NOUN PHRASE
Oleh : Suhud Eko Yuwono
INTRODUCTION
The goal of English Language Teaching in
English Study Program where the writer teaches is
to give the students the ability to read English texts.
It is hoped that later on the students can read
scientific books written in English when they
begin to write their theses.
Many students find it difficult to interpret
even
such as
stone
(NPs),
a book,
2.
a new book,
3.
4.
5.
This
indicates
how
last night.
often difficult
to
be
understood
by
contrastive
is
noun head.
Suhud Eko Yuwono : adalah Dosen Jurusan Bahasa Inggris, Unwidha Klaten
80
of modifiers like:
major types,
a writing book
a selected book
a grammar book
the left side of the noun head, and type II, the
modifiers are on the right side on the noun head.
Type 1a
Phrase structure
NP
D
N(s)
The
facts
NP
d + N (s)
N(s)
Type 2:
NP
D
N(s)
d
is the noun
determiner
N (s)
NP
(d) + N (s) + M2
M2
M2
the librarian
a campus
those
problems
magazines
cover
2.b.
N (s) + Clauses
two presidents
The former can be divided again into six types
Type 1.b
Phrase structure
NP
d
N(s)
NP
(d) + M1 + N (s)
M1
stands
for
Type 2.a
NP
any
N(s)
NP
(d) + N (s) + M2
M2
N (s)
M2
the d is
(4) to verb,
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Type 2.a.3
NP
N(s)
N (s)
Adv
speaker
NP
(d)+N(s)+P(phr)
Type 2.a.4
If each subtype is transformed into phrases
NP
N(s)
NP
d
The
N(s)
N (s)
A
NP
body
N (s)
to vb
way
to do it
P (phr)
or to + verb phrase
N (s)
of
people
Type 2.a.5
NP
(d)+N(s)+P(phr)
N(s)
N (s)
The
word
ing (phr)
fulfilling (a smaller function)
Type 2.a.2
NP
NP
(d)+N(s)+P(phr)
N(s)
Type 2.a.6
NP
N (s)
A
Adj
so confident
N(s)
command
NP
(d)+N(s)+P(phr)
N (s)
The
space
-en (phr)
enclosed
NP
(d)+N(s)+P(phr)
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Type 2.b.1
Type 2.b.2
NP
N(s)
N (s)
th (clause
why,
N (s)
Th (cl)
Th
N(s)
Th (cl)
vb
th
wh
cl
vb (phr)
cl
NP
Cl represents clause
NP
wh (clause
The
place where he
vb (phr
put my hat
NP
d
N(s)
N (s)
The
me
girl
th (clause
Th
vb (phr)
that
addressed
Type 2.b.1.b
understand the
NP
N (s)
Th
cl
NP
that we are
talking about
NP (d) + N (s) + th + vb (phr)
The
thing
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2)
Noun head
ENGLISH
The
Your
Such
those
INDONESIAN
Choices
pilihan
Itu
Mu
Semacam itu
itu
consider the
following boxes.
1)
Noun head
One
Seven
ENGLISH
All the Choices
No
Satu
INDONESIAN Tujuh
pilihan
Semua
Tak ada
we can draw a
Noun head
ENGLISH
good Speakers
(1)
INDONESIAN
Pembicara-pembicara
Yang baik
(1)
4.
5.
EN
IN
Noun head
ENGLISH
Its basic
(1)
Form
(2)
INDONESIAN
bentuk
dasarnya
(2)
(1)
See the figures put under each modifier in the boxes numbered 3, 4, and 5. We can notice easily the
shift position from English (symbolized by L2) to Indonesian (symbolized by L1). From those three boxes
we can see that all the modifiers in L1 come after the noun head. This evidence again supports the first
conclusion because none of the modifiers of the English NPs in number 9, 10 and 11 bears a noun
determiner denoting quantity.
Now we come to the more complex type of English NPs. Examples:
12) a literal translation from some languages
13) the form of the verb ending in ing
If they are translated into Indonesian, we shall have the following equivalents:
12.a. sebuah terjemahan harfiah dari beberapa bahasa
13.a. bentuk dari kata kerja yang berakhiran ing
See also the following two boxes and the figures under each modifier.
6.
Noun head
ENGLISH
INDONESIAN
7.
A literal
(1) (2)
sebuah
(1)
translation
terjemahan
Noun head
ENGLISH
INDONESIAN
The
(1)
form
bentuk
(2)
(4) (5)
quantity.
CONCLUSION
If we contrast the differences, we can draw the
following conclusions:
in
number 13.
and verb
is
examples.
5
Seorang wanita muda yang kaya yang membawa
1
86
6)
He
Is sleeping
Dia
tidur
isHe
not only
all the modifiers in the
is that Anearly
teacher
Indonesian
NPs come
after
Dia
Seorang
guruthe noun head, but
correct in
7)
He terbuat
is dari batu.
At home
DiayangAda
rumah
terbuat Di
dari
batu is a
construction.
8)
the
of -ing. They
cannot
be
separated.
is
sleeping in the
clause
See the
following comparison:
5) He
Dia
is
Clever
Pandai
87
SUGGESTION
In teaching reading and understanding the
teacher needs first to make the learners able to
recognize what
an NP is. Then he can train the learners to interpret
very simple English NPs and later on proceed to
more difficult ones.
To obtain very simple English NPs, he
should be able to select very simple reading texts.
Simple here means not only in its content and
vocabulary, but also in its structures. Then ask
the learners to identify the NPs. Break up the text
into short sentences and underline the NPs. Before
the students begin to interpret the whole sentences,
beginners.
difficulties
the learners will have.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jackson, Howard. 1976. Contrastive Linguistics
What Is It?. ITL 32. 1-32.
Roberts, Paul. 1956. Patterns of English.
New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.
Zabrocki,
Tadeusz.
1980.
Theoritical
Contrastive
Studies:
Some
Methodological
Remarks.
Amsterdam:
88