THE STRUCTURE OF NOUN PHRASES

1. While we were on one of those Breton holidays she swam so far out that she met the only other person who could swim, who turned out to be an Austrian and that was only the beginning of our link with Austria.

2. Australia’s best-known businessman and yachtsman, Alan Bond, had little time to savour his victory in Australia’s premier yacht race.

3. objects and substances, abstract entities

4. head and dependent

determiner / premodifier / head / complement / postmodifier
we
one / of those Breton holidays
she
the only other / person / who could swim, who turned out to be an Austrian
that
the / beginning / of our link with Austria.
determiner / premodifier / head / complement / postmodifier
Australia’s / best-known / businessman and yachtsman
Alan Bond
little / time
his / victory / in Australia’s premier yacht race

5. head: common noun, proper noun, pronoun, adjective

6. Properties of prototypical nouns

6.1 meaning (see 3 above)

6.2 inflection holidays

singular / plural
plain case / student / students
genitive / student’s / students’

6.3 suffixes victory, childhood BUT Austrian

7. Properties of prototypical pronouns

*the me, *a myself; nominative I and accusative me

7. dependent

7.1 determiner: the news, a pear, some cheese, no reason

7.2 modifier: a young woman, a friend from Boston, people who complained

7.3 complement: the loss of blood, a ban on smoking, the fact that she’s alive

7.4 more than one head: see above

Men, I want you just thinking of one word all season. One word and one word only: Super Bowl.

more than one dependent of the same type: see above

8. embedding

his victory in / Australia’s premier yacht race

9. nominal NP NP

Determiner: Head: Modifier: Determiner: Head:

Determinative Noun Relative clause Determinative Nominal

the guy who fainted Head: Modifier:

Noun Relative clause

the guy who fainted

10. internal and external dependents

complement: a [knowledge of Latin]

determiner: these [old papers]

modifier- internal: a [big dog]

external: almost the [only survivor], even a [young woman]

11. discontinuous phrases and word order

det / premodifier / head / complement / postmodifier
I met / a / man / this morning / carrying an injured child
determiner / premodifier / head / postmodifier / complement
the / discovery / in the course of this century / of new building materials

12. Ambiguity

antique desk [suitable for lady] [with thick legs and large drawers]

OR

antique desk [suitable for [lady with thick legs and large drawers] ]

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