How to turn a sentence into a noun phrase

如何将一个句子变为一个名词词组

-          练习编写较复杂的名词词组

How to turn a sentence into a noun phrase

 - an exercise in constructing complex noun phrases

Youxuan Wang

2011-11-20

1.                  Sentences

Sentences are used to describe a state, narrate an event or put forward a proposition. They are meant to be statements. As such, they must contain two basic elements: a subject (which identifies an entity), and a predicate (which attributes a property or an relation to the subject). When a transitive verb is used to function as the predicate of a sentence, the predicate is understood to describe a relation between subject and object.

1.1.  Depending on the meaning of the specific verb, a transitive verb might be followed by only one noun phrase, or two noun phrases (if the verb is dative). It may be followed or preceded by another verb phrase (if the normal sentence pattern for the particular verbs involved is a serial construction). Anyway, simply put, here in the particular context of our present topic, we put the whole class of sentences which is characterised by the use of a transitive verb under one category, and name this category Type-I sentence: 

Type-I sentence:  Subject (NP) + Predicate (VP) + Direct object (NP)

e.g.: 我写字。lit. I write words.)

Subject	Predicate	Direct object
Noun Phrase	Verb Phrase	Noun Phrase
我	写	字。

1.2. Sometimes the predicate is made of an adjective which attributes a property to the subject: 

 Type-II sentence:  Subject (NP) + Predicate (Adj.)

e.g.: 这个女人老了。lit. This woman is old.

Subject	Predicate
Noun Phrase	Adjective
这个女人	老了。
这些苹果	很甜。

In the above sentence, no verb is used. Fulfilling the function of a predicate is an adjective.

2.                  Noun phrases

However complicated and long, even if it contains a verb phrase, a noun phrase is part of a sentence, either as subject or object. Since it is not a sentence in itself own right, it is not a statement.

We rarely use a single noun in referring to an entity or object. Somehow we are often inclined to indicate some aspects of the entity or object named or described by the noun. For instance, we don’t often use the word “人” as the name or description of a person or some persons in a sentence. We are often inclined to mention the number, age, gender of the individual(s) in question, e.g.: “我昨天在街上见到的那两个老 女人 (the two old women I saw in the street yesterday)”. Thus, in order to describe an object animate or inanimate, we end up constructing a noun phrase: a noun which is preceded by a series of modifications.

	Attributive clause	Demon.	Quant.	Adj.	Adj.	N.
A		那	两个	老	女	人
B	我昨天在街上见到的	那	两个	老	女	人

Here, we are looking at two types of noun phrase. Type A is the kind of noun phrase that does not have a verb in its attributive. Type B is the kind of noun phrase that contains a verb in its attributive, and such an attributive is also called attributive clause.

In the above two types of noun phrases A and B, the attributive clause （ “我昨天在街上见到的”）, demonstrative （“那”）, quantifier （“两个”） and adjectives (“老” and “女”) are all attributives, making the meaning of the noun “ 人” more precise.

The attributives and noun combine to form a noun phrase.

3.                  Turning a sentence into a noun phrase and vice versa

Now, as you can see, there is a link between Type I and Type II sentences on the one hand and Type A and Type B noun phrases on the other:

(i)                 Type A noun phrase can be turned into a Type II sentence and vice versa.

This is accomplished by transposing forwards one of the adjectives from the position of an attributive to the position of a predicate – to make a sentence:

Type A Noun Phrase	←→	Type II Sentence
那两个老女人	←→	那两个女人老了。
这三个聪明的孩子	←→	这三个孩子很聪明。

Where should be the position of a predicate? In our study of word order, we have learned that the predicate should be placed after the subject. If you want the noun phrase "那两个女人" to be the subject of a sentence, you can turn the adjective "老" in the original noun phrase "那两个老女人" into a predicate by shifting its position and putting it after "那两个女人". Thus, from the noun phrase "那两个老女人", you get this sentence: "那两个女人老了".

Once moved to the position of predicate, the adjective "老" can be followed by a modal particle (such as  “了”) or preceded by an adverbial (e.g., "有一点儿") as appropriate according to relevant rules: 那两个女人有一点儿老了。(Note that "了" is an aspect particle rather than a modal particle only if it is placed immediately after a verb.)

Note that, strictly speaking, the following two sentences do not fall into the category of Type II sentence, because the predicate is not made up of an adjective, but a subject-predicate (“身体很健康”). Nonetheless, they can be converted into a noun phrase analogously.

(1)      这些老年人身体很健康。

(2)      这种葡萄每斤十元。

Sentence: 这些老年人 身体很健康。

NP: 这些身体很健康的老年人

Sentence: 这种葡萄 每斤十元。

NP: 这种每斤十元的葡萄

(ii)               Type I sentences noun phrase can be turned into Type B noun phrases and vice versa. This is accomplished without the need to change the order word. We simply insert the particle “的” between the verb and direct object (or to right before the noun phrase functioning as the direct object).

Type I Sentence	←→	Type B Noun Phrase
我写字。	←→	我写的字
我昨天在街上见到那两个老女人。	←→	我昨天在街上见到的那两个老女人
姐姐送给我一本字典。	←→	姐姐送给我的那本字典
我去北京见了那个朋友。	←→	我去北京见到的那个朋友
我坐飞机去上海参观那个博物馆。	←→	我坐飞机去上海参观的那个博物馆

Care should be taken as to whether we should retain, remove or change the aspect particle in the predicate of the original sentence once the verb is transposed to the position of an attributive. The observant student would usually find out what to do in this respect, but we will explain them when we come across more examples in class. Normally, the aspect particle “了” does not appear after the verb in the attributive of a noun phrase.

4.      Exercises

4.1. Type-I sentence:  Subject (NP) + Predicate (VP) + Direct object (NP)

In the following sentences, I use two parallel vertical lines || to separate the subject (主语，zhǔyǔ) from the predicate  (谓语,  wèiyǔ), and use one vertical line | to separate the predicate from the direct object (直接宾语 zhíjié bīnyǔ).

Now please perform the two tasks in writing:

(a)    Turn the following sentences below into noun  phrases by inserting the particle “的” between the predicate and the direct object, removing the aspect particle as appropriate;

(b)    Creatively make longer sentences, using the newly converted noun phrases either as the subjects or as the direct objects of your new sentences.

I'll do the first one to set an example.

(1)  我哥哥|| 昨天下午买了| 两本法文书。

NP:	我哥哥昨天下午买的那两本法文书
Sentence:	今天早晨，我的女朋友||来我家借|我哥哥昨天下午买的那两本法文书。

（Don’t forget to use a demonstrative pronoun (这 or 那) when necessary!）

   

(2)      星期天上午我们||在河边看见 | 两只天鹅。

(3)      去年我||和爸爸妈妈一起去上海参观了 | 一个历史博物馆。

(4)      上个月我爸爸||与我的爷爷奶奶一起坐飞机到北京 访问了 | 一个老朋友。

(5)      前天我男朋友||给了我|一本书。

4.2. Type-II sentence: Subject (NP) + Predicate (Adj.)
Please do two more tasks in writing:

(a)      Turn the five sentences below into noun  phrases by transposing the predicate to an appropriate position for the new attributive， retaining or removing the adverbials as necessary;

(b)     Creatively make longer sentences, using the newly converted noun phrases either as the subjects or as the direct objects of your new sentences.
（I'll do number 6 to set an example.)

(6)      这些学生||很努力。

NP:	这些很努力的学生
Sentence:	今天早晨，这些很努力的学生|| 来我家借|我哥哥昨天下午买给我的那两本法文书。

Don’t forget to use a demonstrative pronoun (这 or 那) when necessary!

(8)      这些女孩||很漂亮。

(9)      这两碗面条||很好吃。

(10)    我的这个弟弟||有一点胖。

(11)    这种苹果 || 每斤两元。(Please note the peculiarity of this sentence. The predicate is not made of an adjective, but of a subject-predicate construction, or what the grammarians call "主谓谓语结构".)

4.3. Question:

Why for Type II sentences do we have to transpose the predicate rather than leave it where it is?