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Phrases and Clauses

How do you define English grammar in 11 words?
What is a phrase?
What are different types of phrases?
What is an adjective phrase?
What is an adjective clause?
What is an adverb phrase?
What is an adverb clause?
What is a noun phrase?
What are examples of noun phrases in English language?
What is a noun clause?
What is a prepositional phrase?
What is a verb phrase?
What are examples of verb phrases in English language?
What is an adpositional phrase?
What is a pronominal?
What Are Phrasal Verbs? How are they used?

How do you define English grammar in 11 words?
English grammar consists of classes of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences.

What is a phrase?
A phrase is two or more words that do not contain the subject-verb pair necessary to form a clause.
A group of two or more grammatically linked words that do not have subject and predicate is a phrase.
Phrases act like parts of speech inside clauses.
A phrase is not a sentence because it is not a complete idea with a subject and a predicate.
A phrase is a group or words that express a concept and is used as a unit within a sentence.

What are different types of phrases?

Adjective phrase

Adverb phrase

Appositive Phrase

Absolute Phrase

Gerund Phrase

Infinitive Phrase

Noun phrase

Participial Phrase

Preposition phrase

Verb phrase

Phrasal verb

Interrogative Phrase

Here are further guidelines.

What are the four types of clauses?

Independent clause / Main Clause

Adjective clauses. / Dependent clause

Adverb clauses. / Dependent clause

Noun clauses. / Dependent clause

What is a clause?
A clause is a group of words containing a subject and verb. An independent clause is a simple sentence. It can stand on its own.

A phrase is a group of words without a subject-verb component, used as a single part of speech.

Types of Clauses

What are the different types of clauses?
A clause may be built around a finite verb or a non-finite verb.

If it is based on a finite verb, it is called a finite clause.
If it is based on a non-finite verb, it is called a non-finite clause.

Types of Finite Clauses

A finite clause may be independent or dependent.

Main or Independent Clause
Main (or independent) clause is a clause that expresses a complete thought and can stand as a sentence.

What are finite and non finite verbs?
Verbs which have the past or the present form are called FINITE verbs. Verbs in any other form (infinitive, -ing, or -ed) are called NONFINITE verbs. This means that verbs with tense are finite, and verbs without tense are nonfinite.

How many dependent clauses are there?
There are three basic dependent clauses.

Adjective clauses.

Adverb clauses.

Noun clauses.

Adverb clauses are also known as subordinate clauses.
Adjective clauses are also known as relative clauses.

What is a dependent clause?
A dependent clause has a subject and verb.
A dependent clause does not express a complete thought.
A dependent clause cannot be a sentence.
A dependent clause is dependent on an independent clause to form a complete complex sentence.

What does a dependent clause begin with?
A dependent clause begins with a subordinate conjunction or a relative pronoun.
Subordinating Conjunctions and Relative Pronouns Used with Subordinate Clauses

Adjective clauses.

What words begin an adjective clause in English language?
An adjective clause begins with a relative pronoun (that, who, whose, whom, which) or a subordinate conjunction (when and where).

What is the difference among an adverb clause, adjective clause, and noun clause?
An adverb clause, adjective clause, and noun clause are all dependent clauses.
A noun clause is a dependent clause that functions as a noun.
An adjective clause is a dependent clause that functions as an adjective.
Noun clauses are not written with commas.
Adjective clauses are sometimes set off by commas.
An adverb clause usually starts with a subordinating conjunction.

What is an adjective clause in English language?
Adjective clauses begin with words such as that, when, where, who, whom, whose, which, and why.
An adjective clause—also called an adjectival or relative clause—will meet three requirements: First, it will contain a subject and verb. Next, it will begin with a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, that, or which) or a relative adverb (when, where, or why). Third requirement?

That / Relative pronoun
Who / Relative pronoun
Whom / Relative pronoun
Whose / Relative pronoun
Which / Relative pronoun
When / Relative adverb
Where / Relative adverb
Why / Relative adverb

Reducing Adjective Clauses to Phrases

An adjective clause that has a subject pronoun (which, that, or who) can also be shortened into an adjective phrase.

You can shorten an adjective clause in two ways:
1.Omit the subject pronoun and verb.
2.Omit the subject pronoun and change the verb so it ends in -ing.

•Adjective Clause: The girl who is leading the parade is my best friend.
•Adjective Phrase: The girl leading the parade is my best friend.

She's the person who is helping us.
She's the person helping us.
who is helping us. / Adjective clause
helping us / Adjective phrase

Can you find the problem that is making the noise?
Can you find the problem making the noise?

that is making the noise / Adjective clauses
making the noise / Adjective phrase

Adverb clauses

What are the words that begin an adverb clause in English language?
An adverb clause in English language begins with a subordinating conjunction.
After, although, because, and if are examples of subordinating conjunctions. An adverb clause contains a subject and a predicate.

Noun clauses

What is a noun clause in English language?
A noun clause is a dependent clause that acts as a noun.
A noun clause usually begins with a relative pronoun.
The structure of the noun clause: relative pronouns or subordinating conjunctions.
Noun clauses can act as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, predicate nominatives, or objects of a preposition.

What are complex sentences starting with a noun clause?
Because something was wrong, I will be investigating this case.
Whoever broke the window, I will be investigating this case.

Can you name various subordinating conjunctions?

How many subordinating conjunctions are there in English language?
There are more than 62.

What are examples of subordinating conjunctions that begin complex declarative sentences in English language?

After
Although
As
As far as
As if
As long as
As much as
As soon ss
As though
Because
Before
By the time
Even
Even if
Even though
Every time
How
If
If only
If … then
If … when
In case
In order that
In that
Inasmuch
Inasmuch as
Insofar as
Just as
Lest
No matter how
Now
Now since
Now that
Now when
Once
Provided
Provided that
Rather than
Rather that
Since
So that
Supposing
Than
That
The first time
Though
Till
Unless
Until
When
Whenever
Where
Where if
Whereas
Wherever
Whether
Whether or not
Which
While
Who
Whoever
Why

What are examples of relative pronouns?

That
Whoever
How
What
Whatever
Whatsoever
When
Where
Whether
Which
Whichever
Whichsoever
Who
Whom
Whomever
Whomsoever
Whose
Whosesoever
Whosoever
Why

What is a Subordinating Conjunction?
Subordinating conjunctions are essential parts of complex sentences with include at least two clauses, with one of the clauses being main (independent) and the other being subordinate (dependent).

Subordinating conjunctions are parts of speech that join dependent clauses to independent clauses. Sometimes referred to as subordinators or subordinate conjunctions, these important words and phrases may also introduce adverb clauses.

Subordinating Conjunction Exercises

The following exercises will help you gain greater understanding about how subordinating conjunctions work. Choose the best answer to complete each sentence.

1._________ the basement flooded, we spent all day cleaning up.
1.After
2.Although
3.Before
4.Even if

Answer: 1. After the basement flooded, we spent all day cleaning up.

2.I don’t want to go to the movies _____________ I hate the smell of popcorn.
1.Although
2.Because
3.Whenever
4.So that

Answer: 2. I don’t want to go to the movies because I hate the smell of popcorn.

3.I paid Larry, ___________ garden design work is top-notch.
1.Whenever
2.Whose
3.After
4.If

Answer: 2. I paid Larry, whose garden design work is top-notch.

4.___________ spring arrives, we have to be prepared for more snow.
1.Because
2.Until
3.Although
4.Now that

Answer: 2. Until spring arrives, we have to be prepared for more snow.

5._____________ the alarm goes off, I hit the snooze button.
1.As soon as
2.Because
3.Before
4.Now that

Answer: As soon as the alarm goes off, I hit the snooze button.

Subordinating Conjunctions List

There are many subordinating conjunctions. This list contains 25 of those most commonly used.
After
Although
As
As soon as
Because
Before
By the time
Even if
Even though
Every time
If
In case
Now that
Once
Since
So that
Than
The first time
Unless
Until
When
Whenever
Whether or not
While
Why

Here are further guidelines.

Phrase Examples

Adjective phrase

What Is an Adjective Phrase?
An adjective phrase is a group of words used collectively to describe a noun or pronoun in a sentence.

The big white hen ran away. big white / Adjective Phrase

Adjective phrases: position
When an adjective is used with a noun, the usual order in English is adjective + noun:
a yellow balloon
Not: a balloon yellow

Adjectives can go before the noun (attributive) or after linking verbs such as be, become, seem (predicative):

What a beautiful flower! (attributive)

This bridge looks unsafe. (predicative)

Adverb phrase

Time goes very quickly.
very quickly.

An adverb phrase can modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or even an entire sentence or main clause. As show below, it can appear in a number of different positions in a sentence.

Noun phrase

What is a noun phrase?
Noun Phrase-a noun and any words in the sentence that modify it; words that can modify nouns include articles (a, an, the); adjectives; participles; and possessive pronouns

1. A noun phrase can be a subject:
2. A noun phrase can be a direct object:
3. A noun phrase can be the object of a preposition:
4. A noun phrase can be an indirect object:

What are examples of noun phrases in English language? Examples of Noun Phrases:

Examples of noun phrase as subject: The yellow house is for ____.

The glistening snow covered the field.

Examples of noun phrase as direct object: I want a skate board.

Should we buy the yellow house?

Examples of noun phrase as object of preposition: Jeff rode on a skate board.

Karen lives in the yellow house.

Example of noun phrase as indirect object: Lisa gave the little girl a candy.

Verb Phrases

A verb phrase consists of a verb and all its modifiers.

The brilliant Doctor Asif Qureshi will be investigating this case.
The is the determiner.
Brilliant is the descriptive adjective.
Doctor Asif Qureshi = proper noun
will be investigating = verb phrase
This case = object

Here are examples:

Gerund Phrases

A gerund phrase is simply a noun phrase that starts with a gerund.

Examples include:

Taking my dog for a walk is fun.
Walking in the rain can be difficult.
Strolling along a beach at sunset is romantic.
Getting a promotion is exciting.
Signing autographs takes time.
Going for ice cream is a real treat.
Singing for his supper was how he earned his keep.
Getting a sore back was the result of the golf game.
Pulling an all-nighter did not improve his test scores.
Sailing into the sunset was the end of the book.

Infinitive Phrases

An infinitive phrase is a noun phrase that begins with an infinitive.

Here are some examples:

Everybody loves to watch movies.
To make lemonade, you have to start with lemons.
I tried to see the stage, but I was too short.
She organized a boycott to make a statement.
To see Niagara Falls is mind-boggling.
He really needs to get his priorities in order.
The company decided to reduce hours for everyone.
To donate time or money is an honorable thing.
I went to Spain to study the language and culture.

Appositive Phrases

An appositive phrase restates a noun and consists of one or more words.

Examples are:

My favorite pastime, needlepoint, surprises some people.
Her horse, an Arabian, was her pride and joy.
My wife, the love of my life, is also my best friend.
A cheetah, the fastest land animal, can run 70 miles an hour.
His goal, to retire at 40, is unrealistic.
My idea, to recycle the paper, was accepted by the boss.
The Florida panther, the state animal of Florida, is an endangered animal.

Participial Phrases

A participial phrase begins with a past or present participle.

Examples are:

Washed with my clothes, my cell phone no longer worked.
Knowing what I know now, I wish I had never come here.
I am really excited, considering all the people that will be there.
We are looking forward to the movie, having seen the trailer last week.
Grinning from ear to ear, she accepted her award.
The happy dog ran the entire length of the park, pausing only to sniff the dandelions.
Painted a brilliant white, the small room appeared bigger.
The lake, frozen over all winter, was finally thawing.

Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and can act as a noun, an adjective or an adverb.

What is a Prepositional Phrase?
Prepositions are words which begin prepositional phrases.

A prepositional phrase is a group of words containing a preposition, a noun or pronoun object of the preposition, and any modifiers of the object.
A preposition sits in front of (is “pre-positioned” before) its object.

Every prepositional phrase is a series of words made up of a preposition and its object. The object may be a noun, pronoun, gerund or clause.

Adjective and Adverb Prepositional Phrases

There are two kinds of prepositional phrases: adjective phrases and adverb phrases.
An adjective phrase modifies a noun or pronoun. It always comes immediately after the noun or pronoun it modifies:
Joe is the student with the highest grade. ("with the highest grade" modifies "student.")

An adverb phrase modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb. It is used to tell when, where, how, or to what extent about the word it modifies: Megan put her bird in its cage. ("in its cage" modifies the verb "put.")

Examples are:

The book was on the table.
We camped by the brook.
He knew it was over the rainbow.
She was lost in the dark of night.
He was between a rock and a hard place.
I waited for a while.
She smelled of strawberries and cream.
He won the challenge against all odds.

Quizzes

I'll arrive sometime ___ 8 and 9 am.

between
in
next to
on
Correct!
between

The shops here are open ___ 9am until 5pm.v
from
for
on
at
Correct!
from

They should be ready to go ___ 20 minutes.

in
on
by
to
Correct!
in

She wants to stay ___ home tonight.

of
to
at
in
Correct!
of

Did you watch the football ___ TV last night?

on
by
in
to
Correct!
on

Do you always come to work ___ bike?

on
in
of
by
Correct!
by

I read the news ___ the newspaper.

on
by
to
in
Correct!
in

I'll be in the office ___ 5pm.

until
for
on
since
Correct!
until

You must have this report finished ___ Monday.

at
by
since
while
Correct!
by

I haven't had a call from him ___ last Wednesday.

on
since
in
for
Correct!
since

Absolute Phrases

An absolute phrase has a subject, but not an acting verb, so it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. It modifies the whole sentence, not just a noun.

Examples are:

His tail between his legs, the dog walked out the door.
Picnic basket in hand, she set off for her date.
The guys attacked the pile of nachos, their fingers getting the last bit of cheese off the plate.
Their heads hanging down, the whole group apologized.
The entire team, their uniforms muddy and stained, shouted for joy.

These are examples of all of the eight different kinds of phrases.