Are names noun phrases?

Question

Is a name like Tony Blair or Brighton University a noun phrase or just 2 nouns?

So in other words do you view each word as a seperate proper noun or would you say its a noun phrase so that for example 'University' is the headword and 'Brighton' is a modifier? This is whats confusing me, can a subject be 2 proper nouns or would you call it a noun phrase in those examples?

Answer 1

It is a noun phrase consisting of two nouns. So, YES, it is a noun phrase and YES, it is two nouns. Remember that, in English, a noun often functions as an adjective, as in post office, book title, economics student and so on.

With the two examples you've given, it's a bit difficult to decide which is the modifier, but I would say that 'Tony' is the headword and 'Blair' the modifier (which Tony ?); 'University' is the headword and 'Brighton' the modifier (which university ?)

By the way, what Jake says is interesting and is also true, but it doesn't really address the question.

Answer 2

Proper Nouns.

Answer 3

A noun is a noun phrase ... with null modifiers.
So you're splitting hairs. The way I see it, "Brighton University" is a noun. "The popular but over-rated Brighton University" is a noun phrase.

No offence to Brighton or Brighton University ... it's just an example! ...

In response to your later addition ... "Brighton University" IS a name, just as "David Cockersell" (my name!) is a name. Names are a subset of nouns, and nouns are a subset of noun phrases. So "Brighton University" is a name, a noun and a noun phrase with null modifiers.

Answer 4

Well, it can't be two nouns because if you were to use a person's full name as the subject of a sentence, it would just be the one subject... I have never thought about this before, but I guess you could say it is a noun phrase, though I would just call the entire name a noun.

Answer 5

2 proper nouns

Answer 6

In grammatical theory, a noun phrase (abbreviated NP) is a phrase whose head is a noun or a pronoun, optionally accompanied by a set of modifiers. [1] The modifiers may be:

determiners: articles (the, a), demonstratives (this, that), numerals (two, five, etc.), possessives (my, their, etc.), and quantifiers (some, many, etc.); in English, determiners are usually placed before the noun;
adjectives (the red ball); or
complements, in the form of an adpositional phrase (such as: the man with a black hat), or a relative clause (the books that I bought yesterday).

Answer 7

I'd say a noun phrase, because they go together as one noun (person or place).

And, in a sentence, you wouldn't capitalize "university" unless it's being used as a name of a university--a proper noun--like "Brighton University."

ex.
1. "I really like my university."
2. "I really like Brighton University."

Answer 8

I think it would be two but it's a proper noun if it is a name.

Answer 9

The two you listed are just proper nouns.

Answer 10

noun...