The Phrase in English

Form and Function in the English Phrase

Words are the constituent elements of the next rank, phrases. At the phrase rank, we
discover that it is possible to analyze each structure in more than one way. To study this
phenomenon more closely, we will look at phrase structure in English. English is a language
with five classes of phrases, noun phrases, verb phrases, adjective phrases, adverb phrases, and
prepositional phrases.

The Noun Phrase

Like all phrases, the constituents of the English noun phrase can be analyzed into both
functional constituents and formal constituents. From a functional point of view, the noun
phrase has four major components, occurring in a fixed order:
 the determinative, that constituent which determines the reference of the noun phrase
in its linguistic or situational context;
 premodification, which comprises all the modifying or describing constituents before
the head, other than the determiners;
 the head, around which the other constituents cluster; and
 postmodification, those which comprise all the modifying constituents placed after the
head.
In the diagram below, notice that each functional component of a noun phrase (NP) can be
further subclassified as we trace the diagram from left to right until we find that we have form
classes (of the kind we discussed above) filling each constituent category.
 Depending on the context of situation, we choose determiners and modifiers according
to our needs in identifying and specifying the referent of the NP. Sometimes we need several
determiners and modifiers to clarify the referent (all my books in that box); sometimes we need
none at all (Liz).
That diagram is one way to represent the dual nature of a phrase. Each phrase,
remember, is a merger of both form and function, and, as complex as it looks, the diagram
illustrates only some of the complexities of the noun phrase in English. Another way to
illustrate some of the possible arrangements of form and function in the noun phrase is
presented in the table below.
Some Examples of the Noun Phrase in English

FUNCTION Determiner Premodifier Head Postmodifier

(a) lions

E (b) the young

X (c) the information age

A (d) each of the children

M (e) some badly needed time with the family

P (f) this conclusion to the story

L (g) all my children

E (h) several new mystery books which we recently enjoyed

S (i) such a marvelous data bank filled with information

(j) a better person than I

Pronoun Participle Noun Prepositional Phrase

Article Noun Adjective Relative Clause

FORMS
Quantifier Adjective Phrase Pronoun Nonfinite Clause

Compliment
.

The Verb Phrase

The verb phrase (VP) in English has a noticeably different structure, since the information it
carries about mood, tense, modality, aspect, and voice is quite different from the information
carried by a noun phrase. The verb phrase has two functional parts,
 the auxiliary, a grammatical morpheme carrying information about mood, tense,
modality, and voice; and
 the main verb, a lexical morpheme carrying its lexical information and, usually, an
inflection.
Another way to illustrate some of the relationships between form and function in the verb
phrase is presented in the table below.
Some Examples of the Verb Phrase in English

FUNCTION Auxiliaries Main Verb

(a) do believe

E (b) can go

X (c) may have gone

A (d) is going

M (e) has been waiting

P (f) might have been waiting

L (g) were hired

E (h) are being hired

S (i) should be trying

(j) might have been being interviewed

Auxiliary
FORM Modal Perfect Progressive Passive Main Verb
Support
The Adjective Phrase
The adjective phrase in English has four functional constituents,
 premodification, those modifying, describing, or qualifying constituents which precede
the head;
 the head, which is an adjective or participle serving as the focus of the phrase;
 postmodification, that modifying constituent which follows the head; and
 complementation, (the major subcategory of postmodification here) that constituent
which follows any postmodification and completes the specification of a meaning
implied by the head.
To see some examples of adjective phrases, examine the table below.
Some Examples of the Adjective Phrase in English

FUNCTION Premodifier Head Postmodifier

(a) happy

E (b) excited indeed

X (c) partly cloudy

A (d) young in spirit

M (e) very energetic for his age

P (f) so extremely sweet

L (g) too good to be true

E (h) hot enough for me

S (i) quite worried about the results of the test

(j) unusually sunny for this time of year

adverb

FORMs Adverb Adjective Prepositional Phrase

Adverb Phrase Infinitive Clause

Notice that the order of constituents in the adjective phrase, like all other phrase
structures in English, is relatively fixed, helping us determine the constituent elements.
The Adverb Phrase
The adverb phrase in English is nearly identical to the adjective phrase, with only the
expected changes in form. In the adverb phrase, an adverb functions as head.

To see some examples of adverb phrases, examine the table.

Some Examples of the Adverb Phrase in English

FUNCTION Premodifier Head Postmodifier

(a) quietly

E (b) quite honestly

X (c) very hard indeed

A (d) however

M (e) really early

P (f) so very well indeed

L (g) too quickly to see well

E (h) likely enough for us

S (i) formerly of Cincinnati

(j) more easily than ever

FORMS Adverb

Adverb Adverb Prepositional Phrase

 Adverb Phrase Infinitive Clause

The Prepositional Phrase

The last structure for us to study at the phrase rank is the prepositional phrase. This
phrase is a 'nonheaded' construction in English since no one constituent functions as the center
of the phrase, the center on which the other elements depend. Instead, the structure is divided
into two functional components - the preposition followed by its complement. In general, a
prepositional phrase expresses a relationship between the complement of the preposition and
some other constituent of the sentence. Diagrammatically, the structure of the prepositional
phrase looks like this:

The table below illustrates some of the possible structures found in the English prepositional
phrase.

Some Examples of the Prepositional Phrase in English

FUNCTION Preposition Complement

(a) for now

E (b) with her

 X (c) in time

A (d) next to the table

M (e) into the thick of things

P (f) by the time that you read this

L (g) before slipping off to sleep

E (h) after running more than 500 miles in one week

S (i) to whomever it may concern

(j) from what I can see

Adverb

Pronoun

Noun
FORM Preposition
Noun Phrase

-ing Clause

Relative Clause

REFERENCES
Halliday, Michael A. K.
1994 Introduction to Functional Grammar 2nd edition, London: Edward Arnold.
Quirk, R., S. Greenbaum, G. Leech, and J. Svartvik.
1985 A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, London: Longman.