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Noun phrases in spoken academic styles

141e

Spoken academic styles vary from being rather formal (e.g. large, formal lectures)

to quite informal (e.g. small-group tutorials where teacher and students have built

up a relaxed, friendly relationship). Noun phrases more typical of written styles,

with much premodification and postmodification, occur in formal lectures, etc.

(noun phrases in green, premodificaton and postmodificaton in bold type)

[lecture on English literature]

But despite the apparent diversity of opinion, Anti-Pamelists were united on

what they saw as three serious problems. All of which pertained to 

the earlier

apparently subversive part of the novel

. 

[endocrinology lecture]

So you ought to be able to work out what seventy per cent of sixteen point eight

millimoles per minute is in terms of 

the proximal tubular sodium reabsorption

per minute

. 

In more informal lecturing styles and in informal tutorials and classes, typical

spoken noun phrases are common, where information is added incrementally

rather than integrated into a single noun phrase:

(noun phrases in green, noun heads in bold type)

[informal literature seminar]

It is 

a fascinating 

question

. It’s 

a 

question of the kind that I don’t think we

pursue enough

. And 

it’s 

one that I’m still wrestling with

.

(compare an integrated alternative: It is a fascinating and under-researched

question which is the subject of continuing investigation.)