Phrases, Clauses, & Sentences

Phrase

A group of related words that is missing either a subject or missing the matching verb or both.
For example:

• Sitting on a bench

• A magical and mysterious place

Prepositional phrases:

• On the playing field, Ralph was considered to be unstoppable.

Adjective Phrases:

• Alert and focused, Ralph anticipated the next play.

Adverb phrases:

• Quickly and efficiently, Ralph sprang across the line of scrimmage.

“-ing” Phrases (Participial phrases):

• Springing into action, Ralph blocked his opponent.

Phrases are often named after the type of word that comes first in them.

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NOTE:

Sentences can have more than one phrase or use different phrases in combination.

• Ex: Springing into action with the strength of a lion, Ralph blocked his opponent on the playing field.

Clause:

A group of related words that has both a subject and a verb that matches it.
There are two types of clauses:
- Independent
- Dependent

Independent Clause

Has a subject, a verb that matches it AND can stand alone as a single sentence when it comes to meaning.

• The man eats spaghetti.

• Manatees like warm water

Dependent Clause

Has a subject, a verb that matches it BUT CANNOT stand as a single sentence when it comes to meaning.

• When the man eats spaghetti…

• Because manatees like warm water…

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You need something else to complete the thought.

Subordinating Conjunctions

Words that make a phrase “dependent” are often called subordinating conjunctions.