PHRASES and CLAUSES Phrases – groups of words that function as a part of speech. Noun Phrase: A group of words consisting of nouns or pronouns and their modifiers that function as a noun. My little brother always feared monsters in the closet. Verb Phrase: A group of words consisting of verbs working together and that function as a verb. Her favorite activity is reading about history. Prepositional Phrase: A group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, and functions as an adjective or an adverb. Sometimes after school when my dad picks me up, before going home, we go to the bank. Appositive Phrase: A group of words that include all the words that modify an appositive and function as an adjective - IT MUST BE SURROUNDED BY COMMAS. I am looking forward to having pozole, my favorite food, for dinner. Verbal Phrases: A group of words that begin with a verbal and end with a noun. ● Gerund Phrase verb ending in -ing that functions as a noun. My favorite pastime is television. ● Participial Phrase word ending in -ing (the present participle) or -ed (past participle) that functions as an adjective. I did the assignment sitting in the library. ● Infinitive Phrase verbs preceded by the word “to” (to read, to study, to write) that function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. I went home to study math.
CLAUSES Clauses – groups of words with BOTH a subject and a verb that function as parts of speech. There are TWO kinds: Independent and Dependent (called “Subordinate”)
