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Phrases
A phrase is a group of related words that is used as a single part of
speech and that does not contain both a verb and its subject.
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE in a boat
PARTICIPIAL PHRASE rowing swiftly
INFINITIVE PHRASE to swim daily
VERB PHRASE will have gone
EXERCISE A On the line provided, identify each word group by writing P for phrase or
NP for not a phrase.
Examples _P__ 1. with chocolate frosting
___NP___ 2. while the cake baked
______ 1. over the rainbow
______11. stricken with the measles
______ 2. since the alarm rang
______12. to check randomly
______ 3. as a baby sitter
______13. had been whistling
______ 4. to warn us
______14. since you didn’t call
______ 5. was repaired
______15. ending happily after all
______ 6. the cat sat
______16. to study the stars through a telescope
______ 7. on the mat
______17. because you don’t ever miss track practice
______ 8. has been singing
______18. listening to really good music
______ 9. under pressure
______19. has smashed
______10. where my friends are
______20. to understand my innermost feelings
EXERCISE B In each of the following sentences, identify each phrase by underlining it.
Example 1. The train arrived at the platform.
21. The troll under the bridge opened his eyes.
22. Thinking carefully, Sinead arrived at the right answer.
23. Has anyone looked outside since the rain stopped?
24. The antibiotics should have stopped the infection.
25. Carla knows how to order dinner in Korean.
(Pg. 65)
The Prepositional Phrase
A prepositional phrase includes a preposition, the object of the preposition, and any
modifiers of that object.
EXAMPLES during the days with us of noble deeds about them
A prepositional phrase can have more than one object.
EXAMPLE for the parents and their children
EXERCISE A cross-out each prepositional phrase in the following paragraph.
Example [1] In this book you can read about Camelot and its king.
[1] Many legends are told and retold about King Arthur and his knights. [2] Through his
strength, King Arthur proved his right to the British throne. [3] He removed a great
sword, Excalibur, from a solid rock. [4] The knights who gathered around King Arthur
were known throughout the land for their courage and goodness. [5] They dedicated
themselves to honorable and noble ideals.
EXERCISE B Complete each sentence by adding a prepositional phrase where the blank
is. Write your new sentence on the line provided.
Example 1. _____ we will get refreshments. After the game we will get refreshments.
6. We are listening _____ on the radio.
________________________________________________________________________
7. We’re going home _____.
________________________________________________________________________
8. _____ was a pile of newspapers.
________________________________________________________________________
9. Last week’s game _____ ended in a tie.
________________________________________________________________________
10. The oil painting _____ is priceless.
________________________________________________________________________
(Pg. 66)
The Adjective Phrase
A prepositional phrase used as an adjective is called an adjective
phrase. An adjective phrase modifies a noun or a pronoun.
EXAMPLES Someone in my class lent me a wonderful story. [The prepositional phrase
in my class modifies the pronoun Someone.]
The story about Scrooge and Tiny Timhas become famous. [The prepositional
phrase about Scrooge and Tiny Tim modifies the noun story.]
EXERCISE A Underline the adjective phrases in the following sentences. Then, draw an
arrow from each phrase to the noun or pronoun it modifies.
_________
Example 1. Charles Dickens wrote many tales about poverty.
1. A Christmas Carol is the story of a rich man’s repentance.
2. Ebenezer Scrooge was a man of wealth and property.
3. His clerk, Bob Cratchit, led a difficult life in poverty.
4. Spirits from the past, present, and future warned Scrooge.
5. One of the spirits showed Scrooge the poor, yet happy, Cratchit family.
6. Dickens also began writing a story about a mysterious disappearance.
7. A character in the story, Edwin Drood, disappears.
8. Unfortunately, the death of Charles Dickens cut short the story.
9. The mystery of Edwin Drood’s disappearance remains unsolved.
10. The possible fate of the young man has fascinated countless readers.
11. Louis Pasteur was dean of a university’s science faculty.
12. The process of sterilization of milk is called pasteurization.
13. Bacteria as the cause of disease was a new idea then.
14. Pasteur’s studies of infectious diseases in animals helped him formulate his germ
theory.
15. Pasteur developed a vaccine against rabies in humans.
16. Microorganisms in the bodies of people and animals cause disease.
(Pg. 67)
The Adverb Phrase
A prepositional phrase used as an adverb is called an adverb phrase.
An adverb phrase modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb.
EXAMPLES In the morning, my sister and I jog five miles. [The adverb phrase In the
morning modifies the verb jog.]
Jessica is active in several sports. [The adverb phrase in several sports modifies the
adjective active.]
EXERCISE Underline the adverb phrases in the following sentences. Draw an arrow
from each adverb phrase to the verb, verb phrase, adjective, or adverb it modifies.
_______________ _______
Example 1. The Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford in 1903.
1. Cars have not always been made in factories.
2. At one time, cars were manufactured by hand.
3. People were ready for a change.
4. Through mass production, Henry Ford changed the world.
5. By 1908, the company was producing one hundred cars in a day.
6. In 1913, the Ford Motor Company was manufacturing cars on an assembly line.
7. A moving-belt conveyor was used in the assembly process.
8. This new method added speed to the manufacturing process.
9. Henry Ford put workers on assembly lines.
10. The employees worked repeatedly at the same tasks.
11. Early in the 1900s, low-priced cars were selling rapidly.
12. The Model T was popular for its affordability.
13. For almost twenty years, the Model T outsold all other cars.
14. Under Ford’s leadership, the Ford Motor Company grew into a successful business.
15. In 1945, Henry Ford II became the head of the company.
16. He directed the company for the next thirty-four years.
17. During the 1950s, the automobile became increasingly important.
18. Performance and styling became more important to consumers.
19. Ford cars and trucks are still driven in America today.
20. Throughout the world, Henry Ford is known as a great innovator.
(Pg. 68)
Adjective and Adverb Phrases A
An adjective phrase modifies a noun or a pronoun.
An adverb phrase modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb.
ADJECTIVE PHRASES The house with the driveway of red brick is ours.
ADVERB PHRASES After school I rode my bicycle to a friend’s house.
EXERCISE A On the line provided, identify the underlined prepositional phrase by
writing ADJ for adjective phrase or ADV for adverb phrase. Then, draw an arrow from each
underlined prepositional phrase to the word or words it modifies.
________________________________
Example _ADV_ 1. At her first Olympic competition, Sonja Henie was eleven years old.
______ 1. Sonja was the daughter of a Norwegian fur dealer.
______ 2. Trained as an ice skater, she competed in the 1924 Olympics at age eleven.
______ 3. Her costume, a knee-length, flared skirt, made an impression on observers.
______ 4. This skirt might have been considered improper on an adult.
______ 5. However, opinions at the Olympics four years later had changed.
______ 6. Sonja left the 1928 Olympics with her first gold medal.
______ 7. Sonja introduced the elements of dance and showmanship to skating.
______ 8. Furthermore, Sonja did jumps that had been performed only by men.
______ 9. Sonja preferred to be treated like someone of great celebrity.
______10. She was considered temperamental by many.
EXERCISE B For each sentence below, underline each adjective phrase once and
underline each adverb phrase twice.
Example 1. On weekends, many members of my family enjoy ice-skating.
11. Last winter we went to the ice-skating rink many times.
12. Once, my cousins Sarah and Cameron came with us.
13. The ice-skating rink in their hometown closed a few years ago.
14. My mother did figure eights in the center of the rink.
15. Sarah and Cameron especially enjoyed the music from the 1950s.
(Pg. 69)
Adjective and Adverb Phrases B
An adjective phrase modifies a noun or a pronoun.
An adverb phrase modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb.
ADJECTIVE PHRASES We climbed a mountain with a steep slope on the west side.
ADVERB PHRASES On Saturday night,we went to a jazz concert.
EXERCISE A Underline each prepositional phrase in the following sentences, and draw
an arrow from the phrase to the word it modifies.
________________
______
Example 1. The first perfect score in Olympic Games history was earned by Nadia
Comaneci.
1. Nadia Comaneci competed in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.
2. Her performance on the uneven bars occurred during the first game day.
3. This fourteen-year-old girl from Romania received a judges’ mark of 10.00.
4. In the gymnastic events, Nadia earned a total of three gold medals and seven perfect
scores.
5. Nadia was very happy about the first perfect score in Olympic history.
6. Nadia’s achievements led many young girls to gymnastics classes.
7. In 1980, she won two gold medals and two silver medals.
8. She was also enjoying her fame in Romania.
9. She came to the United States in 1989.
10. There, she met a fellow gymnast, Bart Conner, whom she later married in Bucharest,
Romania.
11. I recently saw an excellent movie about space travel.
12. In the movie, the travelers explored distant planets.
13. They visited one planet with rings that resembled Saturn.
14. Across its surface, the planet also had huge mountain ranges.
15. I really enjoyed the scenery in that movie.
16. How often do you go to the movies?
(Pg. 70)