7-Phrase & Clause

Phrase and Clause
Phrase
• A phrase is a small group of words that adds
meaning to a sentence. A phrase is not
a sentence because it is not a complete idea
with a subject, verb and a predicate. ... The
other words in the phrase do the work of
changing or modifying the head.
Phrase
• Phrase-is a group of words that contains a
subject OR a predicate (NOT BOTH)
Types of Phrase
These are the types of phrases
1. A noun phrase
1.The young girl is a brilliant lyricist.

2. A verb phrase
2.have been stolen

3. A prepositional phrase
3.Rafiq is on tour.
Noun Phrase
The young girl who lives next door
IF THE CENTRAL WORD – OR HEAD- OF A PHRASE IS

A NOUN, THEN WE CALL IT A NOUN PHRASE.
Verb Phrases
Verb phrases usually contain lexical verbs as main verbs.
Lexical verbs may be preceded by one or more auxiliary verbs:
1 2 3 MAIN VERB
That car may have been stolen
When two or more auxiliary verbs appear before the main verb
in a verb phrase they observe the following order:
Prepositional Phrases
• Prepositional phrases begin with a preposition and
end with a noun
• Gives information about a noun or verb
The bee buzzed with his bee friends from the beehive,
around the garden, then to the tree and over it.
The monkey swung from branch to branch through the

forest under the sunny sky.
Phrases as Compliments
It’s important to distinguish between direct objects and
complements as knowing which verbs take a direct object is
vital when forming the passive.
It is a good dog.
Example 1:
A good dog is not the direct object as it is not receiving
the action of the verb. Thus, it cannot be made passive.
Example 2: Rizwan got the ball.
Here, the ball is the direct object, and the sentence can be
made passive: The ball was got by Rizwan .
Clause
• A clause is a subject / verb combination.
Clauses can be dependent or independent
Clause
• Clause-is a group of words that contains a
subject and predicate
Types of Clause
• Independent clauses express complete thoughts (can be sentences)
• Dependent clauses cannot be sentences on their own

Clauses
There are two types of clauses: independent and dependent. An
independent clause, or main clause, is a subject/verb combination
that makes a complete sentence. A dependent clause cannot stand
alone, and must be attached to an independent clause.
In the following sentence, which one is the main clause?

Example 1: As soon as I woke up, I made the coffee.
If you said I made the coffee, then you are correct!
CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING
Are the following groups of

words a phrase or a clause.
AT THE STORE
phrase
GINA CAME INTO THE STORE
Clause
independent
ALTHOUGH I COULD NOT PLAY
Clause
dependent
THE RUNNING WATER
phrase
FROM EARLIER CENTURIES
phrase
BEFORE A HURRICANE OCCURS
Clause
dependent
I TOOK A QUICK JOG
Clause
independent
THROUGH THE WINTER MONTHS
phrase
DURING THE RAINY SEASON
phrase
SINCE AIRPORTS NEED ROOM
clause
dependent
COMPARISON
BASIS FOR COMPARISON PHRASE CLAUSE
Meaning A phrase is a set of words, taken A clause is a component of

together in the form of a grammatical arrangement, that
conceptual unit. contains set of words having a
subject and verb.
Component of Clause or sentence Complete sentence
Does it convey a thought or idea? No Yes
Example I will see you at the court. The one who met you at Mc
Donald's, is my neighbor.
Harry loves to travel alone. You can play, after watching TV.
Key Differences Between Phrase and
Clause
 The points given below are substantial so far as the difference
between phrase and cause is concerned:
• A phrase is described as a group of two or more than two
words related to one another, that constitute a single unit. On
the other extreme, the clause is a part of a sentence, that
contains a subject (noun phrase) that actively performs an
action (finite verb form).
• A phrase is a part of a clause or a sentence. As against, a clause
is a sentence fragment.
• A clause has a subject and predicate, whereas a phrase doesn’t.
• A phrase cannot standalone, as it does not convey a meaning.
In contrast, a clause is a standalone statement, which conveys a
thought or idea.

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Phrase and Clause

1.The young girl is a brilliant lyricist.

2.have been stolen

IF THE CENTRAL WORD – OR HEAD- OF A PHRASE IS

The monkey swung from branch to branch through the

• Dependent clauses cannot be sentences on their own

In the following sentence, which one is the main clause?

Are the following groups of

Meaning A phrase is a set of words, taken A clause is a component of

Component of Clause or sentence Complete sentence

Does it convey a thought or idea? No Yes

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