Author :
Abstract
Languages have syntactic units of different types and sizes. These syntactic units are themselves formed of smaller units and also go together to form larger units. In English, for example, the sentence consists of phrases with different labels and functions. Some of these phrases are obligatory such as noun phrase and verb phrase; others are optional like adverb phrase and adjective phrase.The present paper examines the structure of the noun phrase in English and discusses its different functions and semantic roles. A number of grammar books have been consulted for the purpose of giving a multi-perspective account of the noun phrase with regard to its formal, functional and semantic features.The study has revealed that in terms of structure the noun phrase appears in different forms and structures ranging from single words to clauses. As far as function and meaning are concerned, the noun phrase has multiple functions and meanings depending on its position within the larger syntactic unit which is the sentence.
Keywords
Abstract
Languages have syntactic units of different types and sizes. These syntactic units are themselves formed of smaller units and also go together to form larger units. In English, for example, the sentence consists of phrases with different labels and functions. Some of these phrases are obligatory such as noun phrase and verb phrase; others are optional like adverb phrase and adjective phrase.The present paper examines the structure of the noun phrase in English and discusses its different functions and semantic roles. A number of grammar books have been consulted for the purpose of giving a multi-perspective account of the noun phrase with regard to its formal, functional and semantic features.The study has revealed that in terms of structure the noun phrase appears in different forms and structures ranging from single words to clauses. As far as function and meaning are concerned, the noun phrase has multiple functions and meanings depending on its position within the larger syntactic unit which is the sentence.
