Noun Phrase | Definition, How to Use & Examples
A noun phrase is a group of words that includes a noun and at least one modifier. Noun phrases function like nouns.
The tall girl is my sister.
This house belongs to the Robinson family.
To make sure you use noun phrases correctly in your writing, try QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker.
What is a noun phrase?
In English, there are three key building blocks for sentences:
- A word is a single unit of meaning (e.g., “forest”).
- A phrase is a group of words that acts as a single part of speech (e.g., noun or verb) and does not contain both a subject and a verb (e.g., “the dark forest”).
- A clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a verb (e.g., “She walks”).
A noun phrase is a group of words that includes a noun (or pronoun) and its modifiers. A noun phrase functions as a noun in a sentence, meaning it can work as a subject, object, or complement.
A noun phrase must include a head noun, which is the central word the phrase is built around. The head noun can be a common noun, proper noun, pronoun, or gerund. The verb must always agree with the head noun.
| Sentence | Noun phrase | Head noun |
|---|---|---|
| Your spicy chili is my favorite. | Your spicy chili | Chili |
| The famous singer Beyoncé performed last night. | The famous singer Beyoncé | Beyoncé |
| Almost all of us were late. | Almost all of us | Us |
| Erin loves traveling around Asia. | Traveling around Asia | Traveling |
| That pizzeria only uses San Marzano tomatoes. | San Marzano tomatoes | Tomatoes |
Bear in mind that all gerund phrases are noun phrases, but not all noun phrases are gerund phrases.
Noun phrases always contain at least one modifier. Some types of modifiers that are common in noun phrases are listed below.
| Modifier | Examples | Example in noun phrase |
|---|---|---|
| Determiner (including definite article and indefinite article) | A, the, that | The cat |
| Adjective | Pink, amazing, ancient | An amazing meal |
| Adverbs | Very, extremely, | The very tall boy |
| Adjective phrase | Fiercely smart, very hot, faster and stronger | The faster and stronger fighter |
| Prepositional phrase | On the table, under the book, in the box | The glasses on the table |
| Participial phrase | Laughing loudly, waiting outside, stopped at the light | The students waiting outside |
| Infinitive phrase | To sing well, to beat, to read before bed | A book to read before bed |
Noun phrases function like a noun, meaning they can play various roles in a sentence.
| Role | Explanation | Noun phrase in a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Performs the action | This jelly donut is delicious. |
| Direct object | Received the action | Michaela painted a beautiful sunset. |
| Indirect object | Receives the direct object | I gave the tired students a break. |
| Appositive | Renames or explains a noun next to it | Joan Miró, the famous Catalan painter, once lived here. |
| Object complement | Renames or describes the direct object | They elected Nika class president. |
| Predicate nominative | Redefines the subject | My friend is a professional chef. |
Noun clauses are dependent clauses, meaning they cannot stand on their own as a sentence. A few example noun clauses are bolded below:
- Whoever arrives first should grab a table.
- My advisor told me that my dissertation is great!
- You can choose what European capital we visit next.
Notice that “a table” (in the first example) and “my advisor” (in the second) are noun phrases.
Noun phrase examples
Here are some noun phrase examples (and their head nouns) not used in full sentences:
- An airplane
- My dog
- Red apples
- The film’s dialogue
- A fair judgment
- Unbridled joy
- John’s axe
- Our neighbor
- Silk fibers
- Last month
- One cheetah
- A large theater
Below, find some more noun phrase examples, this time embedded in complete sentences. In each sentence, the noun phrases are bolded, and the head nouns are highlighted.
- Her father knows how to fly an airplane.
- My dog is a highly neurotic chihuahua.
- Red apples are better than green ones.
- I think the film’s dialogue could be tighter.
- The judge issues a fair judgment.
- We felt unbridled joy after our favorite team won the soccer championship.
- John’s axe is sharper than mine.
- Our neighbor is originally from a small town outside of Milan.
- Local silkworms produce the silk fibers that the company uses to make its scarves.
- Last month was difficult.
- We have one cheetah at the zoo, and she is a juvenile female.
- My sister’s play is going to be held in a large theater that is famous among New York theatergoers.
Frequently asked questions about noun phrases
- What is a phrase?
-
A phrase is a group of words that work together as a unit (e.g., “the book in my bag”). They don’t contain both a subject and a verb; instead, they function as a specific part of speech (verb, noun, adjective, adverb, etc.).
A few examples are noun phrases, verb phrases, prepositional phrases, adjective phrases, and adverbial phrases.
Regardless of the types of phrases in your writing, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can make sure they are error-free.
- What’s a noun phrase with a verb in -ing?
-
A noun phrase with a verb in -ing is typically a gerund phrase (e.g., “swimming in the ocean”).
A gerund is a verb ending in -ing that functions as a noun (e.g., “eating”).
A gerund phrase includes the gerund and modifiers, which add the extra information. In the gerund phrase above, the modifier is the prepositional phrase “in the ocean.”
QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can make sure you use gerund phrases correctly in your writing.
