noun phrase
grammar
Quick Summary
phrase structure of VP, or verb phrase
Figure 1: The constituent structure, or phrase structure, assigned by the rule VP → Verb + NP (see text).
A noun phrase is a group of words that functions like a noun in a sentence. It typically consists of a noun and any words that modify it, such as articles or adjectives. For example, in the sentence "The big dog barked," "the big dog" is a noun phrase, with "dog" being the noun and "the" and "big" acting as modifiers. Noun phrases can serve as the subject of a verb or the object of a verb or preposition. They are a fundamental building block in sentence structure.12
Summary created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
5 Britannica Sources
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
