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KS2 · Grammar

Y5.7 Expanded Noun Phrases

Calculators not allowed · about 40 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. Show all your working.

The Storm at Ravenscar

Source written for Revision Library (original, copyright-free). Written specifically for this grammar worksheet pack; not derived from or based on any published work, past paper or copyrighted text.

Ben had never seen a storm like the one that battered Ravenscar that night. Thick, charcoal-grey clouds rolled in from the sea, swallowing the last strip of daylight. His grandfather, an old fisherman with weathered hands, checked the small wooden boat tied to the harbour wall. The howling wind rattled the rusty iron gate at the end of the garden. Ben pulled on his thick woollen jumper and his battered green wellingtons before stepping outside. Down at the harbour, a tall stone lighthouse sent its bright beam sweeping across the churning waves. Two fishing boats with torn orange sails struggled to reach the safety of the harbour wall. Ben's grandfather, calm despite the danger, guided the exhausted young sailor onto the slippery stone steps. By midnight, the ferocious storm had finally begun to ease, leaving behind a scene of scattered debris and quiet relief. Ben's grandfather made a mug of hot, sweet tea and told stories of storms he had survived as a boy.

An expanded noun phrase adds extra detail to a noun by using adjectives, a noun used as a modifier, or a prepositional phrase. Tick the expanded noun phrase in each sentence below.

(a)The exhausted, mud-spattered hiker collapsed onto the bench.(1)

A) exhausted
B) The exhausted, mud-spattered hiker
C) collapsed onto the bench

(b)A rusty iron key hung on a nail by the door.(1)

A) A rusty iron key
B) hung on a nail
C) by the door

(c)The children admired the ancient stone bridge.(1)

A) The children
B) admired
C) the ancient stone bridge

(d)A fierce, hungry wolf prowled through the moonlit forest.(1)

A) A fierce, hungry wolf
B) prowled
C) through the moonlit forest

Underline the two adjectives that both describe the noun in each sentence below.

(a)The old, rickety ladder leaned against the wall.(1)

(b)A curious, playful kitten chased the ball of wool.(1)

(c)The dark, stormy sky loomed over the harbour.(1)

Circle the head noun (the main noun being described) in each expanded noun phrase below.

(a)the tall, leafy oak tree(1)

(b)a plate of hot, buttery toast(1)

(c)the frightened baby rabbit(1)

Adjective	Noun used as a modifier	Preposition

(6)

Choose a suitable adjective from the box to expand each noun phrase below.
Word bank: silvery | rickety | enormous

(a)the ___ moon(1)

(b)the ___ bridge(1)

(c)the ___ elephant(1)

Choose a suitable noun from the box to use as a modifier in each noun phrase below.
Word bank: football | kitchen | mountain

(a)the ___ stadium(1)

(b)the ___ table(1)

(c)the ___ range(1)

Choose a suitable prepositional phrase from the box to expand each noun phrase below. Add it after the noun.
Word bank: with a broken handle | of fresh strawberries | in the corner

(a)the old teapot ___(1)

(b)a bowl ___(1)

(c)the dusty armchair ___(1)

Expand the noun phrase in brackets by adding the adjective AND the prepositional phrase given, then write the complete sentence below.

(a)(dog) barked at the postman. Add: loyal / with a shaggy coat(2)

(b)(climber) finally reached the summit. Add: determined / from the local climbing club(2)

Some of the sentences below need a comma between two adjectives; others do not. Insert a comma where it is needed, or write 'no comma needed' if the sentence is already correct.

(a)The tired hungry puppy fell asleep.(1)

(b)A tall thin man walked past.(1)

(c)The old wooden gate creaked.(1)

Good writers choose expanded noun phrases that are precise and concise, rather than vague or repetitive. Tick the more effective expanded noun phrase in each pair below.

(a)Which expanded noun phrase is more effective?(1)

A) the really big, very old house
B) the enormous, crumbling house

(b)Which expanded noun phrase is more effective?(1)

A) a nice dog that was brown
B) a friendly brown spaniel

(c)Which expanded noun phrase is more effective?(1)

A) the good football player who was very fast
B) the swift, skilful footballer

Each sentence below has one comma error in its expanded noun phrase. Rewrite each sentence correctly.

(a)The tall, dark, mysterious, stranger walked in.(1)

(b)A loud rusty gate creaked in the wind.(1)

(c)The girl in the blue coat, was waiting at the bus stop.(1)

The paragraph below has three comma errors in its expanded noun phrases. Find and correct the three errors.

The old, rusty gate swung open. A large hungry dog ran across the muddy, overgrown, garden and barked at the tired dusty postman.

(3)

The sentence below has a comma that should not be there. Explain why, then rewrite the sentence correctly.

The bright, red, kite soared above the beach.

(2)

Expand the noun phrase 'the cat' by adding one adjective before it and one prepositional phrase after it. Write your complete sentence below.

The cat sat on the mat.

(2)

Write two sentences of your own about a mysterious box that has washed up on a beach.

(a)Write one sentence that includes an expanded noun phrase using two adjectives before the noun.(2)

(b)Write one sentence that includes an expanded noun phrase using a noun as a modifier AND a prepositional phrase after the noun.(2)

Combine the three short sentences below into one sentence. Turn the extra information about the ship into a single expanded noun phrase.

A ship arrived at the harbour. The ship was ancient. The ship had a broken mast.

(3)

Look again at the passage 'The Storm at Ravenscar' at the top of this pack. Find and write down: (i) one expanded noun phrase that uses two adjectives, (ii) one that uses a noun as a modifier, and (iii) one that uses a prepositional phrase after the noun.

(3)

In the passage, the writer describes Ben's grandfather as 'an old fisherman with weathered hands'. Explain the effect of this expanded noun phrase on the reader.

(2)

The writer opens the passage with 'Thick, charcoal-grey clouds' and ends it with 'a scene of scattered debris and quiet relief'. Explain one difference between the effect of these two expanded noun phrases on the reader.

(2)

Mark scheme · Y5.7 Expanded Noun Phrases

Question 1

(a) B1 B ticked (The exhausted, mud-spattered hiker) cao
(a) Answer: B) The exhausted, mud-spattered hiker
(b) B1 A ticked (A rusty iron key) cao
(b) Answer: A) A rusty iron key
(c) B1 C ticked (the ancient stone bridge) cao
(c) Answer: C) the ancient stone bridge
(d) B1 A ticked (A fierce, hungry wolf) cao
(d) Answer: A) A fierce, hungry wolf

Question 2

(a) B1 old and rickety both underlined cao
(a) Answer: old, rickety
(b) B1 curious and playful both underlined cao
(b) Answer: curious, playful
(c) B1 dark and stormy both underlined cao
(c) Answer: dark, stormy

Question 3

(a) B1 tree circled cao
(a) Answer: tree
(b) B1 plate circled cao
(b) Answer: plate
(c) B1 rabbit circled cao
(c) Answer: rabbit

Question 4

B1 creaky sorted under Adjective cao
B1 ancient sorted under Adjective cao
B1 garden sorted under Noun used as a modifier cao
B1 stone sorted under Noun used as a modifier cao
B1 with sorted under Preposition cao
B1 of sorted under Preposition cao
Answer: Adjective: creaky, ancient. Noun used as a modifier: garden, stone. Preposition: with, of.

Question 5

(a) B1 silvery moon cao
(a) Answer: the silvery moon
(b) B1 rickety bridge cao
(b) Answer: the rickety bridge
(c) B1 enormous elephant cao
(c) Answer: the enormous elephant

Question 6

(a) B1 football stadium cao
(a) Answer: the football stadium
(b) B1 kitchen table cao
(b) Answer: the kitchen table
(c) B1 mountain range cao
(c) Answer: the mountain range

Question 7

(a) B1 with a broken handle cao
(a) Answer: the old teapot with a broken handle
(b) B1 of fresh strawberries cao
(b) Answer: a bowl of fresh strawberries
(c) B1 in the corner cao
(c) Answer: the dusty armchair in the corner

Question 8

(a) B1 loyal placed correctly before dog cao
(a) B1 with a shaggy coat placed correctly after dog cao
(a) Answer: The loyal dog with a shaggy coat barked at the postman.
(b) B1 determined placed correctly before climber cao
(b) B1 from the local climbing club placed correctly after climber cao
(b) Answer: The determined climber from the local climbing club finally reached the summit.

Question 9

(a) B1 comma inserted between tired and hungry cao
(a) Answer: The tired, hungry puppy fell asleep.
(b) B1 comma inserted between tall and thin cao
(b) Answer: A tall, thin man walked past.
(c) B1 no comma needed; old wooden gate is already correctly punctuated cao
(c) Answer: The old wooden gate creaked. (no comma needed)

Question 10

(a) B1 B ticked cao
(a) Answer: B) the enormous, crumbling house
(b) B1 B ticked cao
(b) Answer: B) a friendly brown spaniel
(c) B1 B ticked cao
(c) Answer: B) the swift, skilful footballer

Question 11

(a) B1 The tall, dark, mysterious stranger walked in. (comma before the head noun removed) cao
(a) Answer: The tall, dark, mysterious stranger walked in.
(b) B1 A loud, rusty gate creaked in the wind. (comma inserted between loud and rusty) cao
(b) Answer: A loud, rusty gate creaked in the wind.
(c) B1 The girl in the blue coat was waiting at the bus stop. (comma before was removed) cao
(c) Answer: The girl in the blue coat was waiting at the bus stop.

Question 12

B1 comma inserted between large and hungry cao
B1 comma removed between overgrown and garden cao
B1 comma inserted between tired and dusty cao
Answer: The old, rusty gate swung open. A large, hungry dog ran across the muddy, overgrown garden and barked at the tired, dusty postman.

Question 13

B1 valid explanation that the last adjective, red, must join directly onto the head noun kite with no comma between them (oe)
B1 The bright, red kite soared above the beach. written with the extra comma removed cao
Answer: The bright, red kite soared above the beach. (There should be no comma between the last adjective, red, and the noun it describes, kite.)

Question 14

B1 a suitable adjective added directly before cat
B1 a suitable prepositional phrase added directly after cat, and the sentence still makes sense
Answer: Example: The sleepy cat with black paws sat on the mat.

Question 15

(a) B1 two suitable adjectives placed before a noun, separated by a comma
(a) B1 the whole sentence makes sense
(a) Answer: Example: The battered, barnacled box lay half-buried in the sand.
(b) B1 a noun correctly used as a modifier directly before the head noun
(b) B1 a suitable prepositional phrase added after the noun, and the sentence still makes sense
(b) Answer: Example: The treasure chest with a rusted padlock creaked as the tide pulled away.

Question 16

B1 ancient correctly used as a pre-modifying adjective directly before ship cao
B1 with a broken mast correctly used as a post-modifying prepositional phrase directly after ship cao
B1 whole sentence grammatically correct and keeps the original meaning cao
Answer: The ancient ship with a broken mast arrived at the harbour.

Question 17

B1 correct two-adjective example identified, e.g. Thick, charcoal-grey clouds or hot, sweet tea
B1 correct noun-used-as-a-modifier example identified, e.g. stone lighthouse, iron gate, fishing boats or stone steps
B1 correct prepositional-phrase example identified, e.g. an old fisherman with weathered hands, Two fishing boats with torn orange sails, or a scene of scattered debris and quiet relief
Answer: Example: (i) Thick, charcoal-grey clouds; (ii) stone lighthouse; (iii) an old fisherman with weathered hands.

Question 18

B1 identifies that the prepositional phrase with weathered hands suggests years of hard physical work or experience at sea
B1 identifies an effect on the reader, e.g. reassures the reader that the grandfather knows how to cope with the storm (oe)
Answer: It shows through concrete physical detail that the grandfather has spent years working at sea, reassuring the reader that he is capable of handling the storm.

Question 19

B1 identifies that Thick, charcoal-grey clouds uses two stacked adjectives to create a dark, threatening atmosphere at the start
B1 identifies that a scene of scattered debris and quiet relief uses a prepositional phrase listing the calmer aftermath, creating contrast or resolution at the end (oe, accept either order)
Answer: Thick, charcoal-grey clouds uses two adjectives to build a threatening mood at the start, while a scene of scattered debris and quiet relief uses a prepositional phrase to show a calmer, contrasting aftermath at the end.

Expanded Noun Phrases - Worksheets, Questions and Revision