More

    Phrases and Clauses

    The various parts of speech are grouped into phrases and clauses, which make up the basic sentence.

    Phrases

    Phrases are groups of related words that do not contain a subject-verb combination or express a complete thought. There are noun, prepositional, participial, verb, and infinitive phrases.

    Noun:

    my widescreen TV

    the tired old man

    Prepositional:

    over the wall

    around the block

    Participial:

    playing the fool

    running the program

    Verb:

    will be given

    is coming

    Infinitive:

    to think

    to draw

    Clauses

    Clauses are groups of related words that contain a subject-verb combination. Independent clauses express a complete thought and can stand by themselves as sentences. Subordinate clauses serve as part of a sentence but do not express a complete thought and cannot stand by themselves. They are subordinate to independent clauses.

    Independent Clauses

    the floodplain was completely underwater

    John got us jobs as stagehands

    they took the off-road trail

    Subordinate Clauses

    by the time June arrived

    because he works at the theater

    when they came to the turn

    Complete Sentences

    By the time June arrived, the floodplain was completely underwater.

    John got us jobs as stagehands, because he works at the theater.

    When they came to the turn, they took the off-road trail.

    - Advertisement -
    RELATED CONTENTS
    - Advertisement -
    POPULAR FROM THIS CATEGORY
    - Advertisement -