SS Introduction E>[introduction to Phrasésill There are different views as to how many types of phrases there are. Some say 5 (five), 6 (six), 9 (nine) and | say there are 10 (ten). | will show you and then you can decide for yourself. A phrase is a group of related words that does not include a subject and verb. (If the group of related words does contain a subject and verb, it is considered a clause.) A phrase is a group of words without both a subject and predicate. There are several different kinds of phrases. Understanding how they are constructed and how they function within a sentence can bolster a writer's confidence in writing sentences that are sound in structure and various in form. Phrases combine words into a larger unit that can function as a sentence element. For example, a participial phrase can include adjectives, nouns, prepositions and adverbs; as a single unit, however, it functions as one big adjective modifying a noun (or noun phrase).Phrases are considered as the second level of classification as they tend to be larger than individual words, but are smaller than sentences. We refer to the central element in a phrase as the head of the phrase. If the head is a noun then the phrase is called anoun phrase. There are nine generally accepted classifications for phrases. These classifications are generally based on the headword or construction of the phrase. The headword can usually stand alone as a one-word phrase. It is the only part that cannot be omitted from the phrase. Aphrase is a group of words without both a subject and predicate. Phrases combine words into a larger unit that can function as a sentence element. For example, a participial phrase can include adjectives, nouns, prepositions and adverbs; as a single unit, however, it functions as one big adjective modifying a noun (or noun phrase).LO Tai ael a wale ty Noun Phrase - “The crazy old lady in the park feeds the pigeons every day.” A noun phrase consists of a noun and all of its modifiers, which can include other phrases (like the prepositional phrase in the park). Appositive Phrase — “Bob, my best friend, works here” or “My best friend Bob works here.” An appositive (single word, phrase, or clause) renames another noun, not technically modifyi: Gerund Phrase - “| love baking cakes.” A gerund phrase is just a noun phrase with a gerund as its head.Infinitive Phrase — “| love to bake cakes.” An infinitive phrase is anoun phrase with an infinitive as its head. Unlike the other noun phrases, however, an infinitive phrase can also function as an adjective or an adverb. Verb Phrase - The verb phrase can refer to the whole predicate of a sentence (| was watching my favorite shaw yesterday) or just the verb or verb group (was watching). Adverbial Phrase — The adverbial phrase also has two definitions; some say it's a group of adverbs (very quickly), while others say it’s any phrase (usually a prepositional phrase) that acts as an adverb Adjectival Phrase — As with adverbial phrases, adjectival phrases can either refer to a group of adjectives (full of toys) or any phrase (like a participial or prepositional phrase) that acts as an adjectiveParticipial Phrase — “Crushed to pieces by a sledgehammer, the computer no longer worked” or “I think the guy sitting over there likes you.” A participial phrase has a past or present participle as its head. Participial phrases always function as adjectives. Prepositional Phrase — “The food on the table looked delicious.” A prepositional phrase, which has a preposition as its head, can function as an adjective, adverb, or even as a noun. Absolute Phrase — “My cake finally baking in the oven, | was free to rest for thirty minutes.” Unlike participial phrases, absolute phrases have subjects and modify the entire sentence, not one noun. Almost a clause, the absolute phrase can include every sentence element except a finite verb. For example, “My cake finally baking in the oven” would be its own sentence if you just added one finite verb: “My cake was finally baking in the oven.”Dey NOUN PHRASE = noun + modifiers Anoun phrase is a group of related words which play the role of a noun. Like all phrases, a noun phrase does not have a subject and a verb. Anoun phrase consists of a noun and all of its modifiers. It can function ina sentence as a subject, object, or complement. Some American school boards have begun to consider compensating teachers based on how noun phrase = subject well they teach rather than how long. Critics reject these controversial pay-for- performance plans, maintaining that they are unfair to teachers who have unusually difficult students. noun phrase = direct object According to both sides of the debate, teaching is a valuable profession, and compensation for | noun phrase = complement this important job must be improved.Examples: The shopkeeper will only allow 2 children in at once. (normal noun) The overweight shopkeeper will only allow 2 children... (noun phrase) Give it back to the boy. (normal noun) Give it back to the boy on the boat. (noun phrase) Interactive example: Those ’sliens from Mars must have stolen youir precious\staplen) show me the noun phrase]Often a noun phrase is just a noun or a pronoun: People like to have money. lam tired. It is getting late. ora determiner and a noun ...: Our friends have bought a house in the village. Those houses are very expensive. .. perhaps with an adjective: Our closest friends have just bought a new house in the village. Sometimes the noun phrase begins with a quantifier: All those children go to school here. Both of my younger brothers are married Some people spend a lot of money.Numbers: Quantifiers come before determiners, but numbers come after determiners: My four children go to school here. (All my children go to school here.) Those two suitcases are mine. (Both those suitcases are mine) So the noun phrase is built up in this way: Noun: people; money Determiner + noun: the village, a house, our friends; those houses Quantifier + noun: some people; a lot of money Determiner + adjective + noun: our closest friends; Quantifier + determiner + noun: all those children; Quantifier + determiner + adjective + noun: both of my younger brothers The noun phrase can be quite complicated: new house. a loaf of nice fresh brown bread the eight-year-old boy who attempted to rob a sweet shop with a pistol that attractive young woman in the blue dress sitting over there in the cornerSome words and phrases come after the noun. These are called post modifiers. A noun phrase can be post modified in several ways. Here are some examples ith a prepositional phrase: aman with agun ‘the boy in the blue shirt the house on the corner * with an —ing phrase: the man standing over there the boy talking to Angela * with a relative clause: the man we met yesterday the house that Jack built the woman who discovered radium an eight-year-old boy who attempted to rob a sweet shop¢ with a that clause. This is very common with reporting or summarising nouns like idea, fact, belief, suggesti He's still very fit, in spite of the fact that he’s over eighty. She got the idea that people didn’t like her. There was a suggestion that the children should be sent home. ¢ with a to-infinitive. This is very common after indefinite pronouns and adverbs: You should take something to read. I need somewhere to sleep. I’ve got no decent shoes to wear. There may be more than one post modifier: an eight-year old boy with a gun who tried to rob a sweet shop that girl over there in a green dress drinking a cokepositive/Apposition | APPOSITIVE PHRASE = noun phrase or other phrase functioning as a noun An appositive phrase is a noun phrase or any other type of phrase functioning as a noun that renames a noun/pronoun preceding Examples Determined looks on their faces, parents waited in line outside the mall at 12:01 a.m. on appositive phrase = infinitive phrase Saturday with one goal in mind, to get the renaming goal newest Harry Potter book for their children. In the first book of the series, Harry, an orphan who is forced to live with relatives who detest _| appositive phrase = noun phrase him, receives an invitation to study at the renaming Harry Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.An appositive is the word(s) which follow a noun to rename it or describe it in another way. Appositives are usually offset with commas, brackets or dashes. Examples: u My best friend, Lee, caught a whelk when he was fishing for bass. T_T noun appositive | Dr Pat, the creator of the turnip brew, sold 8 barrels on the first day. Tt I appositive of "Dr Pat" (Apposition: "Lee" is in apposition to "My best friend", and "the creator of the turnip brew" is in apposition to "Dr Pat".)Interactive example: Don't leave your shoes there, or my dog Ollie, will munch them. [show me the appositive] Hot Tip « If the appositive is just additional information (i.e., you could remove it from the sentence without any loss of meaning), then it should be offset from the remainder of the sentence (usually with commas). Jane Smith, who swam 100m in under a minute, wins the award for most improved swimmer. ><Recognize an appositive when you see one. An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it. The appositive can be a short or long combination of words. Look at these examples: The insect, a cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table. The insect, a Jarge cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table. The insect, a Jarge cockroach with hairy legs, is crawling across the kitchen table. The insect, a large, hairy-leqged cockroach that has spied my bowl of oatmeal, is crawling across the kitchen table.Here are more examples: During the dinner conversation, Clifford, the messiest eater at the table, spewed mashed potatoes like an erupting volcano. My 286 computer, a modern-day dinosaur, chews floppy disks as noisily as my brother does peanut brittle. Genette's bedroom desk, the biggest disaster area in the house, is a collection of overdue library books, dirty plates, computer components, old mail, cat hair, and empty potato chip bags. Reliable, Diane's eleven-year-old beagle, chews holes in the living room carpeting as if he were still a puppy.Punctuate the appositive correctly. The important point to remember is that a nonessential appositive is always separated from the rest of the sentence with comma(s). When the appositive begins the sentence, it looks like this: A hot-tempered tennis player, Robbie charged the umpire and tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket. When the appositive interrupts the sentence, it looks like this: Robbie, a hot-tempered tennis player, charged the umpire and tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket. And when the appositive ends the sentence, it looks like this: Upset by the bad call, the crowd cheered Robbie, a hot- tempered tennis player who charged the umpire and tried to crack the poor man’s skull with a racket.Gerund Phrase GERUND PHRASE = gerund + modifiers, objects, or complements Agerund phrase includes a gerund and its modifiers, objects, or complements. It always functions as a noun. Examples Becoming a Wimbledon finalist was Patrick Rafter's only thought as he competed against | gerund phrase = subject Andre Agassi during a semifinal match. Venus Williams dreamt all her life about gerund phrase = object of the i i wi 2Agerund is a noun formed from a verb by adding the suffix "ing". The following are all gerunds: Examples: I climbing / polishing / eating Although a gerund is a noun, it can still take an object (like a verb). The gerund, its object and all modifiers (adjectives and adverbs) are known as a gerund phrase. Examples: 1 Eating blackberries without washing them will make you ill. L gerund phrase@ jam not prepared to authorise climbing the cliffs in the dark ———_—_—_——— gerund phrase Interactive example: So, you think(Beating eggs with a fork is acceptable, do you? show me the gerund phrase]Th) Airco INFINITIVE PHRASE = infinitive + modifiers, objects, or complements An infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive and its modifiers, objects, or complements. It can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb. Examples To write clearly and concisely can be difficult sometimes for even the most. accomplished writers. infinitive phrase = noun functioning as the subject Proofreading your writing is a good way to | infinitive phrase = adjective ensure the absence of typing mistakes. modifying way To greatly increase the amount of stress in your life, leave your writing task until the night before it is due. infinitive phrase = adverb modifying leaveThe infin’ form of a verb is usually preceded by "to" (e.g., to run, to dance, to think). An infinitive phrase is this form of the verb plus any complements or modifiers. Examples (infinitive phrases in bold): He helped to build the roof. Let me show you the best way to paint the door. Withe officer returned to help the inspectors.Infinitive phrases can be used as nouns, adjectives and adverbs. Examples: WiHe helped to build the roof. (noun) Let me show you the best way to paint the door. (adjective) Mi The officer returned to help the inspectors. (adverb) Interactive example: The only solution is tollewerithe standards. (show me the infinitive phrase]Ve ae L ‘VERB PHRASE = main verb + helping verbs Averb phrase includes a main verb and its helping verbs. It can function only as the predicate of a sentence. Examples High-tech businesses with more positions than employees are recruiting talented staffers from overseas. Without highly-trained foreign workers, many American companies would be forced to ship work off to other countries. Many labor advocates do fear that this practice of employing foreign staffers deprives Americans of work.Recognize a verb phrase when you see one. Every sentence must have a verb. To depict doable activities, writers use action verbs. To describe conditions, writers choose linking verbs. Sometimes an action or condition occurs just once—pow!/—and it's over. Read these two short sentences: Offering her license and registration, Selena sobbed in the driver's seat. Officer Carson was unmoved. Other times, the activity or condition continues over along stretch of time, happens predictably, or occurs in relationship to other events. In these instances, a single-word verb like sobbed or was cannot accurately describe what happened, so writers use multipart verb phrases to communicate what they mean. As many as four words can comprise a verb phrase.Amain or base verb indicates the type of action or condition, and auxiliary— or helping—verbs convey the other nuances that writers want to express. Read these three examples: The tires screeched as Selena mashed the accelerator. Selena is always disobeying the speed limit. Selena should have been driving with more care, for then she would not have gotten her third ticket this year. In the first sentence, screeched and mashed, single-word verbs, describe the quick actions of both the tires and Selena. Since Selena has an inclination to speed, is disobeying [a two-word verb] communicates the frequency of her law breaking. The auxiliary verbs that comprise should have been driving [a four-word verb] and would have gotten [a three-word verb] express not only time relationships but also evaluation of Selena's actions.Realize that an adverb is not part of the verb phrase. Since a verb phrase might use up to four words, a short adverb—such as also, never, of hot—might try to sneak in between the parts. When you find an adverb snuggled in a verb phrase, it is still an adverb, not part of ‘the verb. Read these examples: For her birthday, Selena would also like a radar detector. Would like = verb; also = adverb. To avoid another speeding ticket, Selena will never again take her eyes off the road to fiddle with the radio. Will take = verb; never, again = adverbs. Despite the stern warning from Officer Carson, Selena has not lightened her foot on the accelerator. Has lightened = verb; not = adverb.Welder Med) An adverbial phrase is a group of related words which play the role of an adverb. Like all phrases, an adverbial phrase does not include a subject and a verb. Example: Hl Tony decided to move to Reading yesterday. (normal adverb) Hl Tony decided to move to Slough in June last year. (adverbial phrase)Interactive example: Darcy can build a card pyramid in less than a minute, [show me the adverbial phrase] When an adverbial phrase is at the start of a sentence, it is usual to follow it with a comma. | | On the count of 3, leap across. “< (should be was / The subject is "container".)ABSOLUTE PHRASE = noun/pronoun + participle + modifiers, objects, or complements An absolute phrase often includes a noun or pronoun, a participle, and any modifiers, objects or complements of the phrase. Usually set off by commas, it modifies an entire sentence rather than a specific word. Examples Extra-curricular activities demanding more and more of their attention, many children don't have the time they need to develop strong emotional ties with their parents and siblings. Some Minnesota parents, their patience and schedules stretched to the limit, have begun to fight back against extra-curricular programs that penalize children for spending time with their families instead of attending additional mandatory practices or meetings. Family Life 1st! continues to spread the message about the importance of family togetherness, its members encouraged by support from the religious community, and surprisingly, the coaching community as well.Recognize an absolute phrase when you see one. An absolute phrase combines a noun and a participle with any accompanying modifiers or objects. Here are some examples: Legs quivering Legs = noun; quivering = participle. Her arms folded across her chest Arms = noun; folded = participle; her, across her chest = modifiers. Our fingers scraping the leftover frosting off the plates Fingers = noun; scraping = participle; frosting = direct object; our, the, leftover, off the plates = modifiers.Rather than modifying a specific word, an absolute phrase will describe the whole clause: Legs quivering, our old dog Gizmo dreamed of chasing squirrels. Her arms folded across her chest, Professor Hill warned the class about the penalties of plagiarism. We devoured Aunt Lenora's carrot cake, our fingers scraping the leftover frosting off the plates.Identify the correct choice in each question and click on the eo to see whether your answer is correct. 1. Steven's book, which made Oprah's Book Club this month, is not in any stores. Oo a. prepositional phrase eB oO b. participial phrase Ge Oo c¢. gerund phrase @e °o d. infinitive phrase @e2. While preparing for the speech, Joe couldn't help but worry about. his entrance. e a. prepositional phrase ee 3 b. participial phrase @? oe c. gerund phrase 3 0 d. infinitive phrase Se? 3. Ahmad wants to visit Quebec, but he will need to wait for his next vacation. oO a. prepositional phrase ee 0 b. participial phrase Sr oO c. gerund phrase ee & oO d. infinitive phrase4. Hoping for a miracle, the doctors continued the surgery. oe a. prepositional phrase Gir eo b. participial phrase B® eo c. gerund phrase @ eo d. infinitive phrase ee 5. Our boss supports donating time to charity. oe a. prepositional phrase Ge eo b. participial phrase ee oO c. gerund phrase @ eo d. infinitive phrase ce6. Marta fell over the cat. oO a. infin eo b. appositive eo c. gerund phrase oO d. prepositional phrase oO e. clause oO f. participial phrase 7. Pretending to be asleep, the hiker escaped the bear. oO a. infinitive phrase oO b. appositive oO c. gerund phrase Oo d. prepositional phrase oO e. clause oO f. participial phrase phrase €S6 ESE 6€S EES8. Susan Sarandon, a famous actress, has been very supportive of the striking workers. eo a. infinitive phrase aS eo b. appositive oe) eo c. gerund phrase eS °o d. prepositional phrase ee oO e. clause @ 3 f. participial phrase @?9. To finish the marathon in less than five hours is Tom's goal. eo a. oe b. appositive eo c. gerund phrase eo d. prepositional phrase eo e. clause oe f. participial phrase 10. She preferred eating at the local deli for lunch. eo a. infinitive phrase eo b. appositive eo ¢. gerund phrase eo d. prepositional phrase initive phrase SE SEGE SE EES