Clauses and Phrases

When constructing sentences, writers will use dif ferent building blocks of clauses and
phrases to construct varied sentences. This handout will review how those phrases and clauses
are constructed and where they can be placed in a sentence.

Clauses

Dependent Clauses
A dependent clause has a subject and a verb but does not express a complete idea
and cannot stand alone as a simple sentence. The clause below does not express a complete
idea because of the subordinator at the beginning of the clause. Subordinators are words that
are commonly used to shift independent clauses into dependent clauses. These dependent
clauses can help writers connect ideas together and see the relationship between clauses.
Common subordinators include after, although, because, before, once, since, though, unless,
until, when, where, and while.

Example: Since it is going to rain soon.

Subordinator: Since
Subject: It
Verb: Is going

Common Subordinators: After, Although, As, Because, Before, Even though, Even if, If, Since,
Then, Though, Until, When, Where, Whether, While

Independent Clauses
An independent clause has a subject and a verb, expresses a complete idea, and is a
complete sentence.

Example: The soccer game was cancelled.

Subject: Game
Verb: Was

Independent clauses are also referred to as simple sentences or complete sentences.

Combining Clauses
When combining independent and dependent clauses, there is a simple rule to remember. If
the dependent clause comes before the independent clause, there must be a comma that
separates the two clauses. If the dependent clause comes after the independent clause, then
no comma is needed.

Dependent clause first: When I was young, I loved swimming.

Dependent clause last: I loved swimming when I was young.

This rule also applies to more complex sentences when there are multiple independent
and dependent clauses.

Phrases
Much like in daily conversations you have with friends, family, or colleagues, phrases are
used in academic studies to enrich and provide variety to formal writing. Phrases are small
groupings of words that function as a part of a sentence, like a verb, adjective, or noun. Even
though a phrase might contain a subject and a verb, in relation to the other words in the
sentence, that particular group of words may be modifying or describing another word in the
main sentence.

Example: Running through the forest, Katniss avoided the other tributes.

Phrase: Running through the forest

Subject: Katniss
Verb: Avoided

In the example above, the phrase has a verb and a noun but it cannot stand alone since
it is missing a subject. This phrase is meant to add more detail to the subject, so the whole
phrase acts like an adjective. Below you will find some of the most common kinds of phrases
used in academic writing, but there are many kinds of phrases to choose from

Participial Phrases
Participial phrases add descriptions to nouns and pronouns in your writing because they
function as adjectives even though they resemble actions.

Example:

No Phrase: Avatar earned the most money at the box office.

Phrase: Earning the most money at the box office, Avatar became the highest grossing film
ever.

Example:

No Phrase: The filmmakers of Jurassic Park accumulated millions of dollars.

Phrase: The filmmakers of Jurassic Park, accumulating millions of dollars, made three sequels.

Absolute Phrases
The absolute construction resembles the participial phrase and includes a noun (person, place,
thing, or idea) and a participle (a word that looks like an action ending in –ed or –ing in most
cases, but a participle is actually an adjective describing a noun).

Example:

No Phrase: George Miller likes dramatically choreographing his Mad Max films.

Phrase: Dramatically choreographed, George Miller’s Mad Max films are beautifully

envisioned.

Example:

No Phrase: Ripley’s pounding heart scares her.

Phrase: Heart pounding, Ripley confronted the alien.

Appositive Phrases
An appositive phrase adds details to other nouns. The difference between an appositive phrase
and a participial phrase is that an appositive also functions as a noun; therefore, an appositive
phrase frequently begins with “a, an, or the.”

Example:

No Phrase: M is a male character in the James Bond movies.

Phrase: M, a role originally played by men, was later recast as a woman.

Example:

No Phrase: Alec Guinness was cast as the original Obi-Wan Kenobi in first Star Wars movie.

Phrase: A legendary stage actor, Alec Guinness was cast as the original Obi-Wan Kenobi in the
first Star Wars movie.

Noun Phrase
A noun phrase is a group of words that have a noun or pronoun. It is used to modify the noun.
In other words, it can be said that a noun phrase can function as a subject, an object or a
complement in a sentence.
For example:

 My brother’s friend had come to visit him. (Used as a subject)

 Scented candles are my favourite. (Used as a subject)
 The students were asked to find the buried treasure. (Used as an object)

Adjective Phrase
An adjective phrase or an adjectival phrase is a group of words that consists of an adjective. It
can be used to complement it. It provides more information about the noun or pronoun in a
sentence. In other words, it can be said that it functions just like an adjective in a sentence.
For example:

 Annu has silky, smooth hair.

 People, living in large cities, often find it difficult to reach in time.
 The team that made it to the final was congratulated in front of the whole school.

Adverb Phrase
An adverb phrase or an adverbial phrase is a group of words that includes an adverb and other
modifiers. It performs all the functions of an adverb. It can be placed in any part of the
sentence, with respect to the part of speech they modify.
For example:

 We are planning to finish our group project by the end of May.

 Later this evening, my cousins and I have planned to go to the park.
 They saw some abandoned puppies at the corner of the street.

Verb Phrase
A verb phrase can be used just like a verb. It consists of a main verb and an auxiliary verb.
For example:

 Students are practising hard in order to participate in the state tournament.

 Aaron has been writing multiplication tables for three hours.
 The dogs have been barking continuously.

Prepositional Phrase
A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition and an object. It works just like an adjective or
an adverb. It relates the subject and the verb in a sentence. It is used to modify the nouns and
verbs in a particular sentence.
For example:

 It was too hard for me to concentrate with the kids jumping around.

 The jewelry boxes were kept inside the cupboard.
 On the way to New York, we caught sight of the famous Niagara falls.

How to Use Phrases? – Rules and Points to Remember

There are some things that you have to remember when using phrases.

 Phrases are just a part of the sentence and cannot stand alone.
 They do not give complete meaning if taken out of context.
 They are mostly used to provide extra information about the subject, object or other
components in a sentence.
 There can be more than one phrase in a sentence.
 Make sure that the phrase gives your sentence clarity and does not simply accumulate
the sentence with information.