Phrases

so what are these?
• small group of related words within
a sentence or a clause
• functions as a unit and includes a
head (or headword), which determines the
type or nature of the phrase
• Cannot stand as a sentence; no subject and
predicate
• Adds richness and detail and sometimes acts
as an overload or confusion to a sentence

ignatius joseph n estroga

furthermore…

• Cannot stand as a sentence; no subject and
predicate
• Adds richness and detail and sometimes acts
as an overload or confusion to a sentence


• Nouns are used to build noun phrases
• functions as an object of a preposition, subject,
direct object and an object complement.

Ex. my father, the fish, a sound of music, an apple a
day

1.My girlfriend is happy. (NP as a subject)
2.The boy throws the trash. (NP as direct object)
3.I call my pal a stubborn. (NP as an object
complement)

• Verbs are used to build verb phrases and acts as
the predicate of the sentence

Ex. teaches the student, read a novel, drink water

1.Our adviser may be going away for a little while.
(VP acts as the predicate of the sentence)


• Adjectives are used to build adjectival phrases.
• Adjectival phrases always occur inside noun
phrases or as predicate adjectives.

Ex. tall dark and handsome, black and white

1. Jeremiah bought a orange and green ] bowtie.
(AP occurs inside a noun phrase)
2. The dancers were slender and graceful.
(AP occur as predicate adjectives)

• Adverbs are used to build adverbial phrases.
• modify verbs, adjectives and the extra adverb is
called an intensifier

Ex. So slowly, very much, too harshly

1. He scored the goal very quickly. (AdvP modify
the verb scored in the sentence, the word very is
the intensifier)

• Prepositions are used to build prepositional
phrases.
• used either adjectivally to modify nouns or
adverbially to modify verbs, adjectives, or
clauses.

Ex. on the floor, into the pool, to the audience


1. The man in the house rented it.
(PP modifies a noun adjectivally)
2. He went in the arena.
(PP modifies a verb adverbially)
3.Dad was happy about the goal.
(PP modifies an adjective adverbially)
4. On reflection, I believe that she was correct.
(PP modifies a clause adverbially)


• Gerundive phrases may function in any way in
which nouns may function: as subjects,
objects, objects of a preposition, or even
nouns functioning as adjectives
• may contain gerunds, adjectives, objects,
adverbs or other main verb elements.

Ex. Falling the exam, missing the chance


1. Dad talked about winning the game.
( GP acts as the object of a preposition)

2. Winning the game was his goal.
(GP acts as the subject of the sentence)


• Participles are root verbs with an "ed, en or ing"
suffix. In the case of the past participial, the form
may be irregular.
• may contain objects and other elements that
might occur with main verbs.
• function as adjectives

Ex. walking away, bended knees,
broken-hearted fool


1. Racing around the corner, he slipped and
fell. (ParP act as an adjective, describing the
subject of the sentence)

2. The lonely caddy became flustered, scared
that his affections for the old man's
daughter would be noticed.
(ParP as an adjective modifying the
subject caddy)

• A group of words that modifies an independent
clause as a whole.
• An absolute is made up of a noun and
its modifiers
• may precede, follow, or interrupt the main clause
• the subject of the absolute phrase does not have
to appear in the main clause--because the
absolute phrase has its own subject


1. Still he came on, shoulders hunched, face
twisted, wringing his hands, looking more like
an old woman at a wake than an infantry
combat soldier.
2. Their slender bodies sleek and black against
the orange sky, the storks circled high above
us.
(An absolute allows us to move from a
description of a whole person, place, or thing
to one aspect or part)

• Infinitive phrases are composed of an
infinitive verb (the base form of the verb
preceded by to) and any modifying adverbs or
prepositional phrases
• has three functions: noun, adjective, adverb

Ex. To leave him alone, to love and be loved,
to forget the times

1. My duty as a coach is to teach skills.
(infinitive phrase functions as a noun)

2.My sister wanted a cat to love. (infinitive
phrase functions as an adjective)

3.Bill is eager to work on his skating.
(infinitive phrase functions adverbially,
modifying an adjective)

Phrases

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