Grammar Corner

How to use noun modifiers – by Professor Mayfair

Q: What is the technical term for a noun that acts like an adjective? For example, the word ‘history’ in the phrase ‘history teacher’. (Ranjit)

That’s an interesting question, Ranjit. Thanks for writing in!..

The formal definition is a noun modifier, and these are any nouns that act like an adjective, therefore, modifying or changing the meaning of the original noun.

Take these examples:

A bat is a long club, usually made of wood, which we use in sports. However, to be more specific, we modify this noun with other nouns, such as a baseball bat or a cricket bat, which indicate the difference.

Think as well of the word table. We can have a snooker table, a card table and a coffee table.
 

Stress

Students often ask which part of the phrase should be stressed, and in general, the first word of the phrase is stressed. Take, for example, coffee table and baseball bat. Of course, the usual stress rules are followed with the first word of the phrase.

Usage

These noun modifiers are always attributive, (not predicative) which means that they go before the noun they are modifying. For example, history teacher and not teacher history.

To hyphenate or not to hyphenate?

This is a very confusing area - there are no strict rules for this, as two words may be hyphenated in the past, but over time have changed to form one word. There are, however, three types of phrases:

1. Hyphenated phrases, such as people-carrier and hunter-gatherer.

2. Words that have merged together to make one, such as ladybird and bookshop.

3. Phrases that remain as two separate words, such as coffee table and baseball bat.

For practice, what noun modifiers can you think of to go with the word house?