The Phrase, Chapter 15
By Mrs. Anderson
The Phrase
•	A phrase is a group of words that is used as a single part of speech and does not contain a verb and its subject
•	Students arrived without their books
•	They placed them inside the bookcase.
I. Prepositional Phrases
•	A group of words beginning with a preposition and usually ending with a noun or pronoun.
•	The dog with brown fur is the cutest.
•	The noun or pronoun in the phrase is the Object of the Preposition.
•	The dog with brown fur is the cutest.
Prepositional Phrases
•	Two types of Prepositional Phrases
A.  Adjective Phrases: a phrase that describes a noun or pronoun.
B.  Adverb Phrases: a phrase that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
A. Adjective Phrases
•	Notice how the phrase describes the noun
•	A man without a hat = hatless man
•	Food from China = Chinese food
•	Phrases may modify the same noun:
•	The families on my block down the street.
•	Phrases may modify another phrase:
•	The picture of my dad during his childhood.
B. Adverb Phrases
•	Modifying a verb:
•	The squirrel ran up the tree.
•	Modifying an adjective:
•	Tom Slick was skillful in his car.
•	Modifying an adverb:
•	Students laughed happily with relief.

Adverb Phrases
•	Tell when, where, why, how, or to what extent:
•	The town grew quiet after the storm [when].
•	They peered through the window [where].
•	Most street musicians play for tips [why].
•	This summer we’re going by car [how].
•	She won the game by two points [to what extent].
II. Verbals
•	Three types of verbals:
A. The Participle: a verb that can be used as an adjective (ends in –ing, -ed, -d, or past tense of irregular verbs “know” = “known”).
B. The Gerund: a verb that can be used as a noun (ends in –ing).
C. The Infinitive: a verb that is preceded by to, used as a noun, adjective, or adverb.
A. The Participle
•	It describes a noun, but looks like a verb:
•	The boiling teapot almost overflowed.
•	A jagged edge kept cut my hand.
•	Present participle: add –ing
•	The giggling girls gawked at the guys.
•	Verb phrases, not participles: Were smiling / is checking
•	Past participle: add –ed, -d (irregular)
•	Noticed by Sara, the surprised boy looked away.

The Participle Phrase
•	Consists of the participle, plus all modifiers and complements (completes the meaning), may contain prepositional phrases:
•	I heard Sara whispering to Julie about him.
•	Cheered on by Sara, Jon caught the pass.
•	The game, scheduled for tomorrow, should be awesome and exciting!
B. The Gerund
•	Subject of the Sentence:
•	Reading will improve your English grade.
•	Object of the Sentence:
•	I enjoyed seeing all my students again.
•	Object of Preposition:
•	She made it to school on time by running.
The Gerund Phrase
•	Consists of the gerund, plus all modifiers and complements.
•	Subject:
•	Singing in the rain is a wonderful pastime.
•	Object:
•	He enjoys playing football on Sundays.
•	Object of preposition:
•	She won by training in her free time.
C. The Infinitive
•	Infinitives used as nouns:
•	To think is to exist. (subject / predicate nom.)
•	Infinitives used as adjectives:
•	The candidate to believe is ?????????.
•	Infinitives used as adverbs:
•	Agoura High School was quick to score.
The Infinitive Phrase
•	Consists of the infinitive, plus all modifiers and complements.
•	Subject:
•	To throw a football spiral is very difficult.
•	Direct Object:
•	She wants to be an actress on CSI.
•	Adverb:
•	It is sometimes difficult to hear myself thinking. 
III. Appositives
•	A noun or pronoun that follows another noun or pronoun to identify or explain it.
•	Responds to which noun.
•	My best friend, Mr. Anderson, is also my husband.
•	Jane’s son Chikutachay is a linebacker.
•	Susan, Jane’s younger sister, speaks French.
•	A diligent student, Mark was accepted to Harvard.