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Grammar Review—Clauses/Phrases—IB English III—Keene
I. Clauses—a group of words with a subject and a verb.
A. Independent vs. Subordinate (Dependent Clause)
1. Independent Clause—can stand alone in a sentence—grammatically
legal
2. Subordinate/Dependent Clause—must be combined with an
independent clause in order to exist in a sentence. Subordinate clauses
begin with words that join them to independent clauses; these words are
subordinating conjunctions and relative pronouns.
B. Adverb Subordinate Clause—
1. Function: Modify verbs, adjectives, or adverbs
2. Provide this information: Tells how? when? where? why? to what
extent? under what condition? about the word being modified.
3. Begin with SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS:
After, although, as, as if, as long as, as soon as, as though, because, before,
even though, if, in order that, once, provided that, since, so that, than,
though, unless, until, when, whenever, where, while.
4. Located: Sentence opener, subject-verb split, sentence closer
5. Punctuation:
a. Sent. Opener—Place a comma after the clause
Example: After he got himself under control, he apologized.
b. Sub-Verb Split—Place a comma before and after the clause
Example: The truck drivers, when they heard that Maxie
Hammerman had been released, were furious.
c. Sent. Closer—Comma usually not needed.
Example: Alfred quietly slipped out the back door and waited until
Henry left.
C. Adjective Subordinate Clause—
1. Function: Modify nouns or pronouns
2. Provide this information: Tells what kind? or which one? about the
word being modified.
3. Begin with RELATIVE PRONOUNS:
That, how, what, who, whom, which, whichever, whoever, whomever,
whose, whether, why
4. Located: Always after the noun or pronoun being modified. Subjectverb split, sentence closer.
5. Punctuation: If the clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence, do
not separate it from the independent clause with commas. If the clause is
not essential to the meaning of the sentence, separate it from the rest of
the sentence with commas.
6. Examples:
a. Have you seen the new car that Kenny is driving?
b. The musicians whom we enjoyed more than any others were
the members from North Texas University’s One O’clock Lab
Band.
c. I loved school with a desperate passion, which became more
intense when I began to realize what a monumental
struggle it was for my parents and brother and sisters to
keep me there.
d. Even his eyes, which had been young, looked old.
II. Phrases—a group of words.
A. Participial Phrase
1. Function: Modify nouns or pronouns
2. Provide this information: Tell what kind? or which one? about the word
being modified.
3. Located: Sentence opener, subject-verb split, or sentence closers.
4. Punctuation: Place a comma after the phrase if it begins the sentence. If it
is located as a subject-verb split or sentence closer, separate it with commas if
it is nonessential to the sentence, and no commas if it is essential.
5. Past and Present Participial Phrase—
a. Present Participle—Verb forms ending in ing such as walking, hoping,
being
b. Past Participle—Verb forms ending in d, ed, or an irregular form such
as seen, given, brought.
6. Examples—Present Participial Phrases:
a. Standing there in the middle of the street, Marty suddenly thought of
Halloween, of the winter and snowballs, of the schoolyard.
b. The sight of Mick’s exploring beam of light, flashing and flickering
through the submarine darkness a few yards away, reminded him that
he was not alone.
c. The entire crowd in the saloon gathered about me now, urging me to
drink.
d. The student running down the hall slipped on the banana peel. (The
pres. part. is essential, for it identifies which student is being referred to.
No commas needed.)
7. Examples—Past Participial Phrases:
a. Enchanted and Enthralled, I stopped her constantly for details.
b. Her hair, braided and wrapped around her head, made an ash-blonde
crown.
c. She called to him, excited.
d. The kite blown away by the fierce wind is the only one of ours that
remains lost. (The past part. is essential, for it identifies which kite is
being referred to. No commas needed.)
B. Appositive Phrase
1. Appositive—A noun or pronoun used to identify another noun or pronoun
2. Function: Identify or provide additional information about another noun or
pronoun.
3. Located: Sentence opener, subject-verb split, sentence closer
4. Punctuation: If the appositive phrase is nonessential, separate it from the
rest of the sentence with commas; if it is an essential AP, do not use commas.
5. Examples:
a. One of eleven brothers and sisters, Harriet was a moody, willful child.
b. The startling announcement, an edict from the king, trumpets over the
loudspeaker.
c. The boy looked at them, big black ugly insects.
d. My friend Katie McAllister departs from Cambridge University
tomorrow. (Essential appositive phrase needs no commas.)
C. Absolute Phrase
1. Function: Modify all or part of the sentence to which it is connected.
2. Contain: a noun that is immediately followed by an adjective, often—but
not always—a participle or participial phrase. Many begin with the words my,
his, her, its, our, their (possessive pronouns). (Tip: You can make any
absolute phrase a complete sentence by adding was or were.)
3. Located: Sentence openers, subject-verb splits, sentence closers.
4. Punctuation: The absolute phrase is separated from the rest of the sentence
with a comma(s).
5. Examples:
a. His hands raw, he reached a flat place at the top.
b. Miss Hearne, her face burning, hardly listened to these words.
c. He walked with a prim strut, swinging out his legs in a half-circle with
each step, his heels biting smartly into the red velvet carpet on the floor.
D. Prepositional Phrase—begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or
pronoun, the object of the preposition.
1. Preposition—a word that connects the noun or pronoun that follows it to
some other word in the clause or sentence.
2. Example Prepositions—
Aboard, about, above, across, after , against, along, among, around, as, at,
before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, but (except), by, concerning,
down, during, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, onto, out,
outside, over, past, since, through, throughout, to, toward, under, underneath,
until, up, upon, with, within, without
3. Compound Prepositions—
According to, ahead of, along with, because of, by means of, in addition
to, in front of, in spite of, instead of, next to, on top of, out of.
4. Examples:
a. The bench beneath the palm tree needs serious repair.
b. The debate concerning school vouchers is scheduled for Friday.
c. I did not notice any girl in pedal pushers.
d. Rene walked around the track sixteen times.
e. Underneath the open prairie sky, the imposing farm house stood
alone.
E. Repeat-Word Modifier— End the original sentence with a comma, repeat
a key word, and then continue your elaboration.
Example: While living with Pap, Huck is in a dangerous situation, a situation that
requires quick thinking and imagination if he is to survive.
F. Analysis Modifier— End the original sentence with a comma, choose a
noun (with or without modifiers) that emphasizes details you have just cited,
and then continue your analysis.
Example: Joe extends his “restoring touch” unto Pip, “aiding and comforting him
by giving Pip gravy,” a benevolent deed that demonstrates not just his concern for
Pip, but his willingness to help and care for him.