Expanded Noun Phrases: Arctic fox
The Grammar Bit!
Read the three scintillating sentences opposite. They each contain one or more expanded noun phrases (bold). Effective expanded noun phrases should build description of nouns in a quick and precise way.
The most common way to do this is by adding one or more adjectives before the noun. e.g. ‘the thick white fur coat’.
You can also build description by adding a prepositional phrase (underlined) after the noun. e.g ‘with an appetite for lemmings and voles’ and ‘by a large dump truck.’
With your talk partner, read the sentences again. Can you replace either the adjectives or the prepositional phrases with your own words?
Scintillating Sentences
1) The Arctic fox has a thick white fur coat to keep it warm and hidden from predators such as wolves, polar bears and golden eagles.
2) As the blizzard raged, the ravenous Arctic fox, with an appetite for lemmings and voles, pounded the snow with its front paws.
2) In a freezing car park, the Arctic fox found some scraps of food by a large dump truck.
Did you know?
Although an Arctic fox’s coat is white in winter, it turns brown in the summer. As the ice melts, this new colour helps the fox to blend in with the summer tundra’s rocks and plants.