NAME: RICA B.

SALON

COURSE & SECTION: BSED-ENGLISH 1B

INSTRUCTOR: MR. QUIM M. MIOLATA

SUBJECT: LINGUISTIC 3

READING ASSIGNMENT 12

1. Give the relevant definition of phrase and clause.

- Phrase are a word or group of words forming a unit and conveying meaning:
expression, locution. It is also an any small group of words within a sentence or a clause a
word or group of words read or spoken as a unit and separated by pauses or other junctures .
Moreover, phrase is a sequence of grammatically related words lacking subject and predicate,
it is a sequence of two or more words that does not contain a finite verb and its subject or
that does not consist of clause elements such as subject, verb, object, or complement. A
phrase usually is always present within a clause, but phrase cannot have clause in it, phrase
does not contain a subject and its predicate, being merely a sequence of words that function
as one grammatical unit in the larger structure of a clause.
- While the Clause are an expression including a subject and predicate but not
constituting a complete sentence, it is also a group of words containing a subject and a
predicate and forming part of a compound or complex sentence. Furthermore, clause is a
group of words that contains a subject and a predicate. A clause may be either a sentence in
independent clause or a sentence-like construction within another sentence in dependent
clause. Aside from this, the clause contains a subject and its predicate, being a group of words
that function either as an independent or as a dependent unit. However, some linguistic
realities seem to require that we abide by a less stringent definition of the term Clause,
namely accept that clauses may be independent, in which case they must be finite containing
both a subject and a tensed verb around which the other elements of the predicate cluster, or
subordinate, which may be finite, non-finite, or verbless, depending on the kind of verb they
contain.
2. What are the classification of phrases? Describe each.
- Each phrase acts like a single part of speech, namely a noun, adjective, adverb or the verb of a
clause, and any phrase must have a head, its central constituent, which determines the
syntactic type of that particular phrase.
- The classification of phrases is: Noun Phrases, Prepositional Phrases, Adjective Phrases,
Adverb Phrases, Verb Phrases, Gerund Phrases, Infinitive Phrases and Participial Phrases.

 Noun Phrases

The Noun Phrase consists of a noun, called the head-noun or, less frequently, of a
pronoun, an adjective or an adverb plus any determiners, premodifiers and/or postmodifiers.
Whereas premodifiers are words or phrases modifying a noun placed after the determiner and
before the head noun, postmodifiers are words, phrases, or clauses modifying a noun which
immediately follow the head-noun. A sentence can be also consisting of more than one phrase.

 Prepositional Phrases
The Prepositional Phrase is a phrase consisting of a preposition the head of the
Prepositional Phrase and its complement. Apart from a noun, a pronoun, a numeral, a
noun phrase and, more rarely, an adverb, an adjective or another prepositional phrase,
the following structures under discussion can also feature as complement of preposition:
a Gerund Phrase, an Infinitive Phrase or a nominal clause, it may also contain other
modifiers. A prepositional phrase has a noun or pronoun which is called the object of the
preposition.

 Adjective Phrases

The Adjective Phrase is a group of words consisting of an adjective and its

modifiers. The constituents of the Adjective Phrase cluster around its head, which must
be an adjective either an adjective proper, or an adjective originating from a participle.
Like an adjective, it modifies or give more information about a noun or a pronoun. It also
consists of adjectives, modifiers and other words modifying the noun or pronoun. The
modifying constituents that precede the head are either adverbs or Adverb Phrases and
form what is called premodification.
 Adverb Phrases
The Adverb Phrase is a group of words consisting of an adverb and its modifiers.
The constituents of the Adverb Phrase cluster around its head, which must be an adverb.
Like an adverb, it modifies or gives more information about a verb or other adverb in the
sentence. It also contains an adverb and other words such as noun, pronoun and
modifiers in which as a whole, acts as an adverb phrase.

 Verb Phrases
- There is one compulsory constituent in the case of both the Verb Phrase and the
Verbal Phrase, namely the Verb Group. The Simple Verb Group consists of only one verb, the
lexical verb, whereas the Complex Verb Group contains one or more auxiliary verbs plus the
lexical verb. The Verb Group may be classified as finite or non-finite. Finite Verb Groups contain
a tensed verb, non-finite Verb Groups contain a non-tensed verb, also known as a verbal. A
Verb Group together with its objects and complements forms a Verb Phrase.
- Consequently, Verb Phrases may also be either finite or non-finite. The former is
called Verb Phrases proper, and the latter Verbal Phrases. The Finite Verb Phrase must have a
clearly stated subject, since the Finite Verb Phrase consists of a Finite Verb Group plus all its
objects, complements and modifiers, it always performs the syntactic function of Predicate.
- Non-finite Verb Phrases are called Verbal Phrases, because the central element in
their Verb Group must be a non-finite verb form, also known as a verbal. Depending on the
type of verbal they contain, Verbal Phrases may be classified as gerund, participial and
infinitive.
- A verb phrase is a group of main verbs helping verbs (auxiliaries) within a
sentence.

 Gerund Phrases

The Gerund Phrase is a word group that functions as a noun and contains
a gerund plus its logical subject, as well as its objects, complements and adverbial
modifiers. Furthermore, a gerund phrase is a group of gerunds (verb + ing),
modifiers and other related words linked to the gerund, and a gerund phrase
functions as a noun in the sentence.
  Infinitive Phrases

The Infinitive Phrase is a word group that contains an infinitive and

functions either as a noun or premodifiers a noun. An Infinitive Phrase contains
an infinitive (to + 1st form of a verb) and modifiers or other related words linked
to the infinitive. Other is, infinitive phrase acts as a noun, an adjective or adverb in
a sentence.

 Participial Phrases.

The Participial Phrase is a word group that contains a participle

and functions as an adjective, remodifying a noun. A participle phrase is
a group of present-participle (verb + ing) or past-participle (2ns form of
verb), modifiers and other linked words. Moreover, participle/participial
phrase is punctuated with comma or commas and it always acts as an
adjective (modifying a noun) in a sentence.

3. Differentiate finite and non-finite clauses.

- The finite clauses are Finite Clauses, in the syntax of complex and compound-
complex sentences, which contain not only independent, but also subordinate clauses,
the syntactic functions mentioned above, namely subject, objects, complements and
modifiers may be expressed by clauses. A finite clause has a primarily verb as its main
verb, and may be found in a relative clause or a noun clause embedded within the main
clause. In addition to this, finite clause is a grammatical unit containing subject and finite
verb, it can be independent clause which can stand on its own as a sentence.

-Meanwhile the non-finite clause is may be either infinitive or participle. Infinitive

constructions that complement an adjective or postmodify a noun and those which
operate as adverbial clauses are classified as non-finite infinitive clauses. The non-finite
clauses also is a grammatical unit that contains a non-finite verb, since non-finite verb is
participle and infinitive form of verb, in other words, a non-finite clause contains a subject
as it is a subset of our traditional phrase and most often not the main verb in the
sentence.
4. What are the roles played by non-finite structure in the economy of the sentence?
-The role played by non-finite structure in the economy of the sentence are role that
the various non-finite structures play in the economy of the sentence. Thus, non-finite clauses
do not include gerundial constructions, but only a subset of the infinitive and participial
structures. Thus, the term non-finite infinitive clauses cover just the infinitive structures that
postmodify the head of a Noun Phrase and those which act like adverbs, whether they are
part of the complementation in an Adjective Phrase or in an Adverb Phrase, or simply show
purpose, result, etc., being reduced adverbial clauses. Additionally, the term non-finite
participle clauses comprise those structures that complement an adjective, as well as those
which postmodify the head of a Noun Phrase, and the ones that act like adverbs, these being,
in fact, reduced relative or adverbial clauses.

- In linguistics, a non-finite clause is a dependent or embedded clause the presents a

state or event in the same way no matter when their it takes place before, during, or after the text
production.