Download Noun Clauses

Phrases & Clauses
What is a phrase?
A group of words, which makes sense, but
not complete sense, is called a Phrase. It is
a group of related words without a
subject and a finite verb.
A finite verb must have a tense and agree
with its subject in number and person.
Nonfinite Verbs
In English, there are four nonfinite verbs (i.e. they
have no tense and take no subject). Usually
they're referred to as verbals:
The infinitive:
Simple Infinitive: to eat
Continuous Infinitive: to be eating
Perfect Infinitive: to have eaten
The gerund:
Simple gerund: eating
Perfect Gerund: having eaten
The present participle: eating
The past participle: eaten
Words/group of words in italics are phrases in
examples below:
1) The sun rises in the east.
2) Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
3) She wore a hat with blue trimming.
4) The accident on the bridge was not serious.
5) The girl with red hair is an artist.
6) Sara took a long leave.
7) Holding the toy, the child slept
Types of phrases
Adjective Phrases.
 Adverb Phrases.
 Noun Phrases.
 Prepositional Phrases.

Adjective phrases
1.
2.
3.
The manger was of great wealth.
He lives in a house built of stone.
I like to see a face with a smile on it.
Each group of the underlined words
qualifies a noun just as an adjective does.
It therefore does the work of an adjective
and is called an Adjective Phrase.
Exercise 1
Pick out the Adjective Phrases, in the following
sentences.
1. Wild beasts in small cages are a sorry sight.
2. He tells a tale with the ring of truth in it.
3. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
4. A stitch in time saves nine.
5. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Answers 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Wild beasts in small cages are a sorry sight.
He tells a tale with the ring of truth in it.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
A stitch in time saves nine.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Adverb Phrases
1.
2.
3.
She ran with great speed.
He is coming at this moment.
You can buy it in all places.
Each group of the underlined words qualifies
a verb just as an adverb does. It therefore
does the work of an adverb and is called an
Adverb Phrase.
Exercise 2
Pick out the Adverb Phrases, in the following
sentences.
1. They lived in the middle of a great wood.
2. Nothing can live on the moon.
3. Come into the garden, Sami.
4. Three fishermen went sailing over the sea.
5. They fought to the last man.
Answers 2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
They lived in the middle of a great wood.
Nothing can live on the moon.
Come into the garden, Sami.
Three fishermen went sailing over the sea.
They fought to the last man.
Noun Phrases
1.
2.
3.
He wants to go home.
I tried to get the sum right.
To win a prize is my ambition.
Each group of the underlined words is a
noun (a subject or an object). It is
therefore a Noun Phrase.
Exercise 3
Pick out the Noun Phrases, in the following sentences.
1. His father wished to speak to the headmaster.
2. I dislike to punish my students.
3. He denies stealing the money.
4. Have you ever tried climbing a mountain?
5. Horses prefer living in dark stables.
Answers 3
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
His father wished to speak to the headmaster.
I dislike to punish my students.
He denies stealing the money.
Have you ever tried climbing a mountain?
Horses prefer living in dark stables.
Prepositional Phrases
At the minimum, a prepositional
phrase will begin with a preposition
end with a noun, pronoun, gerund, or
clause, the "object" of the
preposition.
The object of the preposition will
often have one or more modifiers to
describe it.
Here are some examples of the most basic prepositional
phrase:
At home
At = preposition; home = noun.
In time
In = preposition; time = noun.
From Sue
From = preposition; Sue = noun.
With me
With = preposition; me = pronoun.
By singing
By = preposition; singing = gerund.
About what we need
About = preposition; what we need = noun clause.
Most prepositional phrases are longer, like these:
From my grandmother
From = preposition; my = modifier; grandmother =
noun.
Under the warm blanket
Under = preposition; the, warm = modifiers; blanket
= noun.
A prepositional phrase will function as an adjective or
adverb. As an adjective, the prepositional phrase will
answer the question Which one?
Read these examples:
The book on the bathroom floor is swollen from
shower steam.
Which book? The one on the bathroom floor!
The sweet potatoes in the vegetable bin are green
with mold.
Which sweet potatoes? The ones forgotten in the
vegetable bin!
As an adverb, a prepositional phrase will answer questions
such as How? When? or Where?
Faddy is stiff from yesterday's long football practice.
How did Faddy get stiff? From yesterday's long football
practice!
Before class, Jihad begged his friends for a pencil.
When did Jihad do his begging? Before class!
Feeling hungry, we tried the new spicy food at the
Grand Hotel.
Where did we eat the spicy food? At the Grand Hotel!
What is a clause?
A group of words forms part of a sentence, and
contains a subject and a predicate is called a
clause as in:
He has a chain which is made of gold.
Subject (which)
Predicate (is made of gold)
Types of clauses
1.
2.
3.
Adverb clauses.
Adjective clauses.
Noun clauses.
Adverb Clauses
1. You
may sit wherever you like.
2. He behaves as one might expect him to do.
3. If you eat too much, you will be ill.
Each group of the underlined words has a
Subject and a Predicate of its own and does
the work of an Adverb. It's therefore an
Adverb Clause
Exercise 1
Pick out the Adverb Clauses in the following sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Because you have done this I shall punish you.
As he was not there, I spoke to his brother.
He finished first though he began late.
Will you wait till I return?
Just as he entered the room the clock struck.
Answers 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Because you have done this I shall punish you.
As he was not there, I spoke to his brother.
He finished first though he began late.
Will you wait till I return?
Just as he entered the room the clock struck.
Adjective Clauses
1.
2.
3.
Sue had a little lamb whose fleece was white as
snow.
The letter brought money which was badly needed.
They never fail who die in a great cause.
Each group of the underlined words has a Subject and
a Predicate of its own and does the work of an
Adjective. It's therefore an Adjective Clause.
Exercise 2
Pick out the Adjective Clauses in the following
sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The house that I live in belongs to my father.
I have a little shadow which goes in and out
with me.
The dog that bites doesn't bark.
He tells a tale that sounds untrue.
It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good.
Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The house that I live in belongs to my father.
I have a little shadow which goes in and out
with me.
The dog that bites doesn't bark.
He tells a tale that sounds untrue.
It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good.
Noun Clauses
1.
2.
I expect that I shall get a prize.
That you should say this is very strange.
Each group of the underlined words has a
subject and a predicate of its own. It is
therefore a clause. This clause is the
object of the first sentence and the
subject of the second sentence so it does
the work of a Noun and called a Noun
Clause.
Pick out the Noun Clauses in the following
sentences.
1. I often wonder how you are getting on.
2. I fear that I shall fail.
3. That you have come pleases me.
4. He replied that he would come.
5. I thought that it would be a fine day
Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
I often wonder how you are getting on.
I fear that I shall fail.
That you have come pleases me.
He replied that he would come.
I thought that it would be a fine day
Exercise: Tick the box opposite to each group of the
underlined words according to the right classification.
Sentences
1.
He says that he met your brother.
2.
I have forgotten how to play this game.
3.
A man without an enemy is a man with few friends.
4.
He admitted that he wrote the letter.
5.
It grieved me to hear your illness.
6.
Before I die I hope to visit Mecca.
7.
Do not talk like that.
8.
I was reading a book which I had read before.
9.
This is a matter of no importance.
10
Can a man live whose soul is dead?
Adv
/ph
Adj
/ph
N/p
h
Adv
/C
Adj
/C
N/C
Answers
Sentences
Adv
/ph
Adj
/ph
N/p
h
Adv
/C
Adj
/C
1 He says that he met your brother.
x
2 I have forgotten how to play this game.
x
3 A man without an enemy is a man with few friends.
x
4 He admitted that he wrote the letter.
x
5 It grieved me to hear your illness.
x
6 Before I die I hope to visit Mecca.
7 Do not talk like that.
x
x
8 I was reading a book which I had read before.
9 This is a matter of no importance.
10 Can a man live whose soul is dead?
NC
x
x
x