A word or group of words that names constituting a grammatical or linguistic unit that can be used as a noun in English. Such a group has three functions: interpersonal (how the use of the clause affects the interaction between two speakers, a reader or a writer), ideational (meaning of the clause), and textual (structure of words making up a clause and the placement of the clause in the surrounding text). Together these features coalesce to give meaning to the clause (a clause being a group of words with a subject and a predicate). Thus, the important feature of nominal groups is their use in conveying densely packed information as exploited by mature speakers or writers.
See General nominals, Predicates (grammar), Semantics, Specific nominals