Expanded noun phrases (age 8+)
Expand noun phrases with modifying adjectives, nouns, and preposition phrases to add detail
What a learner can do afterwards
- Expand 'the teacher' to 'the strict maths teacher with curly hair' using adjective, noun, and preposition phrase
- Write a sentence containing a noun phrase with at least three modifiers, e.g. 'the old stone bridge over the river'
- Identify the head noun and its modifiers in 'the tiny grey kitten under the table'
The lesson
You already know how to describe things with words like 'the tall man'. Now you will learn the three ingredients that build a richer noun phrase: an adjective, a noun, and a preposition phrase.
Start with a plain noun phrase: 'the teacher'. Add an adjective: 'the strict teacher'. Add a noun in front: 'the strict maths teacher'. Add a preposition phrase at the end: 'the strict maths teacher with curly hair'.
Every expanded noun phrase has one head noun. That is the main thing being described. Everything else adds detail around it. In 'the tiny grey kitten under the table', the head noun is 'kitten'. The words 'tiny' and 'grey' are adjectives before it, and 'under the table' is a preposition phrase after it.
When you build a noun phrase, put adjectives and extra nouns before the head noun, and preposition phrases after it. Read it back: if you can picture the thing more clearly, it is working.
A rich noun phrase has one head noun, with adjectives and nouns before it and a preposition phrase after it.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.