Building Phrases
A phrase is a group of two or
more grammatically linked words without a subject
and predicate --
a group of grammatically-linked words with a subject and predicate
is called a clause.
The group "teacher
both students and" is not a phrase because the words have no grammatical
relationship to one another. Similarly, the group "bay the across" is
not a phrase.
In both cases, the words
need to be rearranged in order to create phrases. The group "both teachers
and students" and the group "across the bay" are both phrases.
You use a phrase to add
information to a sentence
and can perform the functions of a subject, an object, a
subject or
object complement, a
verb, an adjective,
or an adverb.
The highlighted words in
each of the following sentences make up a phrase:
She bought some spinach when she went to the corner store.
Lightning flashed brightly in the night sky.
They heard high pitched cries in
the middle of the night.
In early October, Giselle planted twenty tulip bulbs; unfortunately, squirrels ate the bulbs and none
bloomed.
Small children often insist that they can do it by themselves.
Written by Heather MacFadyen
The Function Of Phrases
Verb Phrases
A verb phrase consists of a verb, its direct
and/or indirect objects, and
any adverb, adverb phrases, or adverb clauses which
happen to modify it. The predicate of a clause or sentence is
always a verb phrase:
Corinne is trying to
decide whether she wants to go to medical school or to go to law school.
He did not have all
the ingredients the recipe called for; therefore, he decided to make something else.
After she had learned to
drive, Alice felt more
independent.
We will meet at the
library at 3:30 p.m.
Noun Phrases
A noun phrase consists of a pronoun or
noun with any associated modifiers,
including adjectives, adjective phrases, adjective clauses, and
other nouns in the possessive case.
Like a noun, a noun phrase can act as a subject, as
the object of a
verb or verbal, as a
subject or object complement, or
as the object of a preposition, as
in the following examples:
subject
Small
children often insist that they can
do it by themselves.
object of a verb
To read quickly and accurately is Eugene's goal.
object of a preposition
The arctic explorers were caught unawares by the spring breakup.
subject complement
Frankenstein is the name of the
scientist not the monster.
object complement
I consider Loki my favorite cat.
Noun Phrases
using Verbals
(by David Megginson)
Since some verbals -- in particular, the gerund and
the infinitive --
can act as nouns, these also can form the nucleus of a noun phrase:
Ice
fishing is a popular winter
pass-time.
However, since verbals are formed from verbs, they can also take
direct objects and can be modified by adverbs. A gerund phrase or infinitive
phrase,
then, is a noun phrase consisting of a verbal, its modifiers (both adjectives
and adverbs), and its objects:
Running
a marathon in the Summer is thirsty
work.
I am planning to buy a house
next month.
Adjective
Phrases
An adjective phrase is any phrase which modifies
a noun or pronoun. You often construct adjective phrases using participles or
prepositions together with their objects:
I was driven mad by the sound of
my neighbour's constant piano practising.
In this sentence, the prepositional phrase "of my neighbour's
constant piano practising" acts as an adjective modifying the noun
"sound."
My father-in-law locked his keys in the trunk of a borrowed car.
Similarly in this sentence, the prepositional phrase "of a
borrowed car" acts as an adjective modifying the noun "trunk."
We saw Peter dashing across
the quadrangle.
Here the participle phrase "dashing across the
quadrangle" acts as an adjective describing the proper noun
"Peter."
We picked up the records broken in the
scuffle.
In this sentence, the participle phrase "broken in the
scuffle" modifies the noun phrase "the records."
Adverb
Phrases
A prepositional phrase can also be an adverb
phrase,
functioning as an adverb, as in the following sentences.
She bought some spinach when she went to the corner store.
In this sentence, the prepositional phrase "to the corner
store" acts as an adverb modifying the verb "went."
Lightning flashed brightly in the night sky.
In this sentence, the prepositional phrase "in the night
sky" functions as a adverb modifying the verb "flashed."
In early October, Giselle planted twenty tulip bulbs;
unfortunately, squirrels ate the bulbs and none bloomed.
In this sentence, the prepositional phrase "in early
October" acts as an adverb modifying the entire sentence.
We will meet at the library at 3:30 P.M.
In this sentence, the prepositional phrase "at 3:30
P.M." acts as an adverb modifying the verb phrase "will meet."
The dogs were capering about the clown's feet.
In this sentence, the prepositional phrase "about the
clown's feet" acts as an adverb modifying the verb phrase "were
capering."
Written by Heather MacFadyen
Review: The
Function Of Phrases
17.
According to the chart, making supper is Richard's duty tonight and washing the dishes is
Dorothy's.
18.
The guard woken from his sleep by the
burglar alarm knocked a bowl of potato chips off the desk.
Prepared by SANN RAKMSEY.
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