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 (the object), 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
Some prepositions that don’t
necessarily show location:
 About
 By
 To
 With
 Of
Prepositional phrases
 Can be adjective
 Can be adverb
 modifies noun or
 Modifies verb, adjective,
pronoun
 Tells what kind or which
one
or adverb
 Tells how, when, where,
why, or to what extent
Adjective prepositional phrases
 The members of the club want sweatshirts
with the club emblem.
 Here’s a letter for you from Grandma.
 The light in the kitchen is on.
Adverb prepositional phrases
 The man answered with a smile.
 Chris will be finished by Wednesday.
 They sailed across the lake today.
 The calculations were wrong by three inches.
 My sister works part-time for extra money.
Adjective or Adverb Phrase?
 The plane taxied down the runway.
 Getting a candy reward was one reason for
the students’ hard work.
 He was the most successful president of the
club.
 We flew across the International Date Line.
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:Verb
 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 verb
phrases:
1. Infinitive
2. Participial
3. Gerund
Grammar is stupid.
Grammar is stupid.
Grammar is stupid.
One type of Verb 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:
participle
 A participle is a word ending in -ing
or -ed that helps describe something.
 Participles function as adjectives
because they describe or explain.
 Sometimes participles end in other
ways if they are formed from irregular
verbs (like frozen)
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)