gradable</p> Signup and view all the answers

A noun phrase can only have one modifying element.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the plural form of 'brother-in-law'?

<p>brothers-in-law</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of a compound noun?

<p>Health and safety (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

A post-modifier can only be a relative clause.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What type of clause is used to provide essential information about a noun?

<p>Relative clause</p> Signup and view all the answers

Match the following sentences to their type of post-modifier:

<p>The students taking the exams = Participle clause The students who came every day = Relative clause A teacher to admire = Infinitive relative clause Exam papers from previous years = Prepositional phrase</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a post-modifier?

<p>To specify which person or thing is being referred to</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Noun Phrase

A group of words with a noun or pronoun as the main part.

Noun Phrase: Structure

A noun phrase can be simple (e.g., 'Gina') or complex (e.g., 'the students who enrolled late').

Determiners

Words like 'the', 'your', 'more than 10', or a number come before the noun in a noun phrase.

Pre-modifiers

Words that describe the noun in a noun phrase.

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Noun Phrase: Head

The noun or pronoun in a noun phrase.

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Post-modifiers

Words that come after the noun in a noun phrase.

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Countable Nouns

Nouns that can be counted (e.g., book, chair, student).

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Noun Phrase in a Sentence

A noun phrase is part of a larger sentence. It needs a verb and complement to form a complete sentence.

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Articles in English

The words 'a', 'an', and 'the' are called articles. They are used before nouns to specify whether the noun is singular or plural and whether it is definite or indefinite.

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Definite vs. Indefinite Articles

Articles are used before singular countable nouns to indicate whether we are referring to a specific noun or a general noun. 'A/an' is used for indefinite nouns, and 'the' is used for definite nouns.

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Unique Nouns and 'the'

When we refer to something that is unique in a particular context (like the sun, or the moon), we use the definite article 'the'.

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Generalizations and the Zero Article

When we are generalizing about something (like music, or food), we often do not use any article (the zero article).

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Zero Article with Plurals and Abstractions

In English, we don't use the definite article 'the' before plural nouns or abstract nouns when talking about things in general. For example, 'I like cats' instead of 'I like the cats'.

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Common Article Error in Learner Writing

Learners sometimes mistakenly use the definite article 'the' before nouns when generalizing, especially when translating directly from their native language.

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Definite Article with Specific Context

When a noun refers to something specific in a particular context, we use the definite article 'the'. For instance, 'the architecture in Cambridge' refers to a specific architectural style.

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Importance of Teaching Articles

It's important to teach learners how to use articles correctly, as their misuse can significantly affect their understanding.

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Awareness Raising Activities (A/R)

A/R (Awareness Raising) activities help learners notice and reflect on their own use of articles. For example, comparing sentences with and without articles.

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Production Activities (P)

P (Production) activities encourage learners to practice using articles correctly in their own writing and speaking. For example, correcting sentences or completing exercises.

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Progressive Approach to Teaching Articles

When teaching articles, start with simple, basic rules and gradually introduce more complex ones as learners progress.

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Variety in Teaching Articles

Using a variety of activities can help learners retain the information and develop their understanding of articles.

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Influence of Native Language

Learners sometimes make mistakes with articles because they are influenced by their native language structures.

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Auditory Difficulty with 'a'

The indefinite article 'a' is often difficult to hear in spoken English, leading learners to omit it in their own speaking.

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Compound noun: Heart throb

A compound noun formed by a noun modifying another noun, acting like an adjective. It cannot be used as a typical adjective; for example, you can't say 'the throb is heart'.

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Relative Pronoun: 'Who'

A pronoun that refers to a person and introduces a defining clause, explaining which person we're talking about. It acts as a connector between the clause and the noun it modifies.

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Pronoun: 'Anyone'

A pronoun that means 'anyone important'. It's part of the fixed expression 'Anyone who's anyone'.

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Collective Noun: 'The media'

A noun that refers to a group of people or things as a whole, taking a singular or plural verb depending on context. It's usually preceded by 'the'.

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Abstract Noun: 'Politics'

An uncountable noun that refers to a broad concept, taking a singular verb. It lacks a plural form.

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Pronoun: 'You'

A pronoun that functions as the subject of a verb, usually referring to 'anyone' or 'people' in a general sense. It can be used in both singular and plural contexts.

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Noun: 'Time'

A countable noun that refers to a specific point in time. It's often used in prepositional phrases.

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Object Pronoun: 'Them'

A pronoun that replaces a noun, specifically the noun 'celebrities' in this case. It points back to a previously mentioned noun.

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Compound Noun: 'Heart's content'

A compound noun formed by a possessive noun modifying another noun. It's part of the semi-fixed phrase 'to (+ possessive adjective or noun) heart's content'.

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Dummy Pronoun: 'It's'

A pronoun that replaces no noun or refers to another noun in the text. It functions as a placeholder and lacks substantial meaning.

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Head Noun

Nouns that are the central element in a noun phrase. They are the main word that the phrase is about.

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Fixed Lexical Phrases with 'The'

A fixed phrase where 'the' is always used, even when the speaker doesn't refer to a specific one.

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Anaphoric Reference

When a word refers back to something mentioned earlier in the text, it's called anaphoric reference.

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Singular Countable Nouns

Nouns that refer to single items that can be counted (e.g., book, chair).

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Using 'The' Before Countries

Using 'the' before countries that consist of multiple islands or states (e.g., The United States, The Netherlands).

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Text Reconstruction

A technique where learners use past information to reconstruct a text, paying attention to grammar.

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Specific Reference with 'The'

When 'the' is used to refer to something specific that the speaker and listener both know about.

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Dictogloss

A type of activity where learners listen to a text, then reconstruct it as a group, focusing on grammar details.

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Grammar Drill

A question or response format used in drills to practice using 'the' with phrases like 'go to the cinema', 'watch the ballet', etc.

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Quiz Correction

An activity where learners correct quiz questions by adding or removing articles, then ask each other the questions.

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Adjectives: What are they?

Words that describe the qualities of something, adding information to nouns, noun phrases, or clauses. They give details like size, color, shape, or feeling.

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Types of Adjectives

Adjectives come in different forms, like the '-ed' and '-ing' endings. For example, 'tired' (feeling the effect) vs. 'tiring' (causing the effect).

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Learner Difficulties

Learners might face issues in understanding and applying adjectives, especially with 'ed' vs. 'ing' forms.

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Meaning Confusion

The meaning of adjectives can be challenging, as some have similar meanings but are used differently, like 'excited' vs. 'nervous'.

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Pronunciation Challenges

Pronouncing adjectives can also be tricky, especially with word stress and the '-ed' ending.

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L1 Interference

Learners might not have the same distinction in their native language between '-ed' and '-ing' adjective forms.

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Unclear Meanings

The meaning of each adjective, especially the difference between 'ed' and 'ing' forms, can be unclear to learners. For example, 'excited' vs. 'excited'.

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Pronunciation & L2 Learners

Learners may mispronounce adjectives. This can be especially challenging for those with English as a Second Language.

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Ungradable Adjectives

Adjectives that describe a quality or state to the highest degree possible. They cannot be intensified with words like 'very' or 'really'.

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Intensifiers

Words like 'very', 'really', and 'absolutely' that modify adjectives to emphasize their intensity.

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Collocations

Words that are commonly used together, forming natural pairings.

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Adjective Word Order

The order of words in a phrase, especially in relation to adjectives.

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Gradable Adjectives

Adjectives that can be modified with intensifiers like 'very' or 'really' to show varying degrees of the quality described.

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Compound Adjective

A type of adjective formed by combining two words, often with a hyphen, to create a single descriptive term.

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Absolute Adjective

An adjective that describes a state of being or condition that is absolute and cannot be intensified. Examples include 'dead', 'alive', and 'broken'.

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Copula Verb

A verb that connects the subject of a sentence to an adjective or noun that describes or identifies it. Examples include 'be', 'look', 'feel', 'seem', and 'appear'.

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Participle as an Adjective

A word formed from a verb, such as 'broken' or 'disappointed', that functions like an adjective. It can be used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a verb).

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Extreme Adjective

An adjective that describes a state of being or condition that is extreme and absolute. It is not gradable and cannot be intensified with 'very' or 'really'.

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Down-toner

A word or phrase that weakens or softens the intensity of an adjective. Examples include 'quite', 'somewhat', and 'rather'.

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Compound Noun

A noun phrase that combines two words, often with a hyphen, to create a single noun with a specific meaning. Examples include 'heart-throb' and 'home-made'.

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Multiword Adjective

A phrase made up of two or more words, often with a hyphen, that function as a single adjective. Examples include 'badly-behaved', 'well-known', and 'oddly-phrased'.

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Adjective

A word used to modify or describe a noun, indicating its quality, state, or characteristic.

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Sentence

A form of language that expresses a complete thought and typically contains a subject and a verb. For example, 'The cat sat on the mat.'

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Meaning of Compound Nouns

The first word in a compound noun often tells us what kind of thing the second word is, like 'fruit juice' being a type of juice.

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Structure of Compound Nouns

The second word in a compound noun is usually a noun but the first can be a noun, adjective, or a verb or verb form.

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Spelling of Compound Nouns

The spelling of compound nouns can vary. They can be written as one word (whiteboard),hyphenated (pen-friend), or two separate words (French windows).

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Compound Noun Spelling: General Rule

A general rule: shorter compound nouns are more often written as one word, while longer ones are often two words.

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Compound Nouns: Single Unit

Because compound nouns have their own specific meaning, they're treated as a single unit and the words cannot usually be separated.

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Compound Noun Stress

Stress typically falls on the first word in a compound noun.

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Distinguishing: Adjectives vs. Compound Nouns

Distinguishing between adjectives that modify nouns and compound nouns can be tricky, but stress can help. Compound nouns have a stronger emphasis on the first word.

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Context and Compound Nouns

Context influences the meaning of words, including stress. Even if a word pair doesn't form a compound noun, the speaker's emphasis can make it sound like one.

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Compound Nouns With Phrasal Verbs

Compound nouns can be created using phrasal verbs (something that happened 'last year').

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Compound Nouns with 'of', 'at', 'in'

Compound nouns can be formed using two words joined by 'of', 'at', or 'in' (e.g., a 'guard of honor', a "winner at the game", a "winner in the race" )

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Binomial Compound Nouns

Compound nouns can be binomials, which are pairs of words often linked by a conjunction (e.g., "winners or runners-up", "ups and downs").

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Identifying Compound Nouns

Identifying compound nouns involves understanding the relationship between the words and how they create a new, unique meaning that’s different from the individual parts.

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Learning Compound Nouns

Compound nouns can create difficulties for language learners as they need to recognize the relationship between the words and understand the new meaning as a whole.

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Complex Noun Phrase

A noun phrase containing a noun and a determiner (like "the"), and optionally, pre-modifying adjectives, or compound nouns.

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Defining Relative Clause

A clause that defines or identifies a noun, typically beginning with relative pronouns like "who", "which", or "that".

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Non-Defining Relative Clause

A clause that provides additional, non-essential information about a noun, usually set off by commas. It's not needed to understand the basic meaning of the sentence.

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Participle Clause

A clause that uses a participle (a verb ending in "-ing" or "-ed") instead of a finite verb to modify a noun. It's non-finite, meaning it doesn't have its own subject or tense.

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Infinitive Relative Clause

A clause that uses an infinitive (to + verb) to modify a noun. It's non-finite, meaning it doesn't have its own subject or tense.

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Prepositional Phrase

A phrase that begins with a preposition (such as "on", "in", "with") and modifies a noun. It often helps clarify the noun's location, time, or manner.

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Plural Compound Nouns

The plural form of compound nouns can be formed in different ways, sometimes attaching the "-s" to the first word, other times to the second. This can be inconsistent and often needs to be memorized.

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Building a Complex Noun Phrase

The process of combining various parts of a noun phrase to form a complex, meaningful phrase. It involves choosing the right determiners, pre-modifiers, and post-modifiers to convey precise information.

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Fixed Lexical Phrases

Words that are often used together in a specific order, forming a fixed phrase. These phrases often have a set structure and meaning.

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Study Notes

Noun Phrases

  • Noun phrases are groups of words centered around a noun or pronoun.
  • They can be a single word or complex (e.g., "all the words before ‘must’ in: ‘The students who enrolled late…’").
  • Example of a noun phrase: "Your more than 10 cute photos of Australia…"
  • Noun phrases are always part of a larger sentence; they are not complete sentences on their own.
  • See Units 11 (Word Classes and Phrases) and 12 (Sentence Structure) in About Language (Thornbury, 1997) or Rules, Patterns and Words (Willis, 2003), Sections 2.1 and 2.4 for more details.

Nouns

  • Noun classification is a task students may encounter in Module One exams.
  • A key aspect of nouns, that often causes learners difficulties, is countability.

Analysis of Noun Categories (Example)

  • Rubbing shoulders: a noun phrase, object of "fancied," followed by "with the rich and famous."
    • "rubbing" is a gerund (verb acting as a noun).
    • "shoulders" is a plural, countable, common noun.
  • The rich and famous: Adjectives functioning as nouns, used as a generalization instead of "rich or famous people."
  • Madame Tussaud’s: Proper noun with possessive.
    • Likely shortened from Madame Tussaud's Waxworks Museum. Part of a prepositional phrase.
  • Heart throb: Compound noun (heart - pre-modifying noun, throb - verb-derived noun).
    • Acts like an adjective, but not a typical adjective (e.g., "the throb is heart").
  • Who: Relative pronoun, referring to "Anyone," introducing a relative/defining clause.
  • Anyone: Pronoun complement of 'is', part of fixed expression "Anyone who's anyone" (meaning important person).
  • The media: Collective noun (can take either singular or plural verb).
  • Politics: Abstract, uncountable noun (plural in form, but singular verb).
  • You: Pronoun (subject of modal verb "can"). Refers to anyone (or people), not a specific individual.
  • Time: Uncountable noun, part of prepositional phrase "in time."

Countability

  • Common learner errors with countable and uncountable nouns:
    • Using uncountable nouns as countable (e.g., "some informations," "a furniture").
    • Mistaking uncountable nouns in English for countable nouns in their native language.
    • Uncountable nouns can be illogical (e.g., "time," "money").
    • Countability can vary depending on context (e.g., "a beer," "beer").
    • Difficulty with determiners used with countable vs. uncountable nouns (e.g., "many," “much," "few," "little," etc.).
    • Trouble with "some" and "any", and how they relate to "there is" and "there are".

Determiners

  • Determiners identify, specify, or quantify noun phrases.
  • They are divided into two groups:
    • Group A: Articles (a/an, the), possessive adjectives (my, your, his, etc.), demonstratives (this, that, these, those).
    • Group B: Quantifiers (one, two, some, any, much, many, etc.).
  • The choice of determiner often depends on whether the noun is countable or uncountable.

Some and Any

  • Their use demonstrates a tension between descriptive and pedagogical grammar.
  • Understanding pedagogical rules about "some" and "any" in elementary coursebooks is crucial for teacher preparation.

Articles

  • Articles (a/an, the) are often problematic aspects of English grammar for learners.
  • Misuse, misuse, and omission are common errors in learners' written work.

Consolidation/Learner Errors: Examples

  • Examples of learners' errors in their written work, analysis of errors, and teaching suggestions are provided. (Examples deal with issues like article use in various contexts (specific/general, singular/plural), abstract nouns, and country names).

Adjectives

  • Adjectives describe people, places, or things; they provide more information about the qualities of a noun, noun phrase, or clause.
  • Learner challenges arise from understanding different adjective types, their usage variations (e.g. -ed/-ing), intensifiers, word order, and phonology.
  • Ungradable adjectives (e.g., "exhausted," "terrific") cannot be intensified with words like "very" or "really."
  • Difficulty with adjective word order, particularly in the case of describing clothing.
  • Participles used as adjectives can confuse learners. "–ed" and "–ing" forms have distinct meanings and use.
  • Pronunciation and word stress in adjectives (e.g., "interested," "fascinated","bored") are significant hurdles.

Compound Nouns

  • Compound nouns combine two or more items to convey a specific meaning.
  • The second item is typically a noun (or a gerund, etc.); the first item can be a noun, adjective, or verb.
  • Compound nouns are often one word (e.g., "whiteboard"), hyphenated (e.g., "pen-friend"), or two separate words (e.g., "French windows").
  • Stress in compound nouns commonly falls on the first item.
  • Co-text can impact stress and the interpretation of noun phrases as compounds or not.

More Complex Noun Phrases

  • Complex noun phrases combine various elements like determiners, pre-modifiers (e.g., adjectives, other nouns), and post-modifiers (e.g., relative clauses, participle clauses, infinitive clauses, prepositional phrases).
  • Relative clauses (defining or non-defining) are frequent post-modifiers, providing essential or extra information about the noun.
  • Participle clauses (present or past participle) act as post-modifiers, describing the noun.
  • Infinitive clauses provide another type of complex post-modification.
  • Prepositional phrases can be post-modifiers, specifying which person/thing is being referred to.

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Explore the intricacies of noun phrases and the classification of nouns in this quiz. Based on content from About Language and Rules, Patterns and Words, this quiz is perfect for students preparing for Module One exams. Test your understanding of countability and the structure of noun phrases.

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