Nominal (or Noun) Phrases
A German nominal phrase, in general, consists of the following components in the following order:
article, number (cardinal or ordinal), adjective(s), noun, genitive attribute, position(s), relative clause, reflexive pronoun
- "Die dritte umwerfende Vorstellung des Schillerdramas in dieser Woche in Hamburg"
Of course, most noun phrases are not this complicated; adjectives, numbers, genitive attributes, positions, relative clauses and emphasizers are always optional.
A nominal phrase contains at least a cardinal number, an adjective, a pronoun, or a noun. It always has an article, except if it is an indefinite plural noun or refers to an uncountable mass.
- "Die Drei"
- "Der große Mann"
- "Der Mann"
If the noun is uncountable, an article is not used; otherwise, the meaning of the sentence changes.
- "Ich kaufe billiges Bier"
- "Ich kaufe ein billiges Bier"
- "Ich habe Geld"
- "Ich habe das Geld" or
A nominal phrase can be regarded a single unit. It has a case, a number, and a gender. Case and number depend on the context, whereas the main noun determines the gender.
Read more about this topic: German Grammar
Famous quotes containing the words nominal and/or phrases:
“Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser—in fees, expenses, and waste of time. As a peacemaker the lawyer has a superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
“I know those little phrases that seem so innocuous and, once you let them in, pollute the whole of speech. Nothing is more real than nothing. They rise up out of the pit and know no rest until they drag you down into its dark.”
—Samuel Beckett (1906–1989)