Transcript Phrases and Clauses

Phrases and Clauses
•A Phrase is a group of related words that is
used as a single part of speech and does not
contain a verb and its subject.
•A clause is a group of words that contains a
verb and its subject.
Prepositional Phrase
• A prepositional phrase is a group of words consisting of a
preposition, a noun or pronoun that serves as the object of
the preposition, and any modifiers of that object. (The object
of the preposition may be compound.)
• Gabbie and her brother walked in front of the stage.
• Bailey and Kaenen waved to us.
• Inside the small cabin Megan and Brenna found shelter from
the cold.
Adjective Phrase
• An adjective phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies a
noun or pronoun.
• A book of jokes might make a good gift.
• Liza, Megan, and Julia are the musicians that appeared on the
magazine cover.
• Marcus is the young boy in that picture on the wall next to
his grandfather.
• Is that your car with the flat tire in the driveway?
Adverb Phrase
• An adverb phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies a
verb, an adjective, or an adverb.
• My brother looks like my uncle.
• They found the note in an old book.
• Later in the afternoon, the storm brought high winds and
rain.
• The same movie has been playing for eight weeks.
Participles and Participial Phrases
A participle is a verbal, or verb form, that can be used as an
adjective.
Present participles end in –ing.
The comedian was amusing.
Past participles usually end in –d or –ed.
That faded rug belonged to my grandmother.
Hopelessly lost and worried, Zach stopped and asked the
police officer for directions.
A participial phrase consists of a participle and its modifiers and
complements. A participial phrase is used as a adjective.
Imagining herself in space, Justine dreamed she was an astronaut.
She imagined a young woman floating smoothly outside a space
capsule.
Soon, soothed by these pleasant thoughts, she drifted off to sleep.
Gerunds and Gerund Phrases
A gerund is a verbal, or verb form, that ends in –ing and is
used as a noun.
( Do not confuse a gerund with a present participle used as
part of a verb phrase or as an adjective.)
Subject: Cooking is an art for some people.
Predicate Nominative: His favorite pastime is painting.
Object of a Preposition: The road is closed because of flooding.
Direct Object: Has the camera crew finished filming?
A gerund phrase consists of a gerund and its modifiers and
complements. A gerund phrase is used as a noun.
Approaching the dog slowly was the most sensible idea.
The poem celebrated the gentle blossoming of a rose.
By moving through the crowded room, the mayor was able to greet
all his supporters.
Infinitive and Infinitive Phrases
An infinitive is a verbal, or verb form, that can be used as a
noun, an adjective, or an adverb. An infinitive usually begins
with to.
Nouns: To solve the puzzle was a challenge.
Adjective: The fastest way to get home is on the expressway.
Adverb: The hikers were too tired to take another step.
An infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive and its modifiers
and complements. An infinitive phrase may be used as an
adjective, an adverb, or a noun.
After his operation, Brent will use leg exercises to strengthen his
knee.
Vivian was proud to display her drawings.
To rescue those people Marcus had a lot of courage.
Appositives and Appositive Phrases
An appositive is a noun or pronoun placed beside another noun
or pronoun to identify or explain it.
Appositives are often set off from the rest of the sentence by
commas. However, when an appositive is necessary to the
meaning of the sentence or is closely related to the word it
refers to, no commas are necessary.
The write Toni Morrison is a respected American novelist.
Bill Cosby, a comedian and an actor, has written several books.
An appositive phrase consists of an appositive and its modifiers.
Miss Dominigues, a teacher at the Douglas school, is my aunt.
Martin Luther King, Jr., the well-known leader in the civil rights
movement, was also a minister.
Independent and Subordinate Clauses
An independent (or main) clause expresses a complete thought
and can stand by itself as a sentence.
The poet received many awards.
Lucille Clifton wrote “Sisters,” and Diana Chang wrote “Saying Yes.”
A subordinate (or dependent) clause does not express a complete
thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence.
A word such as that, since, or what signals the beginning of a
subordinate clause.
that I memorized
what she said
since many people enjoy poetry
The meaning of a subordinate clause is complete only when the clause
is attached to an independent clause.
“Lineage,” which is a poem by Margaret Walker, is about her ancestors.
When I read Americo Paredes poem “Guitarreros,” I really liked it.
The Adjective Clause
An adjective clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun
or a pronoun. Unlike an adjective or adjective phrase, an
adjective clause contains a verb and its subject. An adjective
clause usually follows the word it modifies and tells which one or
what kind. An adjective clause is usually introduced by a relative
pronoun.
Relative Pronouns
that which who whom which
Those who are competing in the next race should take their staring positions.
I especially like stories that contain suspense.
Science, which is taught by Ms. Pitrello, is my favorite class.
Have you met the man who lives next door?
The woman for whom she works does medical research.
The Adverb Clause
An adverb clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a verb, an
adjective, or another adverb. Unlike an adverb or adverb phrase,
an adverb clause contains a verb and its subject. Ad adverb clause
tells how, when, where, why, to what extent, how much, how
long, or under what conditions.
Subordinating Conjunctions
after although as as if as long as as soon as as though
because before how if in order that since so that
than though unless until when whenever where
wherever whether while
Jake missed the game because he overslept.
If Milan is late, Imani will be unhappy.
Before we played the game, we had a long practice.
The Noun Clause
A noun clause is a subordinate clause used as a noun. A noun
clause may be used as a subject, a complement (predicate
nominative, direct object, indirect object), or an object of a
preposition.
Common Introductory Words for Noun Clauses
How when who if where whoever that whether
Whom what which whomever whatever whichever why
Subject: That I love baseball is a well-know fact.
Predicate Nominative: Bread was what Deryn made for the picnic.
Direct Object: He knew which bear was in the cave.
Indirect Object: I will give whoever wins the race a trophy.
Object of a Preposition: She is grateful for whatever help she can get.