Expanded noun phrases: dung beetle

The Grammar Bit!

Read the three 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 an adjective before the noun. e.g. ‘The unrelenting desert .’

You can also build description by adding a prepositional phrase or a relative clause after the noun. e.g. ‘The exhausted dung beetle at the bottom of the towering sand dune’ (prepositional phrase) and ‘The beetle, who had a huge appetite’ (relative clause).

With your talk partner, take one of the sentences opposite, and see if you can say the sentence aloud with an alternative expanded noun phrase.