Download Clauses and phrases

WHAT IS A PHRASE?
A phrase is a collection of words that may have nouns or verbs, but it does not have a
subject doing a verb. The following are examples of phrases:
leaving behind the dog
smashing into a fence
before the first test
after the devastation
between ignorance and intelligence
broken into thousands of pieces
because of her glittering smile
PHRASES: (CANNOT STAND ALONE)
In these examples, you will find nouns (dog,
fence, test, devastation, ignorance,
intelligence, thousands, pieces).
You also have some verbs (leaving, smashing),
but in no case is the noun functioning as a
subject doing a predicate verb. They are all
phrases.
ABSOLUTE PHRASE
An absolute phrase combines
a noun and a participle with any
accompanying modifiers or objects.
The pattern NOUN + PARTICIPLE + OPTIONAL MODIFIER(S) AND/OR OBJECT(S)
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.
ooks like this:
Rather than modifying a specific
word, an absolute phrase will
describe the whole clause. They
are most effective in a TRIAD (3).
A sentence can also contain more than one noun
phrase.
-For example….
The girl with blue eyes bought a beautiful chair.
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE
A prepositional phrase consists of a
preposition, object of preposition(noun
or pronoun) and may also consist of
other modifiers.
on a table, near a wall, in the room, at the door, under a
tree
…..think of the box!!!!!
- A prepositional phrase starts with a
preposition and mostly ends with a noun or
pronoun.
-Whatever prepositional phrase ends with is
called object of preposition
INFINITIVE PHRASE
An infinitive phrase consist of an infinitive(to + simple
form of verb) and modifiers or other words associated
to the infinitive.
An infinitive phrase always functions as an adjective,
adverb or a noun in a sentence.
Examples.
He likes to read books.
To earn money is a desire of everyone.
He shouted to inform people about fire.
He made a plan to buy a car.
(As noun/object)
(As noun/subject)
(As adverb, modifies verb shout)
(As adjective, modifies noun plan)
APPOSITIVE PHRASE
An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it.
Ex: 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.
The important point to remember is that a nonessential appositive
is always separated from the rest of the sentence with comma(s).
At the beginning: A hot-tempered tennis player, Robbie charged the umpire and tried
to crack the poor man's skull with a racket.
In the middle: Robbie, a hot-tempered tennis player, charged the umpire and tried to
crack the poor man's skull with a racket.
At the end: 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.
Every clause has at
least a subject and a verb.
MAIN CLAUSE
Every main clause will follow this
pattern:
SUBJECT + VERB = COMPLETE THOUGHT.
Here are some examples:
-Lazy students whine.
Students = subject; whine = verb.
-Cola spilled over the glass and splashed onto the counter.
Cola = subject; spilled, splashed = verbs.
-My dog loves pizza crusts.
Dog = subject; loves = verb.
The important point to remember is that every
sentence must have at least one main clause.
Otherwise, you have a fragment, a major error.
A subordinate clause will follow this pattern:
SUBORDINATE
CONJUNCTION +SUBJECT + VERB = INCOMPLETE
THOUGHT.
Here are some examples:
Whenever lazy students whine
Whenever = subordinate conjunction; students = subject; whine = verb.
As cola spilled over the glass and splashed onto the counter
As = subordinate conjunction; cola = subject; spilled, splashed = verbs.
Because my dog loves pizza crusts
Because = subordinate conjunction; dog= subject; loves = verb.
The important point to remember about subordinate
clauses is that they can never stand alone as
complete sentences.
To complete the thought, you must attach each
subordinate clause to a main clause.
RELATIVE CLAUSE
A relative clause will begin with a relative
pronoun
[such as who, whom, whose, which, or that] or
a relative adverb [when, where, or why].
PATTERN LOOKS LIKE THIS:
-RELATIVE PRONOUN OR
ADVERB +SUBJECT + VERB = INCOMPLETE THOUGHT.
-RELATIVE PRONOUN AS SUBJECT +VERB = INCOMPLETE
THOUGHT.
Examples:
Whom Mrs. Russell hit in the head with a chalk eraser
Whom = relative pronoun; Mrs. Russell = subject; hit = verb.
Where he chews and drools with great enthusiasm
Where = relative adverb; he = subject;chews, drools = verbs.
That had spilled over the glass and splashed onto the counter
That = relative pronoun; had spilled,splashed = verbs.
Who loves pizza crusts
Who = relative pronoun; loves = verb.
Like subordinate clauses, relative
clauses cannot stand alone as
complete sentences.
You must connect them to main
clauses to finish the thought.
NOUN CLAUSE
Any clause that functions as a noun becomes a
noun clause.
Look at this example:
You really do not want to know the ingredients in Aunt Nancy's stew.
Ingredients = noun.
If we replace the noun ingredients with a clause, we have a noun clause:
You really do not want to know what Aunt Nancy adds to her stew.
What Aunt Nancy adds to her stew= noun clause.
NOW PRACTICE!!!!
Write down a main clause.
The boy ran
Now add adjectives and adverbs
The lonely boy ran quickly
Add TWO prepositional phrases.
In the meadow, the lonely boy ran
quickly, toward the horizon.
Add an appositive phrase
In the meadow, the lonely boy , a
tortured soul named Jack, ran
quickly toward the sun.
Add a subordinate clause
In the meadow, the lonely boy, a
tortured soul named Jack, ran
quickly toward the horizon as the
sun sank slowly beneath the hills.
Add three absolute phrases.
In the meadow, the lonely boy, a tortured soul
named Jack, ran quickly toward the horizon as
the sun sank slowly beneath the hills,
illuminating the autumn sky, bouncing off the
clouds, and fading into an ominous darkness.