The Object - Nominal Phrase or Noun?

Question

Hi,I´m confused about the following:In the example sentence "I gave him a red book", the noun "book" would be according to many sources simply the direct object. Now, it is apparent that in the example sentence this noun is accompanied by two so called "modifiers" the indefinite article or determiner "a" and the adjective "red".Together they make a nominal phrase (NP) that carries the head-noun "book" and the two pre-modifiers of this head-noun "a" and "red".What´s now so confusing for me is that in some sources (in the internet) it is said that NPs could act as objects.This way, I don´t understand what I have to assign as the direct object:Only the simple noun "book" or the NP "a red book"?I understand that even the people who take only the simple noun as the object sometimes say that these nouns have modifiers with them, but in the end it makes a difference whether one takes only the head-noun as the object or instead the whole nominal phrase.Who can help?What is now defininitely the direct object of the sentence? The simple noun "book" or the whole nominal phrase"a red book"?Thanks in advance for your answers.

BillJ · Accepted Answer

hat piano 299Hi, I´m confused about the following: In the example sentence "I gave him a red book", the noun "book" would be according to many sources simply the direct object.

No, the direct object is the noun phrase "a red book".

hat piano 299Now, it is apparent that in the example sentence this noun is accompanied by two so called "modifiers" the indefinite article or determiner "a" and the adjective "red".

"Red" is a modifier but the article “a” is a determiner. Modifier and determiner are different functions.

hat piano 299Together they make a nominal phrase (NP) that carries the head-noun "book" and the two pre-modifiers of this head-noun "a" and "red".

Not quite: NP stands for noun phrase, not nominal phrase - there is a difference. In your example, the nominal is just “red book”. When the determiner is added it becomes an NP.

hat piano 299What´s now so confusing for me is that in some sources (in the internet) it is said that NPs could act as objects. This way, I don´t understand what I have to assign as the direct object:Only the simple noun "book" or the NP "a red book"?

The direct object is the NP “a red book”. In tree structure, at phrase level, the direct object is a constituent consisting of the head "book" and its two dependents, "a" and "red". The dependents are not here separate constituents, so they can only be part of the NP. What else could they be?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

hat piano 299What´s now so confusing for me is that in some sources (in the internet) it is said that NPs could act as objects.

The confusion is due to the fact that there is not one single system of analysis. You need to be aware that the internet contains a mixed bag of all the different systems that have existed since the dawn of linguistics. And these systems use different methods and vocabularies. So decide on a reference grammar text, and then you won't be confused.

The Object - Nominal Phrase or Noun?

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