Download Phrases and Appositives Handout

Phrases and Appositives
A phrase is a group of words without a subject or a verb that functions in a sentence as one part of speech. The
different types of phrases include; prepositional, adjectival, adverbial, verbal, participle, gerund, infinitive, and
appositive phrases.
➔ A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or a
pronoun, called the object of preposition.
● A preposition is a word that relates the noun or pronoun following it to another word in
the sentence.
○ Examples: above, beside, except, underneath, outside, after, in, from, etc.
● Prepositional phrases serve the same purpose adjectives or adverbs; they add detail to a
sentence.
● Always ends with a noun or pronoun.
● Examples: by the lake, in the house, according to them, with us, etc.
◆ An adjectival phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun, by telling what
kind or which one.
● The adjectival phrase often comes directly after the word it modifies.
● Adjectival phrases serve the same purpose as adjectives.
● Easily identify adjectival phrases if the phrase answers Which one? Or What kind?
● Example:
○ Adjective- She bought a purple-striped umbrella
○ Adjectival phrase- She bought an umbrella with purple stripes.
◆ Which umbrella? The one with purple stripes.
◆ An adverbial phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb, by
pointing out where, when, in what manner, or to what extent.
● The adverbial phrase almost always comes after the word it modifies.
● Easily identify adverbial phrases if the phrase answers Where? When? In what manner?
Or To what extent?
● Example:
○ Adverb- The new player performed skillfully.
○ Adverbial phrase- The new player performed with great skill!
◆ In what manner did the player perform? With great skill.
➔ A verbal phrase is a verbal with a modifier or a complement.
◆ Remember that a verbal is a verb form that is used not as a verb but as another part of speech.
◆ Verb phrases contain the endings -ing and -ed.
● Example: The train was chugging down the track.
➔ A participial phrase is present or past participle that is modified by an adverb or an adverbial phrase or
that has a complement.
◆ Remember that a participle is a form of a verb that acts as an adjective.
◆ Can be placed before or after the word it modifies.
● Example: Munching hay, the elephant looked content. The elephant, munching on hay,
looked content.
◆ Participial phrases are always offset by commas, unless the phrase is used to distinguish between
one person, place, or thing from others.
◆ Can also be used to combine two sentences.
● Example: We picked up the injured bird. We could see it had a broken wing. → Picking
up the injured bird, we could see it had a broken wing.
➔ A gerund phrase is a gerund with modifiers or complements all acting together as a noun.
◆ Remember that a gerund is a form of a verb that acts as a noun.
◆ Example: The children ran into the house without removing their muddy shoes.
➔ An infinitive phrase is an infinitive with modifiers, a compliment, or a subject, all acting together as a
single part of speech.
◆ Remember that an infinitive is a form of a verb that comes after the word to and acts as a noun,
adjective, or adverb.
◆ Ends in a verb
◆ Example: To see the northern lights in person is incredible
● To see is the infinitive, to see the northern lights in person is the infinitive phrase, and
functions as a noun.
An appositive is a noun or pronoun placed after another noun or pronoun to identify, rename, or explain it.
Appositives are placed next to the word it identifies, renames, or explains.
Serve the same purpose as adjectives.
Are used to develop the meaning of nouns and certain pronouns.
If they are set off by commas, then the appositive is not essential to the meaning of the sentence.
If they are not set off by commas, then the appositive is needed to define the nouns that came before.
◆ Example:
● Offset by commas- The study of handwriting, graphology, is her specialty.
○ Notice that graphology can be removed from the sentence without affecting the
meaning of the sentence.
● Not offset by commas- Robert Frost claimed to have written his famous poem “Stopping
by Woods on a Snowy Evening” in just a few minutes.
○ Notice that “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is essential to the
meaning of the sentence.
➔ An appositive phrase is a noun or pronoun with modifiers, placed next to a noun or pronoun to add
information and details.
◆ Example:
● The dog, a large Saint Bernard, crushed the flowers in the garden.
○ Saint Bernard is modified by the adjective large; together they form the
appositive phrase.
◆ Also make it possible to put more information into one sentence.
● Example: The road was the scene of many accidents. It was a congested expressway. →
the road, a congested highway, was the scene of many accidents.
➔ A compound appositive is two or more appositives or appositive phrases connected by a conjunction and
used to identify, rename, or explain the same noun or pronoun.
◆ Example: The Browns’ horses, a Thoroughbred, an Arabian, and a Tennessee walking horse, were
show animals.
➔
➔
➔
➔
➔