Friday 21st March 2025

LO: I am learning to use expanded noun phrases

Read the sentences opposite. They each contain one or more expanded noun phrases. With your talk partner, see if you can identify them. You’ll remember from Year 5 that effective expanded noun phrases should build descriptions of nouns in a concise and precise way.

The most common way to create an expanded noun phrase is to add an adjective before the noun e.g. ‘the aerial assassin …’

You can also build description by adding a relative clause or a prepositional phrase after the noun. e.g. ‘The remarkable sparrowhawk, which had supreme flying abilities, …’ (relative clause), and  ‘The remarkable raptor, with rounded wings and a lightweight body, …’ (prepositional phrase).

Example sentences:

1) As it flew close to the ground, the aerial assassin with rounded wings and a lightweight body powerfully scooped up the air.

2) The remarkable raptor, which had supreme flying abilities, flew through the tiniest of gaps.

3) The sparrowhawk, with long, strong legs and a tail that acted like a steering wheel, was able to accelerate and manoeuvre much better than other birds of prey.

Grammar challenge:

Challenge 1

Highlight the expanded noun phrases in the paragraph below:

Sparrowhawks prefer to nest in areas of dense woodland. They are specialist hunters  of birds; more than 120 species have been recorded as prey, ranging in size from the teeny-tiny goldcrest to the large chicken-like pheasant. In recent years, their hunting ground has widened to include densely populated towns and cities, where songbirds are frequent visitors to gardens and parks. They prefer to make their surprisingly large nests, which are a messy bundle of sticks, in forested areas, parks and large gardens. In these ramshackle nests that can measure up to 60cm, they lay four to six pale blue and brown speckled eggs. They live across temperate areas of Europe, Asia and northern Africa and unlike other northern-dwelling birds, they do not migrate to the warmer south for the winter.

Challenge 2

Read the passage below. It has lots of simple noun phrases. Expand the simple noun phrases by adding an adjective in front of the noun as well as adding some prepositional phrases and relative clauses to make the passage more interesting to read.

Sparrowhawks are one of the most ___________ birds of prey in the United Kingdom. The ___________ males have a __________ back with _______________________________ underneath. By contrast, the bigger females are recognisable for their _______________ plumage.  Flying at speeds of up to 50kph, these ____________ , __________ raptors are able to strike in just four seconds. They use their __________, _________ wings, which ____________________________________ , to power themselves forwards. Their _______________ tail, which ________________________________ , enable them to make precise movements in the air.

Challenge 3

Write your own David Attenborough-style script to accompany the video. Try to include some of the words from the Word Wall below and don’t forget to include sentences that contain expanded noun phrases, where there is additional information about the nouns, both before (through adjectives) and after them (through prepositional phrases or relative clauses). Record yourself reading this out and send it along to your teacher. 

Writing challenge:

As sparrowhawks fly, they are constantly manoeuvring and adjusting their speed and flight position. Imagining that you are a sparrowhawk, write a descriptive passage about what you can see, feel and hear as you navigate your way through a maze of small gardens in search of prey.