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A Concise Guide to English Grammar

Phillip Haisley

Section 14.2 Structures That Function as Nominals

The simplest nominal is what you would expect: a noun phrase with a determiner, perhaps some modifiers, and a noun at its head. But the nominal function is not restricted to noun phrases. Pronouns, complement clauses, present participle phrases, infinitive phrases, and even some adjectives can all occupy the same syntactic slots. The catalog below moves from the most typical to the more structurally complex, so you can see the full range of what English treats as equivalent to a noun phrase. Use the following table as a quick reference; each form is treated in greater depth in the sections that follow.
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Table 14.2.1. Nominal Forms at a Glance
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Form Internal Structure Example
Noun phrase (NP) Determiner + (Modifiers) + Head Noun The interesting book arrived.
Pronoun Single word; carries case She arrived.
Present participle phrase (gerund phrase) -ing verb + (Object/Modifiers) Reading novels is fun.
Infinitive phrase to + verb + (Object/Modifiers) To win was her goal.
Complement clause complementizer + (Subject) + Predicate I know that she left.
Nominalized adjective Determiner + Adjective The poor need help.

1. Noun Phrases.

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The prototypical nominal is a noun phrase:
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  • The book is on the table. (subject)
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  • I read the interesting book. (direct object)
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  • This is my sister. (subject complement)
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2. Pronouns.

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Pronouns replace entire noun phrases and fill all the same positions:
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  • She arrived early. (subject)
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  • I saw them. (direct object)
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  • She gave me a book. (indirect object)
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3. Present Participle Phrases (Gerunds).

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The -ing form of a verb (the present participle) heads phrases that can function nominally. When a present participle phrase fills a noun-phrase slot, it is traditionally called a gerund phrase; we use both names interchangeably, but treat present participle phrase as the primary term so that one form name covers all the uses you have already seen (adverbial, adjectival, and now nominal).
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  • Swimming is good exercise. (subject)
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  • She enjoys reading novels. (direct object)
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  • She succeeded by working hard. (object of preposition)
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4. Infinitive Phrases.

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Infinitive phrases (to + verb) can function as nominals:
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  • To err is human. (subject)
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  • She wants to succeed. (direct object)
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  • The goal is to finish on time. (subject complement)
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5. Complement Clauses.

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A complement clause (also called a nominal clause or noun clause) is a full clause—with its own subject and predicate—filling a nominal position. Complement clauses are introduced by a complementizer: most commonly that, if, whether, or a wh-word (what, who, where, when, why, how).
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  • That she resigned surprised everyone. (subject)
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  • I believe that she is honest. (direct object)
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  • The problem is that we’re out of time. (subject complement)
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  • What she said was important. (subject)
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  • I don’t know where he went. (direct object)
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Section 14.8 introduces complement clauses; Section 14.9 examines their structural patterns.
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6. Nominalized Adjectives.

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Some adjectives, with a determiner, function nominally by referring to a group of people:
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