The Phrase

A phrase is a group of related words. It does NOT create a

sentence.

I. Verb Phrase A. A group of words that creates a verb. B. Every word in a verb phrase is a verb C. Can you think of any examples?

is walking shall be talking may sit should have been studying

II. The Prepositional Phrase

Anatomy of a Prepositional Phrase

Preposition…[adv….adj]…noun/pronoun (obj)

A. The Adjective Phrase

Definition: A Prepositional phrase used as an adjective.

Examples: The boy with red hair is sitting next to

me. The girl sat next to the wall with

windows.

The truth about adjective phrases -- They… 1. answer the questions “which

one?” or “what kind?” 2. always come after the nouns

they modify 3. are ALWAYS adj. phrases after a

subject 4. never begin a sentence 5. never come right after a verb

Find the adjective phrases The man in the story had no friends. Scrooge was the man in the story. Scrooge was a friend to Marley. Scrooge hated charity of any kind. Marley became a ghost with

clanking chains. Marley frightened Scrooge when he

came to visit.

Find the adjective phrases The man in the story had no friends. Scrooge was the man in the story. Scrooge was a friend to Marley. Scrooge hated charity of any kind. Marley became a ghost with

clanking chains. Marley frightened Scrooge when he

came to visit.

More Practice finding Adjective Phrases

During the night, a fire truck came down my street.

A fire truck came down my street during the night.

Sid dropped his pencil on the sidewalk.

The cat in the tree suddenly meowed with all its might.

More Practice finding Adjective Phrases

During the night, a fire truck came down my street.

A fire truck came down my street during the night.

Sid dropped his pencil on the sidewalk.

The cat in the tree suddenly meowed with all its might.

More Practice finding Adjective Phrases Sandy didn’t know about the

computer experiment in the lab. In a flash, the twins were

transported to another world. The short man in the wilderness

seemed afraid of the twins at first. The twins sat down and wondered

where they were.

More Practice finding Adjective Phrases Sandy didn’t know about the

computer experiment in the lab. In a flash, the twins were

transported to another world. The small man in the wilderness

seemed afraid of the twins at first. The twins sat down and wondered

where they were.

B. The Adverb Phrase Definition: A Prepositional Phrase used

as an adverb Examples:

I sat with Sally at the seashore. We fished for hours. I dropped my coke can into the water. In the spring I go to the beach.

The truth about adverb phrases: They… 1. can begin a sentence 2. will not immediately follow the

subject 3. can follow VERBS, ADVERBS

and ADJECTIVES (and modify them) 4. answer questions like “when?”

“where?” “why?” “how?”

THINK LOGICALLY… There are only two kinds of

prepositional phrases – ADJECTIVE and ADVERB

If a phrase is not ADJECTIVE, then it must be ADVERB!

Find the adverb phrases For many years, Scrooge and Marley

were business partners. Scrooge ran his business in a miserly

way. Bob Cratchit worked for Scrooge. Bob had very little heat while he worked. Scrooge and Marley had been partners

for many years.

Find the adverb phrases For many years, Scrooge and Marley

were business partners. Scrooge ran his business in a miserly

way. Bob Cratchit worked for Scrooge. Bob had very little heat while he worked. Scrooge and Marley had been partners

for many years.

More Practice finding Prepositional Phrases

When my dad was young, he had a little transistor radio that he kept by his bed to listen to music.

“When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true.”

More Practice finding Prepositional Phrases

When my dad was young, he had a little transistor radio that he kept by his bed to listen to music.

“When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true.”

More Practice finding Prepositional Phrases What’s the matter with my clothes? In the middle of the floor was a pile of

dirty clothes. While you clean up this mess, I will go

to the store and buy some new clothes. Since last May, you have worn those

same jeans for days and days. With a little bit of luck, you will get to go

to the mall.

More Practice finding Prepositional Phrases What’s the matter with my clothes? In the middle of the floor was a pile of

dirty clothes. While you clean up this mess, I will go

to the store and buy some new clothes. Since last May, you have worn those

same jeans for days and days. With a little bit of luck, you will get to go

to the mall.

III. The Appositive Phrase

A group of words containing a noun that renames another

noun in a sentence

The Appositive Phrase... A. is centered around a noun

Bob, a boy in my class, sits next to me. B. renames another noun in the

main sentence. Bob is renamed with boy.

C. can be removed from the sentence.

Bob sat next to me.

The Appositive Phrase... D. will be surrounded by commas

99% of the time. Bob, my friend, is nice. My friend Bob is nice.

E. Will MOST likely come AFTER the noun it renames. Bob, my best friend, is nice. A friend at all times, Bob is always there.

[Sometimes it comes before the noun]

The Appositive Phrase... F. will not begin with a

pronoun like “who,” “which,” “whose,” “that,” etc. The boy who sits next to me is Bob.

No appositive in the above sentence.

G. may have a pronoun + verb later in the phrase Bob, my friend who lives in LA, is nice.

The Appositive Phrase... H. will not begin with a verb

form. The boy calling out my name is Bob.

Find the appositive phrases My best friend Mona lives down the street. Jeremy, the boy next door, is moving to

Hawaii. The man who came to dinner is my uncle. Mary Jo, the girl who likes sushi, is sitting

over there. My brother, who eats all day, never gains

weight.

Find the appositive phrases My best friend Mona lives down the street. Jeremy, the boy next door, is moving to

Hawaii. The man who came to dinner is my uncle. Mary Jo, the girl who likes sushi, is sitting

over there. My brother, who eats all day, never gains

weight.

Practice with PREP And APP phrases 1. Excellent athletes, the WA 7th grade

boys and girls basketball teams both had winning seasons.

2. Before Monday, please type your English paper again.

3. Mrs. Barber, our seventh grade English teacher, is an avid reader.

4. Your next meeting will take place in Mr. Lee’s room.

5. We went to Charlotte last Christmas.

Practice with PREP And APP phrases 6. Mrs. Williams wants chocolate with

nuts and caramel tomorrow. 7. The purpose of the Valentine is to

show love. 8. Ms. Kramlich was careful to include

the entire class in the discussion. 9. C.S. Lewis, an English author, wrote

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. 10. You should boil the water before

putting in the pasta.

Practice with APP phrases 1. Mack Sennett, the movie producer, gave

us the Keystone Kops. 2. He also introduced America to an

English film comic, Charlie Chaplin. 3. One of American’s best female comics,

Mae West made movies with W.C. Fields. 4. Buster Keaton, another silent movie

comedian, was called the Great Stoneface. 5. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, a famous

pair of fools, made many movies together. 6. Have you ever seen Richard Pryor, the

comedian and movie star?

Name the part of speech of each word: Light bark well lead

IV. Verbal Phrases A phrase that is centered around a

verb form. This verb form is NOT used as a

verb in the sentence It is used as a noun, adj. Or adv.

3 Kinds of Verbal Phrases Gerund Phrase Infinitive Phrase Participial Phrase

A. Gerund Phrase Centers around a verb form of -ING Is always used as a noun Is never surrounded by commas

except for appositives Caution: -ING verb forms can be

verbs or adjs (these are NOT gerunds)

Can be used in each of the 6 noun positions

Not all -ING words are Gerunds: Morning evening something nothing anything everything She is driving to school today.

Examples: Gerund Phrases Swimming the mile is my best event. I like swimming the mile. My best event is swimming the mile. I gave swimming the mile a try. He lectured us about swimming the

mile. My best event, swimming the mile,

was canceled.

Find the gerund phrase His sister was dancing in the show. I hate practicing the piano. I gave my mom’s cooking a perfect 10. Sitting by the pool is quite relaxing. Wishing upon a star, Sue made a wish. While I was walking on the beach, I

found a sand dollar.

Find the gerund phrase His sister was dancing in the show. I hate practicing the piano. I gave my mom’s cooking a perfect 10. Sitting by the pool is quite relaxing. Wishing upon a star, Sue made a wish. While I was walking on the beach, I

found a sand dollar.

Find the gerund phrase Becoming a doctor takes years of

serious study. Kino’s specialty is cooking mushrooms. The subtle squeaking of the door hinges

told Mira that her sister was home. Carla decided on writing about famous

women in history. Mr. Riley enjoys the crackling of a

campfire on a winter’s evening.

Find the gerund phrase Becoming a doctor takes years of

serious study. Kino’s specialty is cooking mushrooms. The subtle squeaking of the door hinges

told Mira that her sister was home. Carla decided on writing about famous

women in history. Mr. Riley enjoys the crackling of a

campfire on a winter’s evening.

Find the gerund phrase Traveling to new and interesting

places is fun. The smiling child amused his parents. Give playing golf another chance. Pam is studying for her French exam. Holding onto the kite, Jeremy received

a cut.

Find the gerund phrase Traveling to new and interesting

places is fun. The smiling child amused his parents. Give playing golf another chance. Pam is studying for her French exam. Holding onto the kite, Jeremy received

a cut.

B. Infinitive Phrases

Infinitive Phrases Center around TO + verb Verb is “naked” – No form Examples: to go, to sit, to talk,

etc. Can be used as noun, adj. Or adv. Caution: do not confuse with prep.

Phrase with “to”

Find the infinitives I wanted to go to the mall today. My mom went to bed early. Your cat ate too much food today. To sleep all day is unhealthy. I want to ask you a question.

Infinitive Phrases I went to the pond to fish for bass. I have to go to the mall before supper. To make good grades, one must study. My goal is to make good grades. I sat with the team to give them my

support. Don’t try to get out of here too fast.

Infinitive Phrases as Nouns I want to get a car for my birthday. My goal is to get a car for my birthday. To get a car for my birthday would be

wonderful. My goal, to get a car for my birthday,

may never happen. Which two noun positions are not

used?

Infinitive Phrases as Adjectives The movie to see is Snow Dogs. I missed the road to take to the beach. The place to see moose is Canada. I need a place to keep my bookbag.

Adjective IP will come directly after a noun and modify it by saying “which” or “what kind.”

Infinitive Phrases as Adverbs I went to the pond to fish. To get into Harvard, you must study. I am happy to be here. I am sad to see you go.

An IP that comes first in a sentence MAY be an adverb, but it will have a comma after it. Adverb IP usually answer “why” or “how”

Some famous Infinitives: “To be or not to be, that is the question.” “To know me is to love me.” “You’ve got to live a little.” “I vant to drink your bloooooood.” “I wanna hold your hand.” “I’ve only just begun to fight.” “To boldly go where no man has gone

before…” (split infinitive)

C. Participial Phrases

Participles... Are verb forms used as

ADJECTIVES can be taken out of the sentence have several forms

Some participial verb forms: -ing as in “The pouring rain…” -ed as in “The soiled carpet…” -n or -en as in “The broken

arrow…” -t as in “The bent tree…”

Participles... Will come as close as they can to

noun they modify can come BEFORE or AFTER the

noun

Examples: The frowning clown fell down. The clown, frowning at the

crowd, fell down. Frowning at the crowd, the

clown fell down.

If the participial phrase comes first in the sentence... It is separated from the sentence

with a comma

Bent by the wind, the tree finally fell over.

Caution: If a participle is not close to the

noun it modifies, it can become misplaced.

I saw a dollar walking home… should be…

Walking home, I saw a dollar.

Find the participles The fallen tree blocked the road. Mary had to replace the soiled carpet. Mike’s goal was hiking the Rockies. The running water eroded the soil. We finally got our own swimming pool. Eating jalapeno peppers can be

painful.

Find the participles The fallen tree blocked the road. Mary had to replace the soiled carpet. Mike’s goal was hiking the Rockies. The running water eroded the soil. We finally got our own swimming pool. Eating jalapeno peppers can be

painful.

Find the participial phrases Running quickly, the puppy caught up

with the family. Seeing my family made me feel safe. Bending in the wind, the tree finally

fell. The wind, whipping through the

valley, did extensive damage. I saw my uncle waiting for me.

Find the participial phrases Running quickly, the puppy caught up

with the family. Seeing my family made me feel safe. Bending in the wind, the tree finally

fell. The wind, whipping through the

valley, did extensive damage. I saw my uncle waiting for me.

Find more participial phrases Granny’s goal, quilting a huge quilt,

will have to wait until spring. Martha’s hobby is sewing for the

family. Sitting by the dock, Bob felt lonely. The boy sitting by the bay was my

cousin. Not watching his steps, the toddler

fell down.

Find more participial phrases Granny’s goal, quilting a huge quilt,

will have to wait until spring. Martha’s hobby is sewing for the

family. Sitting by the dock, Bob felt lonely. The boy sitting by the bay was my

cousin. Not watching his steps, the toddler

fell down.