nominal phrase
- noun
- /ˈnɑːmɪnəl freɪz/
- Specialized
:
frase nominal
- In the sentence 'The tall man in the hat walked by,' 'The tall man in the hat' is a nominal phrase.
Examples
-
A nominal phrase can be a single word like 'Sarah' or a group of words like 'my favorite book.'
-
Teachers often ask students to identify the nominal phrase in each sentence.
-
A nominal phrase can act as a subject.
-
The teacher explained the concept of a nominal phrase.
-
In the sentence 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog,' 'The quick brown fox' is a nominal phrase.
-
A nominal phrase like 'the red house on the corner' serves as the subject in many sentences.
-
When writing, be sure to include a nominal phrase that clearly identifies the main subject.
Synonyms
2
7.4
A word or phrase that acts like a noun in a sentence
1
4.2
A group of words that acts like a noun in a sentence, for example the black cat
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'nominal' (= functioning as a noun) combined with 'phrase' (= a group of words) yields a phrase that functions as a noun, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the definition. This is a standard grammatical term with clear cross-linguistic equivalents, making it immediately comprehensible to learners familiar with the component words.
Etymology
The term nominal phrase comes from the part nominal meaning 'name' and phrase meaning a small group of words, so picture a 'name' made of words. A nominal phrase is a group of words built around a noun that works as one thing in a sentence, for example the 'subject' or 'object'.