Phrases
A phrase is a group of words that have a unified function in a sentence. They can act like nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. Types of phrases include prepositional, infinitive, participial, and gerund. Following is an explanation of each and examples:
- Prepositional phrases have a preposition and an object. They function as adverbs or adjectives. Examples are: “after a nap”, “at the store”, and “over the rainbow”.
- Infinitives phrases have an infinitive plus an object and can function as adverbs, adjectives, or nouns. Some are: “to see the world” and “to borrow the car”.
- Participle phrases function as adjectives and begin with a participle. A participle is an adjective made from a verb, like walking or danced. Participles can be either past tense or present tense. Examples of participle phrases are: “surfing the web” and “surprised by his reaction”.
- Gerund phrases begin with a gerund, which is a word ending with “ing”, like “playing”. Gerund phrases function like a noun. Examples are: “playing tennis” or “embarrassing people.”
Verb Phrases
Phrases can also be classified by the “head” of the phrase, which is the key word in the phrase. Here are the types and example:
- Prepositional phrase: in the car, behind the tree
- Noun phrases: the purple cow, a funny clown
- Verb phrases: eat pizza, chasing a wild goose
- Appositive phrases: my strange brother, his overbearing mother
- Absolute phrases: These modify an entire clause, like “He yelled at her, his eyes glaring.” or “They came into the principal’s office, their heads down.”
Verb Phrase Examples
A verb phrase can be the predicate of the clause or sentence. A verb phrase can also be a phrase that contains a verb and its complements, objects, or modifiers. Following are further explanations and examples.
Here are some verb phrase examples where the verb phrase is the predicate of a sentence. In this case, the verb phrase consists of the main verb plus any auxiliary, or helping, verbs.
- She was walking to the mall.
- Ted might eat the cake.
- You must go right now.
- Words were spoken.
- The teacher is writing a report.
- You have woken up everyone in the neighborhood.
Next are some verb phrase examples of verb phrases where the phrase has a single function which means it can act like an adverb or an adjective. The phrase would include the verb and any modifiers, complements, or objects.
- She came across some old love letters.
- The small dog was reluctant to learn new things.
- Finally, we can afford to buy a new house.
- Walking on the ice, she slipped and fell.
- Open the door to let the fresh air in.
- To make lemonade, you first need some lemons.
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