Let's learn PHRASES today!

So,have you all notice the differences between a phrase and a clause? If you have,in today's topic we're going to go in-depth of the types of phrases and clauses. Basically, it's a continuation from previous class on English punctuation.

How many types of phrases do you think in English punctuation? I'm sure you all know that there are five types of phrases. They are:

1) Noun Phrase (NP)
2) Verb Phrase (VP)
3) Prepositional Phrase (PP)
4) Adjectival Phrase (AdjP)
5) Adverbial Phrase (AdvP)

Noun Phrase

A noun phrase (NP) is a phrase that has a noun or pronoun (e.g.: he, Edward, cat) as its head. The noun (or pronoun) can be modified by modifiers such as adjectives (e.g.: the shiny car), determiners (articles, demonstratives, numerals, possessives and quantifiers) and complements (in the form of either prepositional phrases such as "the king of Scotland" or content clauses such as "the face that launched a thousand ships").

Examples:

- Small children should not be left unsupervised.
- George was asleep on the sofa.
- This Land Rover was my first car.
- Lisa dreams of becoming a model someday.

Verb phrase

A verb phrase (VP) is a phrase that has a verb (e.g.: punch, throw, jump) as its head. While verb phrases may be made out of just a single verb, VPs most often consist of a main verb, auxiliary verbs as well as components such as specifiers, complements and adverbs.

Examples:

- God made me do it.
- Simon kicked the ball away.
- I met her at a shopping mall.
- You really should learn how to drive.

Prepositional phrase

A prepositional phrase (PP) is a phrase that has a preposition (e.g.: to, from, at) as its head. This preposition is often followed by a noun phrase (NP) or other such complement to create the prepositional phrase itself.

Examples:

- My cat is sleeping on the couch.
- They came from the West.
- I accidentally pushed Sofie into the drain.
- We continued strolling through the night.

Adjectival phrase

An adjectival phrase (AdjP) is a term for a phrase with an adjective (e.g.: full, tall, old) as its head or a phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun, regardless of its form. In the former case, these adjectival phrases may be used as modifiers before or after a noun or as a predicative (or predicate adjective) to a verb.

Examples:

- My uncle bought a red Ferrari.
- I can't stand the sight of them going out together.
- Johan's black cat doesn't like Jones much.
- I saw Zamir punching Sudarshan in the face.

Adverbial phrase

An adverbial phrase (AdvP) is a term for an adverb (a word that modifies other parts of speech such as verbs, clauses and even other adverbs, except for nouns) or a group of words acting adverbially. Much like in the case of adjectival phrases, words acting adverbially do not have to take the form of an adverb (or adverbs) but rather just the function. Adverbial phrases modify verb phrases, adjectival phrases and whole clauses.

Examples:

- I'll quit smoking when I feel like it.
- Sam hit the thief with my baseball bat.
- I'll meet up with you in an hour.
- Sara took lots of photos on her holiday to show to my family.

Let's look into clauses. There are two types of clauses in English punctuation. They are:

1) Dependent clause
2) Independent clause

Dependent Clause

A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought. A dependent clause cannot be a sentence as it cannot stand alone.

For example: When the cake is done baking.

Independent Clause

An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. An independent clause is a sentence that can stand alone.
For example: Jim studied at Starbucks for his English test.


Now that you have understood the five types of phrases,here's an activity for you.

From each of the phrases that I’ve explained above, try and provide three (3) examples of your own. Please write your answers in the comment box below and state your name. Marks will be given for participation. Start thinking!

Note: For an exercise of dependent and independent clause,click here http://www.myschoolhouse.com/courses/O/1/56.asp