Expanded noun phrases (age 8+) · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Building richer noun phrases

English · Grammar & Punctuation · ages 8-10
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. In 'the rusty old bike behind the shed', which two words are the adjectives?

    • bike and shed
    • rusty and old
    • old and bike

  2. In 'the old stone bridge over the river', which word is the preposition?

    • bridge
    • over
    • stone

  3. An expanded noun phrase has its head noun in the middle. What usually comes after the head noun?

    • An adjective
    • A preposition phrase
    • The word 'the'

  4. In 'the old stone bridge over the river', which part is the preposition phrase?

    • bridge
    • over the river
    • old stone

  5. Which sentence puts the modifiers in the right order?

    • the with a red collar dog
    • the brown dog with a red collar
    • the dog brown with a red collar

  6. Start with the plain phrase 'the cake'. Which one is the best expanded noun phrase?

    • the sweet chocolate cake on the plate
    • the cake
    • the cake sweet chocolate on plate

  7. Why do writers expand their noun phrases?

    • To hide the head noun
    • To help the reader picture things clearly
    • To make every sentence longer

  8. Which word fits the gap to make an expanded noun phrase? 'the ___ garden behind the house'

    • grew
    • behind
    • wild

  9. Sam wants his reader to picture a creepy cave. Which noun phrase helps the most?

    • the bright sunny cave by the playground
    • the dark dripping cave under the mountain
    • the cave

  10. Zoe wrote: 'the big red with stripes'. What is wrong with her phrase?

    • There is no head noun
    • There are too many adjectives
    • The preposition phrase is in the wrong place
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Answer key

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Building richer noun phrases W1-mt_EbiGRVK8uR-s1

  1. rusty and old · 'Rusty' and 'old' both describe the bike. 'Bike' is the head noun and 'shed' sits inside the preposition phrase.
  2. over · 'Over' is the little word that shows where the bridge is. It starts the preposition phrase 'over the river'.
  3. A preposition phrase · Adjectives and extra nouns come before the head noun. The preposition phrase comes after it.
  4. over the river · 'Over the river' starts with the preposition 'over' and tells us where the bridge is.
  5. the brown dog with a red collar · Adjectives like 'brown' go before the head noun, and preposition phrases like 'with a red collar' go after it.
  6. the sweet chocolate cake on the plate · 'Sweet' and 'chocolate' sit before the head noun 'cake', and 'on the plate' sits after it. That is the full pattern.
  7. To help the reader picture things clearly · Extra detail helps the reader picture the thing clearly. Longer alone is not the goal.
  8. wild · The gap sits in the adjective spot, right before the head noun. 'Wild' is an adjective, so it fits.
  9. the dark dripping cave under the mountain · 'Dark', 'dripping', and 'under the mountain' all add detail that fits a creepy cave. Bright and sunny paint the wrong picture.
  10. There is no head noun · Big, red, and with stripes all describe something, but the thing itself is missing. The phrase has no head noun.
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