NEW DIRECTIONS

IN GRAMMAR STUDIES
Lecturer: Assoc. Prof. PhD. Hoàng Tuyết Minh
Presenters: Nguyễn Đình Sinh & Hồ Quang Trung
 THE HEADS OF NOUN PHRASES
IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE
FROM A TRADITIONAL PERSPECTIVE
 Contents
1. Introduction
2. Overview
3. Findings
 Introduction
Rationale:
English noun phrases are very important in
English. Understanding the differences and
similarities between the word order of noun
phrases in both languages enable English
learners to improve their writing skills.
 Introduction
Aims:
To point out features of the heads of noun
phrases in English and their equivalents in
Vietnamese.
 Introduction
Scope:
The study is based on …
 Methods
The study uses:
Qualitative method.
Quantitative method.
 Theoretical Background
 Phrase is a group of interrelated words. There
will be one head for each phrase and it
controls the other words called modifiers.
Jim (2002)
 Theoretical Background
 A phrase can be just one word though the
word phrase often refers to a sequence of at
least two words.
Sidney and Gerald (2004)
 Theoretical Background
- Noun is considered an open word class in
which new nouns are being devised now.
- Noun is also the most abundant word class and
is traditionally defined as names of a person,
place or thing.
Roger (2011)
 Theoretical Background
- The term noun phrase is coined as one that
consists of a noun and the words pairing with it.
A noun phrase can be consisted of just one noun
(life) or a pronoun (she).
Roger (2011)
 Theoretical Background
- Language is as a way of delivering information.
- The head is the central part of information
while the modifiers are extra information.
- The kind of phrase will be named after the
head. A noun phrase is a phrase whose head is a
noun.
Jim (2002)
 Theoretical Background
Diagram 1: Structure of Noun Phrase
determiners pre-modifiers head post-modifiers
all the tall girls with red hair

Roger (2011)
 Theoretical Background
Diagram 2: Structure of Noun Phrase
determiners pre-modifiers noun post-modifiers
Sidney and Gerald (2011)
 Head
- It is a compulsory part.
- It is a noun.
- Exceptions: Collective Adjective (the poor, the
rich), Double Comparative (the more we earn),
Superlative (the best to do it)
 Modifier
- The other words are modifiers and determiners.
- There are two types, based on their positions,
namely pre-modifiers and post-modifiers.
 Modifier
- Sidney and Gerald define modifiers simply as
units dependent on the main word and can be
omitted.
- Pre-modifiers and post-modifiers are modifiers
that come before or after the noun respectively.
 Modifier
n. books
deter. + n. those books
pre.m. + n. new books
deter. + pre.m. + n. some long books
n. + post.m. books on the bookshelf
deter. + n. + post.m. some books on the bookshelf
pre.m. + n. + post.m. best-selling books on the bookshelf
deter. + pre.m. + n. + post.m. some best-selling books on the shelf
 Pre-modifier
- Pre-modifiers can be adjective or noun.
- Pre-modifiers modify the head.
 Post-modifier
- Post-modifiers contain complex information.
- There are 5 types:

a prepositional phrase the student in black

an adjective phrase give me something difficult
a clause a man who I love the most
a non-finitie clause a battle forgotten a long time ago
an adverb a long way back
 Determiner
- Roger classifies determiners as a closed word
class.
- Their function is to determine the noun or to
show what kind of reference the nouns has such
as their ownership, their quantity, their
definiteness, etc.
 Determiner
- Roger (2011):
demonstratives this, that, these, those
possessives my, your, etc
articles a, an, the
interrogatives which, what, whose
relatives whose
wh-ever words whatever, whichever
quantifiers all, any, either, each, etc
personal pronouns us, we, you, etc
 Determiner
- Sidney and Gerald (2002):

pre-determiner all, both, half, etc

central-determiner a(an), the, those, etc
post-determiner other, two, first, etc
 Findings
- Definitions of Phrases
- Structures of Noun Phrases
- Problems of the Heads
 Definitions of Phrases
- English: Group of phrase are both acceptable.
Either is used regarding the definition that a
group/ a phrase is a combination of words.
 Definitions of Phrases
- Vietnamese:
Ngữ is used concerning the functions of a
phrase in a sentence.
Cụm is used with regards to just the initial
structure of a group of words.
 Structures
According to Vũ Ngọc Tú (1996), both languages
can have the same structure.

Noun Phrase
Front Elements Center End Elements
 Problems of the Heads
- Ellipsis
- Non-head Construction
- Different Classifications of Pronoun
- Compound Nouns
 References
• Jim, M. (2002). An Introduction to English
Syntax. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
• Roger, B. (2011). English Grammar: A Resource
Book for Students. United Kingdom: Routledge.
• Sidney, G. & Gerald, N. (2002). An Introduction
to English Grammar (2nd Edition). United
Kingdom: Longman.
• Trung, N. L. (2013). On Vietnamese Nominal
Phrase. Tạp chí Khoa học ĐHQGHN, Nghiên cứu
Nước ngoài, Tập 29, Số 2 (2013) 1-7.