Although five grammatical forms— noun phrases, adjective phrases, prepositional phrases, verb phrases, and adjective clauses—can perform the grammatical function of noun phrase modifier in the English language, only two grammatical forms can function as noun phrase complements. Both native speakers and ESL students must learn and understand the two forms that can function as the noun phrase complement in order to correctly complete nouns in both spoken and written English. The two grammatical forms that can function as noun phrase complements are:
- Prepositional phrase
- Noun clause
Unlike noun phrase modifiers that modify or describe a noun or noun phrase, noun phrase complements are words, phrases, or clauses that complete the meaning of a noun or noun phrase.
Prepositional Phrases as Noun Phrase Complements
The first grammatical form that can perform the grammatical function of noun phrase complement is the prepositional phrase. A prepositional phrase is defined as a preposition, which is traditionally defined as "a word or words that relates a noun, adjective, or verb to another noun, adjective, or verb," directly followed by a prepositional complement in the form of a noun phrase, noun clause, verb phrase, or prepositional phrase. For example, the following italicized prepositional phrases function as noun phrase complements:
- My English teacher encourages my passion for reading.
- Your love of spaghetti with ketchup seems strange to me.
- His fear of falling to his death prevents him from bungee jumping.
- The author of the famous book died a terrible death at a young age.
Noun Clauses as Noun Phrase Complements
The second grammatical form that can perform the grammatical function of noun phrase complement is the noun clause. A noun clause is defined as a dependent clause that is formed by a subordinating conjunction directly followed by a clause. The subordinating conjunctions that introduce noun clauses in English are that, Ø, if, whether, wh- words, and wh-ever words. For example, the following italicized noun clauses function as noun phrase complements:
- The claim that the earth is flat was once accepted as true.
- The problem is the fact that you never brush your teeth before bed.
- The idea that a parent would hurt a child makes me ill.
- Our hope that no child will ever go hungry is possible with your help.
The two grammatical forms that can function as the noun phrase complement in the English language are prepositional phrases and noun clauses. Both native speakers and ESL students must learn the two grammatical forms to correctly construct noun phrases that contain complements in both spoken and written English.
Sources
Hopper, Paul J. A Short Course in Grammar. W.W. Norton & Company: New York, 1999.
Huddleston, Rodney. Introduction to the Grammar of English. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1984.
O'Dwyer, Bernard. Modern English Structures: Form, Function, and Position. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press, 2000.
Heather Marie Kosur - About Me I earned a BA in English studies with a minor in creative writing from Illinois State University in May 2007 and an MS in ...
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