Grammar Phrases and Clauses
Grammar – Phrases and Clauses
A VERBAL PHRASE is a form of a verb that is used as a noun, adjective or adverb.
Phrase / PREPOSITIONAL / PARTICIPIAL / GERUND / INFINITIVEDefinition / A group of words consisting of a preposition and a noun or a pronoun (object of the preposition) / Verb form ending in –ing(present tense)
or –ed (past tense) / Verb form ending in –ing / Verb beginning with to
Usage / Prepositional phrases can function as adjectives or as adverbs. / Used as an adjective
(describes a noun or pronoun). / Used as a noun
(subject, predicate nominative, direct object or object of a prepositional phrase). / Used as a noun, adjective or adverb.
Example / The brick house with the green shutters is grandma’s house.
Behind it are a vegetable garden and berry bush. / Sally got a new swimming cap.
The building, destroyed by a fire, was never rebuilt. / Swimming is fun.
The police arrested him for destroying the building. / We plan to swim.
The criminal wanted to destroy the evidence.
Tricks / Know your prepositions. / Part with it; not needed to make a complete sentence. / Group of words doing the job of a noun / To + verb
Other Information / Know your prepositions. / The perfect tense of a participle is formed with a past participle and the helping verb having (e.g. Having studied all day, Jessica was ready). / May have a possessive form.
(Sally’s swimming is good.) / May have a subject.
(She wanted Sally to swim.)
Clause / Dependent vs. Independent / Adverb / Adjective / Noun
Definition / A dependent clause contains and subject and a verb but cannot stand on its own.
An independent clause can stand on its own. / Contain a subject and verb and act as an adverb / Follows the noun it modifies. / What could be a whole sentence acts as a single part of speech.
Example / Dependent Clause
Although I am an avid reader
Independent Clause
I am an avid reader. / After we won the game, we went out for ice-cream.
We studied for the test because we knew it was important. / The girl who sits next to me is really funny. / Whoever started that fire is going to be in a lot of trouble.
The letter will go to whichever person lives there at the moment.
Tricks / Know your subordinating conjunctions and your relative pronouns. / Begin with a subordinating conjunction.
Adverbs answer:
When? Where? Why? How? / Begins with a relative pronoun. Can be eliminated while leaving a complete sentence. / Begins with a relative pronoun. Cannot be eliminated while leaving a complete sentence.
Usage / Independent clauses are simple sentences. Dependent clauses may act as adverbs, adjectives or nouns. / Used as an adverb / Used as an adjective. / Used as a noun
(subject, predicate nominative, direct object or object of a prepositional phrase).