Return to Verbal Home Page

 

 

THE PHRASE

 

            DEFINITION: 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. .

 

            EXAMPLES:     has been sitting (verb phrase; no subject)         

                                    About you and me (prepositional phrase; no subject or verb)

 

I. PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

 

            DEFINITION: A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE is a group of words beginning with a preposition and ending with a noun or                                                         pronoun.

            EXAMPLES:     IN FRONT OF our apartment building

                                    DURING the night

 

            NOTE: The noun or pronoun that ends the prepositional phrase is the object of the preposition that begins the phrase.

 

     A. THE ADJECTIVE PHRASE

            DEFINITION: ADJECTIVE PHRASES are prepositional phrases that are used as adjectives in a sentence.

 

            EXAMPLE: Students IN THE FRESHMEN CLASS are planning a TV program ABOUT THEIR SCIENCE PROJECT.

 

NOUNS USED AS ADJECTIVES                        NOUNS USED AS ADJECTIVE PHRASES

            The CAR door is open.                                      The door OF THE CAR IS OPEN.          

            This is a HOUSE key.                                        This is the key FOR THE HOUSE.

   NOTE

           

            1. An adjective phrase always FOLLOWS the noun or pronoun it modifies.

 

            2. More than one prepositional phrase may modify the same word.

 

                        EXAMPLE: The picture OF ME IN THE NEWSPAPER was not flattering.

            3. A prepositional phrase may also modify the object of another prepositional phrase.

                        EXAMPLE: The books ON THE SHELF OF MY CLOSET were all birthday gifts.

 

     B. THE ADVERB PHRASE

            DEFINTION: ADVERB PHRASES are prepositional phrases that are used as adverbs in a sentence and answer the                                                                                     questions When? Where? How? How Much?  How far? To what extent?

 

            EXAMPLES:     I dove INTO THE WATER. (WHERE???)

                                    She accepted the invitation WITH PLEASURE (HOW???)

                                    Martin missed the target BY A METER. (TO WHAT EXTENT???)

NOTE

 

            1.An adverb phrase may modify a verb, an adjective or an adverb

 

            2. Unlike adjective phrases, which always follow the words they modify, an adverb phrase may appear in various places in                       a                      sentence.

 

            3. Like adjective phrases, more than one adverb phrase may modify the same

                        word.

                  EXAMPLE: AT NOON my sister goes TO WORK. (WHEN did she go??? WHERE did she go???)

 

II. APPOSITIVES AND APPOSITIVE PHRASES

            A. THE APPOSITIVE

                        DEFINITION: AN APPOSITIVE is a noun or a pronoun that follows another noun or pronoun to identify or explain                                                 it.

                        EXAMPLE: Jimmy, a star athlete, will surely attend college.

 

            B. THE APPOSITIVE PHRASE

                        DEFINITION: AN APPOSITIVE PHRASE is made up of the appositive and its modifiers or complements.

                       

                        EXAMPLE:    A man of integrity, Mr. Aldrich never cheats anyonhe.

                                             Dr. Reed, the woman sitting in the front row, is my dentist.

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1