ESA PEDIA: Noun Modification

 

Hi, fellas! This time, ESA FKIP Universitas Riau is pleased to present useful material to enrich your English knowledge. This time, we will discuss Noun Modification.

Noun modification is one way to add information to a noun to make it more specific or descriptive. By modifying a noun, we can explain more clearly what the noun means, its type, or what its function is in a sentence. This material will discuss various methods of modifying nouns, starting from the use of adjectives, nouns as modifiers (compound nouns), prepositional phrases, participial phrases, to relative clauses. Each of these techniques has its own structure and role in providing additional context and detail, so that the resulting sentence becomes more informative and meaningful.

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Noun modification refers to the different ways we can add information to a noun to make it more specific or descriptive. These modifications help clarify which noun we are referring to, what kind of noun it is, or what it is doing.

1. Adjectives as Noun Modifier

Adjectives provide additional descriptions to nouns.

• Structure: (Adjective) + (Noun)
• Example: She has a beautiful dress.

2. Nouns as Modifiers (Compound Nouns)

The first noun provides additional information about the second noun.

• Structure: (Noun) + (Noun)
• Example: I bought a coffee table.

3. Prepositional Phrases as Noun Modifiers

Prepositional phrases (preposition + noun) provide additional information about the noun.

• Structure: (Noun) + (Prepositional Phrase)
• Example: The book on the table is mine.

4. Participial Phrases as Noun Modifiers

Using the verb form (present participle -ing or past participle -ed).

• Present Participle (-ing): The girl sitting next to me is my friend.
• Past Participle (-ed): The cake made by my mother was delicious.

5. Relative Clauses as Noun Modifiers

Clauses that begin with who, which, that to provide additional information.

• Structure: (Noun) (Relative Clause: who/which/that + verb...)
• Example:
• The boy who is wearing a red shirt is my brother.
• The car which is parked outside is mine.
• The dog that I adopted is very friendly.

Noun Modification is an important technique for adding information and clarity to a noun. There are several ways to modify a noun, namely:

1. Adjectives: Describe the nature or quality of a noun.
2. Compound Nouns: Use another noun to provide context or function.
3. Prepositional Phrases: Add information about location, time, purpose, or description.

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Participial Phrases: Describe an action or condition related to a noun through the -ing or -ed form. Relative Clauses: Provide additional information through clauses that begin with who, which, or that. By understanding and applying these techniques, the resulting sentences will be more informative, specific, and easy to understand.

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Source: ef.co.id