When we think of nouns, it’s easy to spout off the memorized definition, a person, place or thing. Yet, behind the basic facts are deeper technical conversations that could improve the way you write. Looking past the pieces we know, there are a number of noun types and noun phrases that are another set of possible tools. Using definitions from Thesaurus.com and Merriam-Webster, we’re going to take this conversation one step at a time.
Before we get too deep, here are some baseline definitions to refresh your memory.
Basics to know
Noun Phrase: A word or group of words that function in a sentence as subject, object, or prepositional object.
Prepositional Object: A noun or anything acting as the noun that works together with the preposition.
Preposition: A word used to introduce phrases that act as verbs, modifiers, nouns, adjectives or adverbs.
Noun Types
Gerunds
A gerund is defined as, a form of a verb ending in -ing that is used as a noun. Since we’re dealing with verbs in their present forms, remember the rules on how to properly add on the -ing suffix.
Gerunds in action look like:
Boxing has somehow become my stress relief.
Single gerunds aren’t hard to spot, once you know what to look for. Boxing is in noun form since the sentence is talking about the sport overall.
Gerund Phrase
Gerund phrases are a type of phrase that includes the gerund, its object and modifiers.
On paper this might look like:
Drinking coffee won’t always get you through an all-nighter.
Now, gerund phrases still hold the concept from a single gerund, but there is more involved. Gerund phrases expand to include the object and modifier of the gerund. In the case of this example, the object and the modifier of the verb is coffee.
Attributive Noun
Defined by Merriam-Webster, an attributive noun is a type of noun that modifies another noun.
You might see an attributive noun look like:
Don’t forget the writing retreat next week.
There are some attributive nouns that you can see right away, mostly when it shows a person’s ownership of another noun. Here, the attributive noun has a different form. It’s easy to assume that writing stands as a verb all the time. However, in the given example, it actually is a noun that focuses more on the skill itself. Therefore, since a noun is modifying the noun retreat, it qualifies as an attributive noun.
Appositive
An appositive is known as a noun or noun phrase that clarifies, identifies, describes or otherwise renames another noun or noun phrase.
An example of this might look like:
Poetry, my current outlet, is a coping mechanism that travels easily.
Appositives can be tricky, so let’s take this piece by piece. The whole point is that one noun or noun phrase somehow adds details or renames another noun in the sentence. For the provided example, the noun poetry is clarified and described by the next noun outlet. By the pairing of both nouns, we gain a better understanding about the person’s relationship with poetry within the context.
Appositive Phrase
Now, appositive phrases are commonly grouped in with single appositives and all called the same name. However, the phrases expand to refer to the single appositive and its modifiers directly.
For a clearer idea, this is what that might look like:
Help me find the most recent file, the one with all the sticky note bookmarks.
To spot the difference between single appositives and phrases, pay attention to the placement. Phrases are usually placed close to the first noun. When used in a sentence, appositive phrases are openly referring to the single appositive that they add detail to. Think about it in terms of the example, the first noun is file is followed by a continued description, specifically the one with all the sticky note bookmarks. The file noun is openly clarified and described. This time, instead of one word creating the appositive situation, it’s a whole phrase.
McDonough Editorial 