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What are the ten functions of a noun in the English language?
English Nouns and Noun Phrases The Ten Functions of Nouns in English Grammar Nouns including pronouns and noun phrases perform ten main grammatical functions within sentences in the English language. Both native speakers and ESL students must learn the ten functions to fully and correctly use nouns and noun phrases in spoken and written English. The ten functions of nouns and noun phrases are: 1. Subject 2. Predicate nominative 3. Direct object 4. Object complement 5. Indirect object 6. Prepositional complement 7. Noun phrase modifier 8. Possessive modifier 9. Appositive 10. Adverbial Nouns are traditionally defined as "persons, places, things, and ideas." Noun phrases are defined as phrases that consist of a noun or pronoun and any number of modifiers including adjectives (tiny, purple, loud), possessive adjectives (my, your, his), adverbs (very, extremely, unusually), determiners (the, a, an), and prepositional phrases. Nouns as Subjects The first grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the subject of clauses. A clause is defined as consisting of a subject and predicate. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as subjects: * The baby cried. * Dogs and cats make excellent pets. * I will have extensively studied English grammar. Nouns as Predicate Nominatives The second grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the predicate nominative. Predicate nominatives are defined as nouns and noun phrases that follow a copular or linking verb such as be and become and refer back to the subject. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as predicate nominatives: * My grandfather is a farmer. * Our favorite pets are dogs. * The woman whom you are looking for is she. The third grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the direct object. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as direct objects: * The children ate all the cookies. * My professor recommended an extremely captivating book. * The woman has always hated mice. Nouns as Object Complements The fourth grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the object complement. Object complements are defined as nouns, pronouns, noun phrases, adjectives, and adjective phrases that directly follow and modify the direct object. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as object complements: * We consider our puppy our baby. * My aunt calls my uncle sweetheart. * America recently _______ ________ president. Nouns as Indirect Objects The fifth grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the indirect object. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as indirect objects: * My husband bought me flowers. * The child drew his mother a picture. * The salesman sold the companynew computers. Nouns as Prepositional Complements The sixth grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the prepositional complement. Prepositional complements are defined as the word or phrase that functions as the object of a preposition. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as prepositional complements: * My __________ bought flowers for me. * The students studied during their spring break. * Because of the lengthy delay, we missed our flight. Nouns as Noun Phrase Modifiers The seventh grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the noun phrase modifier. Noun phrase modifiers are defined as words and phrases that describe a noun or noun phrase. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as noun phrase modifiers: * The child actor won an award. * The carpenter fixed the broken table leg. * We reserved twenty hotel rooms. Nouns as Possessive Modifiers The eighth grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the possessive modifier. Possessive modifiers consist of a noun or noun phrase and the possessive clitic (apostrophe s or s apostrophe) and describe another noun or noun phrase. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as possessive modifiers: * My brother's apartment is small. * The food I spilled is the dog's. * The librarians' report was informative. Nouns as Appositives The ninth grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the appositive. Appositives are defined as nouns and noun phrases that modify or explain another noun or noun phrase. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as appositives: * My grandfather the farmer bought more farm land. * The teacher, my uncle, assigns a lot of homework. * The musician Stevie Nicks is a singer in Fleetwood Mac. Nouns as Adverbials The tenth grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the adverbial. Adverbials are defined as words, phrases, and clauses that modify an entire clause by providing information such as time, place, manner, condition, reason, or purpose. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as adverbials: * Today the children woke up early. * Yesterday the children slept in late. * We decided to go home. The ten functions of nouns and noun phrases in English are subject, predicate nominative, direct object, object complement, indirect object, prepositional complement, noun phrase modifier, possessive modifier, appositive, and adverbial. Both native speakers and ESL students must learn the ten functions in order to properly and fully use the English language in both spoken and written forms. |
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Noun A noun is a word that represents a person, a place, or a thing. A thing in this definition can be a physical entity or it can be an abstract idea. A noun may be used as a subject of a sentence, as a direct object, as an indirect object, or it may be used as the object of a preposition. Some additional noun applications are addressed below. Some examples of noun usage appear in the following sentences. noun as subject Carpenters drive nails with air powered guns. Blackhawk was a famous American Indian. If it were Friday, John would be here. Carpenters is the subject of the first sentence. Blackhawk is the subject of the second sentence. Blackhawk is the name of a person. A noun that represents the name of a person or a specific place is a proper noun. Some other nouns are also proper nouns, e.g., September, Easter, Holocaust. A proper noun is capitalized regardless of its position in the sentence. John is the subject of the third sentence. noun as direct object Mr. Liu washed the car. The authorities commended Roberta. Identify a direct object by asking what or whom. First sentence. Mr. Liu washed what? Answer: car. Car is the direct object of the verb washed. Second sentence. The authorities commended whom? Answer: Roberta. Roberta is the direct object of the verb commended. noun as indirect object I sent Stephanie the camera. He bought the dog a kennel. Identify an indirect object by asking to what, for what, or to whom, for whom. First sentence. I sent the camera to whom? Answer: Stephanie. Stephanie is the indirect object. Second sentence. He bought a kennel for what? Answer: dog. Dog is the indirect object. noun as object of a preposition He pulled the little red wagon to the store. From her perspective, the meeting was a success. First sentence. The preposition is to, and the object of that preposition is the noun store. Second sentence: The preposition is from, and the object of that preposition is the noun perspective. predicate noun An intransitive verb cannot accept an object. A noun that follows an intransitive verb and completes the meaning of a sentence is called a complement. The word complement means to complete. A sentence has a subject and a predicate. Predicate is a generic term that includes those parts of the sentence that explain the subject of the sentence. The noun that follows an intransitive verb and completes the predicate may also be called a predicate noun or predicate nominative. Note that a predicate noun is an alternate word for the subject of the sentence. Mr. Chiao is a violinist. I am a candidate. Mr. Martinez will be governor. In the first sentence above Mr. Chiao is the subject, and violinist is the predicate noun. The subject of the second sentence is I, and the predicate noun is candidate. Mr. Martinez is the subject of the third sentence, and the predicate noun is governor. appositive noun Appositive means near. In English grammar an appositive is a noun or pronoun placed near another noun or pronoun. The appositive enhances our understanding of the original noun or pronoun. My sister, Ann, is in town for the reunion. Miguel, the valedictorian, will deliver the commencement oration. "We, the people. . . ." In the first sentence above, my sister is the subject of the sentence, and Ann is the appositive. Miguel is the subject of the second sentence, and valedictorian is the appositive. noun as possessive modifier A noun can be used to modify another noun. That is, a noun can function as an adjective or adverb. A noun can also convey a sense of possession. Consider the following example. The town's water supply is in jeopardy. The word town is a noun. In the sentence above the word town's identifies which water supply is in jeopardy. Town's is possessive case. The town possesses the water supply. noun functioning as an adjective The water pump is broken. The word water is a noun, but in this application it functions as an adjective that describes the kind of pump. noun functioning as an adverb I walked home. The word home is a noun, but in this application it functions as an adverb that defines where I walked. noun description class proper noun, or common noun number singular, or plural gender feminine, or masculine, or neuter case nominative, or objective, or possessive syntax grammatical relationship of the noun to other words in the sentence. In generations past the first six or eight years of public education were conducted in schools that were frequently called "grammar schools." Students were often rigorously instructed in English grammar. A student might have been asked to parse a sentence. Parse means to take apart and describe as a noun could be described using the information given above. The term parse is currently (circa 2003) enjoying popularity among computer programmers. |