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The syntactic Functions of Phrases

 It is worth mentioning here that these phrases can realize different syntactic functions in sentences. A noun phrase can be the subject or the object of a sentence. e.g.:

N.B: NP= noun phrase           VP =verb phrase

An adjective phrase can function as a subject or an object in sentences. e.g.:

A prepositional phrase can sometimes function as the subject of a sentence. e.g.:

   A clause is a speech unit that must contain a verb of any kind and each type of the clauses mentioned earlier is introduced by certain words in English. For example, when introduces adverbial clauses of time.

  Phrases as well as clauses can have several syntactic functions in sentences and phrases. Let’s analyze some sentences to find out the syntactic functions of clauses in sentences and phrases:

     It is to be noted at this stage of discussion that all the clauses in question fall under two main categories: 

                     (a) main clauses

                 (b) subordinate clauses

   A main clause is a clause that can stand on its own and its meaning does not depend on another clause to be clear, whereas a subordinate clause cannot stand on its own and its meaning depends on another clause to be clear and complete. e.g.: which he bought  is a clause . It is a subordinate clause, simply because it cannot stand alone and its meaning depends on what comes before which.If I say: “ The car which he bought”, the meaning becomes clearer to any reader. But, which he bought, is now contained in a noun phrase. Things will be clearer when we analyze the following sentences and phrases:

   From the above analysis, we can infer that the car which he bought is a noun phrase whose main head is car, which is a noun, containing a relative or an adjective clause. In this case, we have to analyze the elements of the noun phrase:

   As you have noticed, which he bought is an adjectival clause functioning as a post-modifier to the noun car in the noun phrase the car which he bought. This clause is contained in a larger unit, which is the noun phrase. Some brilliant students might ask why this type of clause is called adjectival and not adverbial. I was, in fact, asked this question so many times. I tried to simplify my answer as follows: I commented that this clause is called adjectival because it does the work of an adjective. It works as an adjective does. An adjective can function as a pre-modifier or a post-modifier in a noun phrase. An adjectival clause can do the same task:

   which he bought has the function of a post-modifier in the noun phrase the car which he bought as did the adjective important in something important .We can say:  “ I want to tell him something important.” An adjective either pre-modifies or post-modifies a noun. Since the clause, which he bought, post-modified the noun car, it was called an adjectival clause.

   Adjectival clauses either define the noun they post-modify or give additional information about it. When they define it, they are called identifying adjective clauses and when they give additional information about it, they become non-identifying adjective clauses. Both types are introduced by the relative pronouns who, which, whose, that . Who is used for human subjects or objects. Which is used for non -human subjects or objects. These two relative pronouns can be deleted when preceded by a noun functioning as an object of a transitive verb.

The man who you saw yesterday is a noun phrase whose head is man that contains a clause. The student and the teacher should be able to underline the clause within the noun phrase. The clause is who you saw yesterday. This clause is called an adjective clause because it post-modifies the noun man. Let’s analyze the noun phrase together:

   The man is an object to the verb saw. I mean that you saw the man yesterday. It is not the man who saw you; rather it is you who saw the man. In this case, the relative pronoun who can be omitted. Let’s analyze another noun phrase:

    In this noun phrase, the relative pronoun cannot be omitted because it is the man who carried the box i.e. it is the man who did the activity of carrying. Thus, the man is the subject of the transitive verb carried. When adjective clauses give us additional information, they can be eliminated and put between two commas.

 The teacher, who likes his students, is a good one.

     Here, who likes his students is a non-identifying adjectival clause because it gives us additional information about the teacher. First, it is a clause because it contains a verb. Second, it is an adjective clause because it post-modifies the word teacher. Third, it is non-identifying because it gives us additional information about the teacher. Fourth, the relative pronoun who cannot be omitted here because it is the teacher who does the action i.e. it is the subject of likes. Let’s analyze the above sentence as a whole:

 Now, I am going to analyze the underlined noun phrase:

   As you see from the above analysis, who likes his students, is an adjective clause contained in a noun phrase and has a post-modification function to the noun teacher. That is, it functions as an adjective does in noun phrases.

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