NOUN PHRASES

NOUN + NOUN When we describe measurement: e.g.: a 14-year exile, a five-mile run, a five-litre can, a ten-pound note, a three-mile walk, a five-day course, a two-person tent, ten two-hour lessons In fractions, the plural s is not dropped: a two-thirds share Note the use of the s structure before worth: a pounds worth of walnuts three dollars worth of popcorn When we name a particular thing and it is a wellknown combination: e.g.: a firework display, mineral water When we say what things are made of: e.g.: a gold ring, a silk scarf, a silk dress, a stone bridge, an iron rod, a gold ring When we talk about parts of inanimate objects: e.g.: a table leg, a car door

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NOUN +s + NOUN When we indicate possession: e.g.: Americas birthday, Simons brother

When the first noun is a user of the second noun e.g.: a womens sauna, a childrens pool, childrens clothes, womens magazines, a birds nest BUT baby clothes, a birdcage (GB) a babys bottle, a dolls house, a babys pram (US) a baby bottle, a dolls house, a baby pram

When the second noun is produced by the first noun (often an animal) e.g.: goats cheese, ducks eggs, cows milk, lambs wool, a hens egg, sheeps wool BUT camel hair, horse hair We use the s structure to talk about parts of peoples and animals bodies: A mans leg, an elephants trunk, a sheeps heart BUT to talk about parts of non-living things, we usually use the noun + noun structure or the of structure: a table leg, the car door, the roof of a house With words like top, bottom, front, back, side, edge, inside, outside, beginning, middle, end, part,
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we usually prefer the of structure: the top of the page, the back of the bus, the bottom of the glass, the end of the film measurement of time The s structure (or the plural with s) is often used to say how long things last. a days journey, three hours journey, twenty minutes delay NOUN + NOUN structures are also possible. a three-hour journey, a twenty-minute delay We use the NOUN + NOUN structure for the names of things that happen or appear regularly. the evening news, a Sunday paper BUT we prefer the s structure to talk about particular moments and events. yesterdays news, last Sundays match

NOUN + PREPOSITION + NOUN

When we describe a certain quantity of something: e.g.: a piece of bread, a pack of cards When the nouns do not refer to a well-known/
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typical combination e.g.: a symbol of wealth, a book about indoor plants When we describe a container and its contents e.g.: a matchbox, a paint tin, a coffee cup, BUT we use the of structure to talk about a container together with its contents: a box of chocolates, a glass of wine Units, selections and collections We also prefer the of structure with words that refer to units, selections and collections, like piece, slice, lump (of sugar), bunch (of flowers), blade (of grass), pack (of cards), herd, flock, group and so on. a piece of paper, a bunch of flowers

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