Editing Noun phrase (section)

== History ==
An early conception of the noun phrase can be found in ''First work in English'' by [[Alexander Murison]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Murison |first=Alexander |title=First Work in English: Grammar and Composition Taught by a Comparative Study of Equivalent Forms |publisher=[[Longman]], Green, and Co. |year=1875 |location=Aberdeen}}</ref> In this conception a noun phrase is "the infinitive of the verb" (p.&nbsp;146), which may appear "in any position in the sentence where a noun may appear". For example, ''<u>to be just</u> is more important than <u>to be generous</u>'' has two underlined infinitives which may be replaced by nouns, as in ''justice is more important than generosity''. This same conception can be found in subsequent grammars, such as 1878's ''A Tamil Grammar''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lazarus |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=718IAAAAQAAJ&dq=%22noun+phrase%22&pg=PA198 |title=A Tamil Grammar, Designed for Use in Colleges and Schools |date=1878 |publisher=Addison & Company |language=ta}}</ref> or 1882's ''Murby's English grammar and analysis'', where the conception of an X phrase is a phrase that can stand in for X.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Robertson |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U3ICAAAAQAAJ |title=Murby's English grammar and analysis, taught simultaneously |date=1882 |language=en}}</ref> By 1912, the concept of a noun phrase as being based around a noun can be found, for example, "an adverbial noun phrases is a group of words of which the noun is the base word, that tells the time or place of an action, or how long, how far, or how much".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kimball |first1=Lillian Gertrude |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZkJKAAAAIAAJ&dq=participial+phrase&pg=PA232 |title=English Grammar |date=1912 |publisher=American Book Company |page=91 |access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref> By 1924, the idea of a noun phrase being a noun plus dependents seems to be established. For example, "Note order of words in noun-phrase--noun + adj. + genitive" suggests <ref>{{Cite book |last=Gadd |first=Cyril John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=89ILAwAAQBAJ |title=A Sumerian Reading-Book |year=1924 |pages=45|publisher=Рипол Классик |isbn=9785873153022 }}</ref> a more modern conception of noun phrases.