Phrases

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Phrases Introduction

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Introduction to Phrases

There are different views as to how many types of phrases there are. Some say 5 (five), 6 (six), 9 (nine) and I say there are 10 (ten). I will show you and then you can decide for yourself.

A phrase is a group of related words that does not include a subject and verb. (If the group of related words does contain a subject and verb, it is considered a clause.)

A phrase is a group of words without both a subject and predicate. There are several different kinds of phrases. Understanding how they are constructed and how they function within a sentence can bolster a writer's confidence in writing sentences that are sound in structure and various in form. Phrases combine words into a larger unit that can function as a sentence element. For example, a participial phrase can include adjectives, nouns, prepositions and adverbs; as a single unit, however, it functions as one big adjective modifying a noun (or noun phrase).

Phrases are considered as the second level of classification as they tend to be larger than individual words, but are smaller than sentences. We refer to the central element in a phrase as the head of the phrase. If the head is a noun then the phrase is called a noun phrase.

There are nine generally accepted classifications for phrases. These classifications are generally based on the headword or construction of the phrase. The headword can usually stand alone as a one-word phrase. It is the only part that cannot be omitted from the phrase.

A phrase is a group of words without both a subject and predicate. Phrases combine words into a larger unit that can function as a sentence element. For example, a participial phrase can include adjectives, nouns, prepositions and adverbs; as a single unit, however, it functions as one big adjective modifying a noun (or noun phrase).

Overview of Phrases

Noun Phrase - “The crazy old lady in the park feeds the pigeons every day.” A noun phrase consists of a noun and all of its modifiers, which can include other phrases (like the prepositional phrase in the park).

Appositive Phrase – “Bob, my best friend, works here” or “My best friend Bob works here.” An appositive (single word, phrase, or clause) renames another noun, not technically modifying it.

Gerund Phrase - “I love baking cakes.” A gerund phrase is just a noun phrase with a gerund as its head.

Infinitive Phrase – “I love to bake cakes.” An infinitive phrase is a noun phrase with an infinitive as its head. Unlike the other noun phrases, however, an infinitive phrase can also function as an adjective or an adverb.

Verb Phrase – The verb phrase can refer to the whole predicate of a sentence (I was watching my favorite show yesterday) or just the verb or verb group (was watching).

Adverbial Phrase – The adverbial phrase also has two definitions; some say it’s a group of adverbs (very quickly), while others say it’s any phrase (usually a prepositional phrase) that acts as an adverb

Adjectival Phrase – As with adverbial phrases, adjectival phrases can either refer to a group of adjectives (full of toys) or any phrase (like a participial or prepositional phrase) that acts as an adjective

Participial Phrase – “Crushed to pieces by a sledgehammer, the computer no longer worked” or “I think the guy sitting over there likes you.” A participial phrase has a past or present participle as its head. Participial phrases always function as adjectives.

Prepositional Phrase – “The food on the table looked delicious.” A prepositional phrase, which has a preposition as its head, can function as an adjective, adverb, or even as a noun.

Absolute Phrase – “My cake finally baking in the oven, I was free to rest for thirty minutes.” Unlike participial phrases, absolute phrases have subjects and modify the entire sentence, not one noun. Almost a clause, the absolute phrase can include every sentence element except a finite verb. For example, “My cake finally baking in the oven” would be its own sentence if you just added one finite verb: “My cake was finally baking in the oven.”

The Types

Noun Phases

Appositive Phrases

Gerund Phrases

Infinitive Phrases

Verb Phrases

Adverbial Phrases

Adjectival Phrases

Particpal Phrases

Prepositional Phrases

Absolute Phrases

Noun Phrases

NOUN PHRASE = noun + modifiers

A noun phrase is a group of related words which play the role of a noun. Like all phrases, a noun phrase does not have a subject and a verb.

A noun phrase consists of a noun and all of its modifiers. It can function in a sentence as a subject, object, or complement.

Some American school boards have begun to consider compensating teachers based on how well they teach rather than how long.

noun phrase = subject

Critics reject these controversial pay-for-performance plans, maintaining that they are unfair to teachers who have unusually difficult students.

noun phrase = direct object

According to both sides of the debate, teaching is a valuable profession, and compensation for this important job must be improved.

noun phrase = complement

Examples:

The shopkeeper will only allow 2 children in at once. (normal noun)

The overweight shopkeeper will only allow 2 children... (noun phrase)

Give it back to the boy. (normal noun)

Give it back to the boy on the boat. (noun phrase)

Interactive example:

Those aliens from Mars must have stolen your precious stapler.

[show me the noun phrase]

Often a noun phrase is just a noun or a pronoun:

People like to have money.I am tired.It is getting late.

or a determiner and a noun …:Our friends have bought a house in the village.Those houses are very expensive.

… perhaps with an adjective:Our closest friends have just bought a new house in the village.

Sometimes the noun phrase begins with a quantifier:

All those children go to school here.Both of my younger brothers are marriedSome people spend a lot of money.

Numbers:

Quantifiers come before determiners, but numbers come after determiners:My four children go to school here. (All my children go to school here.)Those two suitcases are mine. (Both those suitcases are mine)

So the noun phrase is built up in this way:Noun: people; money Determiner + noun: the village, a house, our friends; those housesQuantifier + noun: some people; a lot of moneyDeterminer + adjective + noun: our closest friends; a new house.Quantifier + determiner + noun: all those children;Quantifier + determiner + adjective + noun: both of my younger brothers

The noun phrase can be quite complicated:

a loaf of nice fresh brown breadthe eight-year-old boy who attempted to rob a sweet shop with a pistolthat attractive young woman in the blue dress sitting over there in the corner

Some words and phrases come after the noun. These are called post modifiers. A noun phrase can be post modified in several ways. Here are some examples:

• with a prepositional phrase:a man with a gunthe boy in the blue shirtthe house on the corner

• with an –ing phrase:

the man standing over therethe boy talking to Angela

• with a relative clause:the man we met yesterdaythe house that Jack builtthe woman who discovered radiuman eight-year-old boy who attempted to rob a sweet shop

• with a that clause.

This is very common with reporting or summarising nouns like idea, fact, belief, suggestion:

He’s still very fit, in spite of the fact that he’s over eighty.She got the idea that people didn’t like her.There was a suggestion that the children should be sent home.

• with a to-infinitive.This is very common after indefinite pronouns and adverbs:

You should take something to read.I need somewhere to sleep.I’ve got no decent shoes to wear.

There may be more than one post modifier:

an eight-year old boy with a gun who tried to rob a sweet shopthat girl over there in a green dress drinking a coke

Appositive/Apposition

APPOSITIVE PHRASE = noun phrase or other phrase functioning as a noun

An appositive phrase is a noun phrase or any other type of phrase functioning as a noun that renames a noun/pronoun preceding it.

Examples

Determined looks on their faces, parents waited in line outside the mall at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday with one goal in mind, to get the newest Harry Potter book for their children.

appositive phrase = infinitive phrase renaming goal

In the first book of the series, Harry, an orphan who is forced to live with relatives who detest him, receives an invitation to study at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

appositive phrase = noun phrase renaming Harry

An appositive is the word(s) which follow a noun to rename it or describe it in another way. Appositives are usually offset with commas, brackets or dashes.

Examples:

My best friend, Lee, caught a whelk when he was fishing for bass. noun appositive

Dr Pat, the creator of the turnip brew, sold 8 barrels on the first day. appositive of "Dr Pat"

(Apposition: "Lee" is in apposition to "My best friend", and "the creator of the turnip brew" is in apposition to "Dr Pat".)


Don't leave your shoes there, or my dog, Ollie, will munch them.

[show me the appositive]

If the appositive is just additional information (i.e., you could remove it from the sentence without any loss of meaning), then it should be offset from the remainder of the sentence (usually with commas).

Jane Smith, who swam 100m in under a minute, wins the award for most improved swimmer.

Recognize an appositive when you see one.

An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it. The appositive can be a short or long combination of words. Look at these examples:

The insect, a cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table.

The insect, a large cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table.

The insect, a large cockroach with hairy legs, is crawling across the kitchen table.

The insect, a large, hairy-legged cockroach that has spied my bowl of oatmeal, is crawling across the kitchen table.

Here are more examples:

During the dinner conversation, Clifford, the messiest eater at the table, spewed mashed potatoes like an erupting volcano.

My 286 computer, a modern-day dinosaur, chews floppy disks as noisily as my brother does peanut brittle.

Genette's bedroom desk, the biggest disaster area in the house, is a collection of overdue library books, dirty plates, computer components, old mail, cat hair, and empty potato chip bags.

Reliable, Diane's eleven-year-old beagle, chews holes in the living room carpeting as if he were still a puppy.

Punctuate the appositive correctly.

The important point to remember is that a nonessential appositive is always separated from the rest of the sentence with comma(s).

When the appositive begins the sentence, it looks like this:

A hot-tempered tennis player, Robbie charged the umpire and tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket.

When the appositive interrupts the sentence, it looks like this:

Robbie, a hot-tempered tennis player, charged the umpire and tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket.

And when the appositive ends the sentence, it looks like this:

Upset by the bad call, the crowd cheered Robbie, a hot-tempered tennis player who charged the umpire and tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket.

Gerund Phrase

GERUND PHRASE = gerund + modifiers, objects, or complements

A gerund phrase includes a gerund and its modifiers, objects, or complements. It always functions as a noun.

Examples

Becoming a Wimbledon finalist was Patrick Rafter's only thought as he competed against Andre Agassi during a semifinal match.

gerund phrase = subject

Venus Williams dreamt all her life about playing in the Grand Slam final at Wimbledon.

gerund phrase = object of the preposition about

One of Serena Williams' biggest disappointments after her semifinal defeat was losing her spot for tennis singles in the Olympics.

gerund phrase = complement

A gerund is a noun formed from a verb by adding the suffix "ing". The following are all gerunds:

Examples:

climbing / polishing / eating

Although a gerund is a noun, it can still take an object (like a verb). The gerund, its object and all modifiers (adjectives and adverbs) are known as a gerund phrase.

Examples:Eating blackberries without washing them will make you ill.

gerund phrase

I am not prepared to authorise climbing the cliffs in the dark.


So, you think beating eggs with a fork is acceptable, do you?

[show me the gerund phrase]

gerund phrase

Infinitive Phrase

INFINITIVE PHRASE = infinitive + modifiers, objects, or complements

An infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive and its modifiers, objects, or complements. It can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

Examples

To write clearly and concisely can be difficult sometimes for even the most accomplished writers.

infinitive phrase = noun functioning as the subject

Proofreading your writing is a good way to ensure the absence of typing mistakes.

infinitive phrase = adjective modifying way

To greatly increase the amount of stress in your life, leave your writing task until the night before it is due.

infinitive phrase = adverb modifying leave

The infinitive form of a verb is usually preceded by "to" (e.g., to run, to dance, to think). An infinitive phrase is this form of the verb plus any complements or modifiers.

Examples (infinitive phrases in bold):

He helped to build the roof.

Let me show you the best way to paint the door.

The officer returned to help the inspectors.

Infinitive phrases can be used as nouns, adjectives and adverbs.

Examples:

He helped to build the roof. (noun)

Let me show you the best way to paint the door. (adjective)

The officer returned to help the inspectors. (adverb)


The only solution is to lower the standards.

[show me the infinitive phrase]

Verb Phrase

VERB PHRASE = main verb + helping verbs

A verb phrase includes a main verb and its helping verbs. It can function only as the predicate of a sentence.

Examples

High-tech businesses with more positions than employees are recruiting talented staffers from overseas.

Without highly-trained foreign workers, many American companies would be forced to ship work off to other countries.

Many labor advocates do fear that this practice of employing foreign staffers deprives Americans of work.

Recognize a verb phrase when you see one.

Every sentence must have a verb. To depict doable activities, writers use action verbs. To describe conditions, writers choose linking verbs.

Sometimes an action or condition occurs just once—pow!—and it's over. Read these two short sentences:

Offering her license and registration, Selena sobbed in the driver's seat.

Officer Carson was unmoved.

Other times, the activity or condition continues over a long stretch of time, happens predictably, or occurs in relationship to other events. In these instances, a single-word verb like sobbed or was cannot accurately describe what happened, so writers use multipart verb phrases to communicate what they mean. As many as four words can comprise a verb phrase.

A main or base verb indicates the type of action or condition, and auxiliary—or helping—verbs convey the other nuances that writers want to express.

Read these three examples:

The tires screeched as Selena mashed the accelerator.

Selena is always disobeying the speed limit.

Selena should have been driving with more care, for then she would not have gotten her third ticket this year.

In the first sentence, screeched and mashed, single-word verbs, describe the quick actions of both the tires and Selena.

Since Selena has an inclination to speed, is disobeying [a two-word verb] communicates the frequency of her law breaking. The auxiliary verbs that comprise should have been driving [a four-word verb] and would have gotten [a three-word verb] express not only time relationships but also evaluation of Selena's actions.

Realize that an adverb is not part of the verb phrase.

Since a verb phrase might use up to four words, a short adverb—such as also, never, or not—might try to sneak in between the parts. When you find an adverb snuggled in a verb phrase, it is still an adverb, not part of the verb. Read these examples:

For her birthday, Selena would also like a radar detector. Would like = verb; also = adverb.

To avoid another speeding ticket, Selena will never again take her eyes off the road to fiddle with the radio. Will take = verb; never, again = adverbs.

Despite the stern warning from Officer Carson, Selena has not lightened her foot on the accelerator. Has lightened = verb; not = adverb.

Adverbial Phrases

An adverbial phrase is a group of related words which play the role of an adverb. Like all phrases, an adverbial phrase does not include a subject and a verb.

Example:

Tony decided to move to Reading yesterday. (normal adverb)

Tony decided to move to Slough in June last year. (adverbial phrase)


Darcy can build a card pyramid in less than a minute.

[show me the adverbial phrase]

When an adverbial phrase is at the start of a sentence, it is usual to follow it with a comma.

On the count of 3, leap across.

Adjective Phrases

An adjective phrase usually starts with a preposition (e.g., of, in, on) or a participle (e.g., taken, leaving) and follows the noun it is modifying.

Example:

This is the end of a very long road.

adjective phrase

Did you see the man leaving the shop?

adjective phrase


The mother of the boys was just as bad.

[show me the adjective phrase]

Participle Phrases

PARTICIPIAL PHRASE = participle + modifiers, objects, or complements

A participial phrase consists of a present or past participle and its modifiers, objects, or complements. It always functions as an adjective.

Examples

On the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Berliners remembering the end of the Cold War celebrated with outdoor concerts, impromptu parties, and spectacular fireworks.

present participle phrase = adjective modifying Berliners

Scattered across the world in bits and pieces, the Berlin Wall has virtually disappeared from its original location between East and West Berlin.

past participle phrase = adjective modifying Berlin Wall

A participle phrase is an adjective phrase that starts with a participle. It usually follows the noun (or pronoun) which it modifies.

Examples:You could see the panther releasing its grip.

noun participle phrase (present participle)

Is that Arthur running for the bus?

noun participle phrase (present participle)

We must raise funds to replace the window broken last week in the storm.

noun participle phrase (past participle)

Prepositional Phrase

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE = preposition + object of the preposition + modifiers

A preposition, its object, and its modifiers make up a prepositional phrase. It often functions as an adjective or adverb, but it can function as a noun as well.

Examples

Although previously abundant, the water supply in the United States is expected to decline dramatically.

prepositional phrase = adjective modifying water supply

Almost half of Africa's population suffers from water-related diseases.

prepositional phrase = adverb modifying suffers

The best time to practice water conservation is before a water shortage.

prepositional phrase = noun functioning as a complement

A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun.

Examples (prepositions in bold):

There are a number of factors.

The hamster sprinted across its cage.

prepositional phase

prepositional phase


The bus went along Cam St. and hit the top of the tunnel.

[show me the prepositional phrase]

Prepositional phrases sometimes make your subject seem plural, even though it might be singular.

A container of nuts and bolts were found in the attic.

(should be was / The subject is "container".)

Absolute PhraseABSOLUTE PHRASE = noun/pronoun + participle + modifiers, objects, or complements

An absolute phrase often includes a noun or pronoun, a participle, and any modifiers, objects or complements of the phrase. Usually set off by commas, it modifies an entire sentence rather than a specific word.Examples

Extra-curricular activities demanding more and more of their attention, many children don't have the time they need to develop strong emotional ties with their parents and siblings.

Some Minnesota parents, their patience and schedules stretched to the limit, have begun to fight back against extra-curricular programs that penalize children for spending time with their families instead of attending additional mandatory practices or meetings.

Family Life 1st! continues to spread the message about the importance of family togetherness, its members encouraged by support from the religious community, and surprisingly, the coaching community as well.

Recognize an absolute phrase when you see one.

An absolute phrase combines a noun and a participle with any accompanying modifiers or objects.

Here are some examples:Legs quivering

Legs = noun; quivering = participle.

Her arms folded across her chest Arms = noun; folded = participle; her, across her chest = modifiers.

Our fingers scraping the leftover frosting off the plates

Fingers = noun; scraping = participle; frosting = direct object; our, the, leftover, off the plates = modifiers.

Rather than modifying a specific word, an absolute phrase will describe the whole clause:

We devoured Aunt Lenora's carrot cake, our fingers scraping the leftover frosting off the plates.

Legs quivering, our old dog Gizmo dreamed of chasing squirrels.

Her arms folded across her chest, Professor Hill warned the class about the penalties of plagiarism.

Quiz

Identify the correct choice in each question and click on the to see whether your answer is correct.

1. Steven's book, which made Oprah's Book Club this month, is not in any stores.a. prepositional phrase

b. participial phrase

c. gerund phrase

d. infinitive phrase

2. While preparing for the speech, Joe couldn't help but worry about his entrance.

a. prepositional phrase


c. gerund phrase


3. Ahmad wants to visit Quebec, but he will need to wait for his next vacation.

a. prepositional phrase


c. gerund phrase


5. Our boss supports donating time to charity.a. prepositional phrase


c. gerund phrase


4. Hoping for a miracle, the doctors continued the surgery.a. prepositional phrase


c. gerund phrase


6. Marta fell over the cat. a. infinitive phrase

b. appositive

c. gerund phrase

d. prepositional phrase

e. clause

f. participial phrase

7. Pretending to be asleep, the hiker escaped the bear. a. infinitive phrase

b. appositive

c. gerund phrase


e. clause


8. Susan Sarandon, a famous actress, has been very supportive of the striking workers.

a. infinitive phrase

b. appositive

c. gerund phrase


e. clause


9. To finish the marathon in less than five hours is Tom's goal. a. infinitive phrase

b. appositive

c. gerund phrase


e. clause


10. She preferred eating at the local deli for lunch. a. infinitive phrase

b. appositive

c. gerund phrase


e. clause


Phrases

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