Year 4 English: Expanding noun phrases with adjectives, describing nouns and prepositional phrases
Part of the Year 4 English noun phrases, pronouns and verb forms chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Expanding noun phrases with adjectives, describing nouns and prepositional phrases
A noun phrase can be expanded. A writer adds words that give more detail about the noun. Build it up in layers:
| Layer | What it adds | Example |
|---|---|---|
| the noun | the main word | the kite |
| add an adjective | what the noun is like | the red kite |
| add a describing noun | what sort of thing it is | the red paper kite |
| add a prepositional phrase | which one, or where it is | the red paper kite with a long tail |
A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition, such as on, in, with, under or beside, and the noun phrase that follows it. With a long tail is a prepositional phrase. It has no verb.
A describing noun is a noun that describes another noun. In a paper kite, the word paper tells what sort of kite it is. It comes just before the main noun.
Key ideas
- Expand a noun phrase in layers: determiner, adjectives, a describing noun, the main noun, then a prepositional phrase.
- An adjective describes the noun and comes before it: the red kite.
- A describing noun comes just before the main noun: the paper kite.
- A prepositional phrase is a preposition and its noun phrase: on the wall, with a long tail.
- Add only the detail the reader needs. Too many words can make a noun phrase hard to follow.
Method. Find the preposition, then copy it with the noun phrase after it.
- Find the preposition. A preposition, such as in, on, under or beside, starts the phrase.beside
- Add the noun phrase after it. The noun phrase after the preposition completes the phrase.beside the barn
- Copy the whole phrase. Copy the preposition and every word of the noun phrase after it.beside the barn
- Write the answer. beside the barn
Check. beside starts the phrase, and the noun phrase after it names a place or thing. ✓
Watch out. A prepositional phrase has no verb. It is a preposition and its noun phrase.
Method. Find the noun, then the words that describe it.
- Find the noun. Dog is the main word; the other words describe it.dog
- Find the describing words. Scruffy and brown tell what the dog is like, so they are adjectives.scruffy, brown
- Check the first word. The tells which dog, so it is a determiner, not an adjective.the = determiner
- Write the answer. scruffy and brown
Check. Both words describe the dog. ✓
Watch out. Do not count the determiner as an adjective.
Method. Build the noun phrase in order: determiner, adjectives, nouns, then the prepositional phrase.
- Add the determiner. The determiner comes first in the noun phrase, and it says which one or whose.the
- Add the describing noun. A noun can describe another noun. It comes just before the main noun.the paper
- Add the noun. The main noun comes after the words that describe it.the paper kite
- Write the answer. the paper kite
Check. Paper comes just before kite, and it tells what sort of kite. ✓
Watch out. Other describing nouns work too, such as the silk kite. Keep kite as the main noun, at the end.
Watch out
Watch out: do not pile up adjectives and nouns until the reader cannot picture the thing. The tall, thin tree with green leaves is clear. The big tall thin red shiny tree with green leaves and a rope swing is hard to follow.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Play a guessing game. Say a noun, such as the cat, and ask your child to add one word, then a phrase, until you can picture it. Then ask: which words are adjectives, and which phrase tells where?
Exercise 7B Practice: expanding noun phrases
Method. Find the preposition, then copy it with the noun phrase after it.
- Find the preposition. A preposition, such as in, on, under or beside, starts the phrase.on
- Add the noun phrase after it. The noun phrase after the preposition completes the phrase.on the warm mat
- Copy the whole phrase. Copy the preposition and every word of the noun phrase after it.on the warm mat
- Write the answer. on the warm mat
Check. on starts the phrase, and the noun phrase after it names a place or thing. ✓
Watch out. A prepositional phrase has no verb. It is a preposition and its noun phrase.
Method. Name the preposition in the phrase.
- Look at each word. Find the word that does the job of a preposition.a cup with a handle
- Check its job. It links the cup to the handle, and it starts the prepositional phrase.with
- Name it. with is the preposition.with
- Write the answer. with
Check. with does this job. ✓
Method. Name the adjective.
- Find the word that does this job. It is the adjective in this phrase.tall
- Check the job. It describes the tower, and it comes before the noun.tall
- Write the answer. tall
Check. tall is the adjective. ✓
Method. Name the adjective.
- Find the word that does this job. It is the adjective in this phrase.blue
- Check the job. It describes the hat, and it comes before the noun.blue
- Write the answer. blue
Check. blue is the adjective. ✓
Method. Name the adjective.
- Find the word that does this job. It is the adjective in this phrase.smooth
- Check the job. It describes the stones, and it comes before the noun.smooth
- Write the answer. smooth
Check. smooth is the adjective. ✓
Method. Name the describing noun in the phrase.
- Look at each word. Find the word that does the job of a describing noun.the school gate
- Check its job. It is a noun that tells which sort of gate, and it comes just before gate.school
- Name it. school is the describing noun.school
- Write the answer. school
Check. school does this job. ✓
Method. Add an adjective, then a prepositional phrase.
- Add an adjective. It describes what the cake is like.sticky
- Add a prepositional phrase. It tells where the cake is.on the plate
- Put the words in order. Determiner, then adjective, then noun, then the prepositional phrase.the sticky cake on the plate
- Write the answer. the sticky cake on the plate
Check. The adjective and the phrase both describe the cake. ✓
Watch out. The prepositional phrase goes after the noun, not before it.
Method. Build the noun phrase in order: determiner, adjectives, nouns, then the prepositional phrase.
- Add the determiner. The determiner comes first in the noun phrase, and it says which one or whose.a
- Add the adjective. An adjective describes the noun, so it comes before the noun.a shiny
- Add the noun. The main noun comes after the words that describe it.a shiny coin
- Add the prepositional phrase. A prepositional phrase comes after the noun, and it tells which one or where.a shiny coin under the sofa
- Write the answer. a shiny coin under the sofa
Check. Each part is in its place. ✓
Watch out. The prepositional phrase comes last.
Method. Find the preposition, then copy it with the noun phrase after it.
- Find the preposition. A preposition, such as in, on, under or beside, starts the phrase.in
- Add the noun phrase after it. The noun phrase after the preposition completes the phrase.in the oak tree
- Copy the whole phrase. Copy the preposition and every word of the noun phrase after it.in the oak tree
- Write the answer. in the oak tree
Check. in starts the phrase, and the noun phrase after it names a place or thing. ✓
Watch out. A prepositional phrase has no verb. It is a preposition and its noun phrase.
Method. Find the preposition, then copy it with the noun phrase after it.
- Find the preposition. A preposition, such as in, on, under or beside, starts the phrase.beside
- Add the noun phrase after it. The noun phrase after the preposition completes the phrase.beside the old well
- Copy the whole phrase. Copy the preposition and every word of the noun phrase after it.beside the old well
- Write the answer. beside the old well
Check. beside starts the phrase, and the noun phrase after it names a place or thing. ✓
Watch out. A prepositional phrase has no verb. It is a preposition and its noun phrase.
Method. Find the preposition, then copy it with the noun phrase after it.
- Find the preposition. A preposition, such as in, on, under or beside, starts the phrase.over
- Add the noun phrase after it. The noun phrase after the preposition completes the phrase.over the hill
- Copy the whole phrase. Copy the preposition and every word of the noun phrase after it.over the hill
- Write the answer. over the hill
Check. over starts the phrase, and the noun phrase after it names a place or thing. ✓
Watch out. A prepositional phrase has no verb. It is a preposition and its noun phrase.
Method. Add two adjectives before the noun.
- Add the first adjective. It describes what the bridge is like.long
- Add the second adjective. It also describes the bridge, and it goes before the noun.long wooden
- Put the words in order. Determiner, adjectives, then the noun.the long wooden bridge
- Write the answer. the long wooden bridge
Check. Both adjectives come before the noun bridge. ✓
Watch out. Keep the noun bridge last. Two adjectives can be linked with a comma, as in the long, wooden bridge.
Method. Test his idea with a noun phrase.
- Look at a noun phrase. The tall, thin tree has two adjectives: tall and thin.tall, thin
- Decide. A noun phrase can have more than one adjective when the reader can still picture it.more than one
- Write the answer. No. A noun phrase can have more than one adjective
Check. Tall and thin both describe the tree. ✓
Watch out. Keep the number of adjectives small, so that the phrase stays clear.
Method. Build the noun phrase in order: determiner, adjectives, nouns, then the prepositional phrase.
- Add the determiner. The determiner comes first in the noun phrase, and it says which one or whose.the
- Add the adjective. An adjective describes the noun, so it comes before the noun.the red
- Add the noun. The main noun comes after the words that describe it.the red ball
- Write the answer. the red ball
Check. The determiner comes first, then the adjective, then the noun. ✓
Watch out. The determiner comes first, then the adjective, then the noun.
Method. Build the phrase in layers.
- Add an adjective. It describes the bird.small
- Add a describing noun. It tells what sort of bird, and it comes just before the main noun.small garden bird
- Add a prepositional phrase. It tells where the bird is.small garden bird on the fence
- Write the answer. a small garden bird on the fence
Check. Each layer adds detail. ✓
Watch out. Keep the determiner a first, then the adjective, the describing noun, the noun, and the prepositional phrase.