Noun phrases

A noun phrase consists of a noun or pronoun, which is called the head, and any dependent words before or after the head. Dependent words give specific information about the head.

Examples of noun phrases:

dependent word(s)	head	dependent word(s)
	love
	him
the	moon
a gold	ring
the red	one
good	food
my own personal	website
that	house	there
the longest	river	in the world
a	feeling	of isolation
the tall, blonde	woman	we met at Joanna’s house

Noun phrases can refer to a particular example of something or to a whole class of people or things.

Compare

particular example	whole class
my mother	women
the red star in the southern sky	the stars
New York	a big city