How do clauses and phrases differ

While clauses, phrases and sentences might seem very similar at first, on closer look you can start to see how they function very differently. Try reading different materials, and spotting the phrases, clauses and complete sentences in a piece of text. Then try to write your own examples of them! And if you would like to learn English with people from all over the world - check out our range of language courses abroad at Eurocentres.

November 11, What is a phrase? Words can be grouped together, but without a subject or a verb. This is called a phrase. I bought a large Greek salad for lunch.

I want to see that new action movie. The shy new student raised her hand. Verb Phrases Like noun phrases, verb phrases contain a verb and its modifiers. Here are some examples of verb phrases: I might stop at the store. John was writing all day. The children have been playing outside the window.

Our class will host a holiday party next month. Gerund Phrases A gerund is an -ing verb used as a noun. I love driving with the windows down. Talking to her friends always helps Juanita make decisions. Getting into Stanford requires a lot of hard work. Infinitive Phrases Infinitives are verbs that begin with the linking verb to. Examples of infinitive phrases include: My dream is to get married and live in Scotland.

You should use an electric mixer to blend brownie batter. Being available for overtime is a great way to get ahead. Appositive Phrases You use one-word appositives to clarify which specific noun you are talking about.

Here are some sentences with appositive phrases: My aunt, a huge music fan , attended the concert last night. I searched for Duke, my big orange cat , after he went missing. Prepositional Phrases When you need to describe more about the position of a noun or pronoun, you use a preposition.

Check out these examples of prepositional phrases: My father has always wanted to live near the ocean. Did you find your phone under the couch cushions? Participial Phrases Participles are similar to gerunds in that they use verbs in a different way. For example: Having read the book already , Shawna knew the movie would be sad. Sweeping up the kitchen , I noticed something shiny under the sink. Pascal noticed his father wiping a tear from his eye.

Known for her beautiful painting skills , Mara felt comfortable charging a higher price for her portrait. Some examples of absolute phrases include: His heart pounding in his chest , Steven knocked on the door. Harvey picked up the note, already knowing what it said. I watched as my husband drove away, his car chugging down the dirt road. I guess I would have to say no, because it's got this verb, soared, and this adverb, majectically.

So, the falcon soared majestically, I would have to say this is a clause. Would I be right? With a period right.

So let's get a little bit of a George Harrison in here. While my guitar gently weeps. So we've got a subject in here, my guitar, and a verb, weeps. So we know it's a clause, but it begins with this word while, which is, I think, a subordinating conjunction.

Is that a phrase or a clause? This is all a subject, and we've got the best, so we've kind of got this superlative thrown in there. And then we've got this other prepositional phrase that also modifies sandwich. How about under the ocean blue? What makes you say that? So, phrases are groups of words that act like parts of speech, so this one, for example, is an adjectival or adverbial phrase. We don't know because, we don't know what it's modifying. And this one is a noun phrase, the best ham sandwich in Oklahoma.