Noun and Verb Phrases

Distinguish between noun and verb phrases by completing a practice activity with at least 70% accuracy.

• A phrase is a group of words that stand together as a single grammatical unit

• A phrase does not contain a subject and verb and, consequently, cannot convey a complete thought

It is a group of words with a main noun and modifiers.

• It has a noun

• It has modifiers (Articles, adjectives, other phrases)

• It is not a sentence

​A verb phrase is the portion of a sentence that contains both the main verb, helping verb and either a direct or indirect object (the verb's dependents).

Ex: “He was caught in the whirl of a scrimmage and, fearful of the flashing eyes and muddy boots, bent down to look through the legs. The fellows were struggling and groaning and their legs were rubbing and kicking and stamping … It was useless to run on …”

Joyce has used four verb phrases in this example.