Phrases and Clauses

Phrases:

• A phrase is a group of words, which makes sense, but not complete sense.
• It does not have its own Subject and predicate.

For Example:  
A) The book is lying on the table.                     

B) He bought a beautiful red jacket.

C) He has a chain of gold.

Kinds of Phrases

There are different kinds of phrases used in English.

• ·  1. Noun Phrase
• ·  Gerund Phrase
• ·  Infinitive Phrase
• ·  2. Adjective Phrase
• ·  3. Adverb Phrase
• ·  4. Prepositional Phrase

👉Noun Phrase:

A noun phrase is a group of words that works like a noun in a sentence.
It can act as a subject, object, or complement.

For Example:

• Early to bed is a good habit.
• The black cap is mine.
• He refused to answer the question.

🔸 Gerund Phrase:

A gerund phrase begins with a gerund (ing-form) and works as a noun.

• My father likes writing books.
• Collecting stamps is my hobby.

🔸 Infinitive Phrase:

An infinitive phrase begins with to + verb and functions as a noun.

• He ordered me to open the door.
• My father likes to read books.

👉Adjective Phrase:

When a word qualifies a noun or pronoun is called an adjective.

When a Phrase (a group of words without having subject and predicate) does the work of an adjective, it is called an Adjective Phrase.

• A) He wore a turban made of silk. (The phrase “made of silk” qualifies the noun “Turban”.)
• B) Life is not a bed of roses. (The phrase “a bed of roses” qualifies the noun “life”.)
• C) The umbrella with a broken handle is mine. (The phrase “with a broken handle” qualifies the noun “umbrella”.)

👉Adverb Phrase:

When a word qualifies an adjective, verb or another adverb is called an adverb.

When a phrase (a group of words without having subject and predicate) does the work of an adverb, it is called an Adverb Phrase.

• A) Ali ran with great speed. (The phrase “with great speed” qualifies the verb “ran”.)
• B) He answered in a rude manner. (The phrase “in a rude manner” qualifies the verb “answered”.)
• C) He did it in a hurried manner. (The phrase “in a hurried manner” qualifies the verb “did”.)

👉Prepositional Phrases:

Prepositional Phrase is a group of words used as a single preposition.

According to, instead of, because of, in case of, in spite of, in order to,

• A) My house is in front of the college.    
• B) He passed on account of hard work.
• C) Who is at the bottom of this conspiracy?

The Clause

A clause is a group of words that contains its own subject and predicate.

👉Coordinating Clauses:

Coordinating clauses are groups of words that can stand alone as a complete sentence.

They are joined by coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) to form compound sentences.

• A) I am happy but you are sad.     
•             B) The sun was shining bright, so we decided to go for a picnic.
•             C) I wanted to go to the party, but I had to finish my assignment. 

👉Subordinating Clauses:

Subordinating clauses are groups of words that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because they do not express a complete thought. They depend on a main clause to give their complete meaning.

• A) My father gave me a watch which was made of gold.           
•             B) She succeeded because she worked hard.
•             C) After he had left, I went to sleep.  
•             D) I saw a beautiful horse which ran very fast.

Kinds of Clauses:

There are different kinds of clauses used in English.

• Noun Clause
• Adjective Clause
• Adverb Clause

1. Noun Clause:

A Noun clause is a group of words that acts as a noun. It contains a subject and predicate.

• Noun clauses mostly become the subject or object of a sentence. If a noun clause occurs after the verb, it can easily be identified by asking the question “WHAT” just after the verb.

For Example

• A) I want to know what has happened. [I want to know (WHAT?) what has happened.]
• B) How the thief stole is not known.
• C) She wants to know why he failed. [She wants to know (WHAT?) why he failed.]

2. Adjective Clause:

When a word qualifies a noun or pronoun is called an adjective. When a group of words, having subject and predicate does the work of an adjective, it is called an Adjective clause.

• The clause that starts with a relative pronoun (who, whose, whom, which and that) is called an adjective clause.  

For Example:

• A) This is the boy who stole my pen.                   
• B) I saw a child who was sleeping.
• C) Here is the book which you want.

3. Adverb Clause:

When a word qualifies an adjective, verb or another adverb is called an adverb. When a group of words having subject and predicate does the work of an adverb, it is called an Adverb Clause.

For Example:

• A) We shall go wherever we like.             
• B) They left as soon as I reached.
• C) You came after night had fallen.