Download Phrases and Clauses

Types of
Phrases
A phrase is:
• A group of related words that is used
as a single part of speech.
• It does not have both a subject and a
verb, so it is never a complete
sentence.
Three types of
phrases
• Prepositional phrases
• Appositive phrases
• Verbals and verb phrases
Prepositional Phrases
• Contain a preposition (those small words of
location—in, on, under, over, beside, etc.)
• Have a preposition and a noun, and
sometimes a word in between.
On the road
Over the river
To the gym
Beside the ducks
from Grandma
in my backpack
How to remember
prepositional phrases:
Think about anywhere a cat can go.
Over the chair
Under my car tire
Around the circle
Of my friend
(Oops! Not foolproof)
Through the yard
Second kind of phrase:
APPOSITIVE
Gives information which helps
us be POSITIVE that we
know what is being discussed.
Appositive Phrases
In each of the examples, the
underlined part is the appositive.
• “Larry, the plumber, fixed the sink.
• An excellent dancer, Rebecca took
years of lessons.
• Miss Piggy, Kermit’s girlfriend, won
first prize, a pot-bellied pig.
NEXT PHRASE
TYPE:Verbals
• When a word that looks like a
verb really functions as a
different part of speech in a
sentence, it is called a
VERBAL.
Huh?
A verb that
isn’t really a
verb is a
verbal??
Sam, the
duck!
This is
stupid.
I don’t
get it.
Important Concept:
The part of speech
depends on how a
word is used in a
real sentence.
There are three types of
verbal phrases:
1. Infinitive
2. Participial
3. Gerund
Grammar is stupid.
Grammar is stupid.
Grammar is stupid.
One type of Verbal
phrase: Infinitive
Clue: look for the word “to”
next to what looks like a verb.
Example: “Sam likes
to eat.”
Don’t forget:
look for the “to”
next to what
looks like a verb.
Another type of verbal:
participial
• A participle is a word ending in
-ing or -ed that helps describe
something.
• Participles function as adjectives
because they describe or explain.
Three examples of participles.
We watched an exhausting
Powerpoint.
The receiver made a diving catch.
The man admired the painted
barn.
Participial phrases
Participles can also be in phrases. Look for
“ing” or “ed”.
The people standing in line grew irritated.
Which people? The ones standing in line.
Determined to make the team, Jo shot baskets
every night.
For what reason did Jo shoot? Because she’s
determined to make the team.
Third type of phrase:
Gerund
• A gerund ends in –ing
• A gerund always
functions as a noun.
Gerunds: end in -ing
You can learn a lot from studying.
You can learn a lot from what? Studying.
You could hear laughing all the way down
the hall.
What could you hear? Laughing.
If you can ask a “what” question, and the
word answers it, then it is a noun—a
gerund.
Gerunds in phrases
A gerund can also be in a phrase:
Laura enjoyed vacationing in
Michigan.
Laura enjoyed what? Vacationing in
Michigan.
REVIEW:
• A phrase is a group of words that
functions as a single part of speech.
• A phrase doesn’t have both a subject
and a verb, so it is never a complete
sentence.
The three types of
phrases are:
• Prepositional
• Appositive
• Verbals and verb phrases
– Participial (Adjective)
– Gerund (noun)
– Infinitive (has the word “to” + verb)