A noun phrase or nominal phrase (abbreviated NP) is a phrase which has a noun (or indefinite pronoun) as its head word, or which performs the same grammatical function as such a phrase. Noun phrases are very common cross-linguistically, and they may be the most frequently occurring phrase type.

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What is a noun phrase?

A noun phrase is a phrase which includes:

1. a noun (also called head)
2. and optionally modifiers.

Examples:

• Love is a beautiful feeling. (Love is a noun phrase without modifiers. However, a beautiful feeling is a noun phrase that includes a noun, feeling, and the determiner a and the adjective beautiful)
• My house is over there. (My house is a noun phrase which consists of the noun house and a modifier – the possessive adjective my)

Possible noun modifiers

A noun phrase may optionally contain noun modifiers. If these modifiers are placed before the noun they are called pre-modifiers. However, if they are placed after the noun, they are called post-modifiers. Possible noun modifiers include the following:

1. Determiners:

• articles (the, a),
• demonstratives (this, that)
• numerals (two, five, etc.)
• possessives (my, their, etc.)
• quantifiers (some, many, etc.).

In English, determiners are usually placed before the noun;

2. adjectives (the delicious food)

3. complements, in the form of a prepositional phrase (such as: the student of physics), or a That-clause (the idea  that the world is a small village )

Functions of a noun phrase

Noun phrases can function as subjects, objects:

1. That sophisticated woman is beautiful. (That sophisticated woman is a noun phrase that functions as a subject.)
2. I like the book that you bought. (the book that you bought is a noun phrase that functions as an object.)

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What Are Noun Phrases? (with Examples)

A noun phrase is a phrase that plays the role of a noun. The head word in a noun phrase will be a noun or a pronoun. In the examples below, the whole noun phrase is shaded and the head word is in bold.

• I like singing in the bath.
• I know the back streets.
• I’ve met the last remaining chief.

Compare the three examples above to these:

• I like it.
• I know them.
• I’ve met him.

In these three examples, the words in bold are all pronouns. The ability to replace the noun phrases in the first three examples with a pronoun proves that the shaded texts are functioning as nouns, making them noun phrases.

Like any noun, a noun phrase can be a subject, an object, or a complement.

Examples of Noun Phrases

Noun phrases are extremely common. A noun with any sort of modifier (including just a number or an article) is a noun phrase. Here are some examples of noun phrases:

• The best defense against the atom bomb is not to be there when it goes off. (Anon)

(In this example, there is a noun phrase within a noun phrase. The noun phrase

the atom bomb

is the

object of the prepositionagainst

. The

prepositional phraseagainst the atom bomb

modifies

defense

.)
• I don’t have a bank account, because I don’t know my mother’s maiden name. (Paula Poundstone)

(In this example, both noun phrases are

direct objects

.)
• The best car safety device is a rear-view mirror with a cop in it. (Dudley Moore, 1935-2002)

(In this example, the first noun phrase is the subject, and the second is a

subject complement.)

• Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former. (Albert Einstein, 1879-1955)

http://grammar-monster.com/glossary/noun_phrases.htm