CHAPTER 20
Phrases & Clauses
20.1 – Prepositional Phrases


Prepositional Phrase – a group of words made up
of a preposition and a noun or pronoun (object of
the preposition).
Prepositional phrases can modify other words by
functioning either as adjectives or as adverbs within
the sentence.
20.1 Prepositional Phrases

Adjective Phrase – is a prepositional phrase that
modifies a noun or pronoun by telling what kind or
which one.
 Mary
took lunch in a box.
 The mansion across the road has been abandoned.
 Let’s take the picture of the Eiffel Tower.
 France is a country with many charms.
 We bought tickets for the trip to Paris.
20.1 Prepositional Phrases

Adverb Phrase – is a prepositional phrase that
modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb by
pointing out where, when, in what way, or to what
extent.
 She
ran with speed.
 They were happy at the French café.
 The Loire Valley is rich in historical buildings.
 The French exchange student arrived late for class.
 In the afternoon, we walked to Notre Dame.
20.1 Prepositional Phrases







France is situated above the Iberian Peninsula.
During an avalanche, an alpine village vanished.
The painting of the palace in the museum is old.
The runner dashed past the spectators.
France has miles of coastline.
A French painting of great beauty hung in the
palace.
They gave the students on the bus a tour.
20.1 Appositives



Appositive – is a noun or pronoun placed next to
another noun or pronoun to identify, rename, or
explain it.
They generally immediately follow the words they
identify, rename, or explain.
Commas – if set off by commas they are nonessential
to the sentence. If they don’t have commas then they
are essential to the sentence.
 Her
greatest attribute, charm, was not enough.
 The artist Monet was a great French painter.
 Jacques, our guide, told us about French People.
20.1 Appositives


Appositive Phrase – is a noun or pronoun with modifiers,
placed next to a noun or pronoun to add information
and details.
The modifiers within an appositive phrase can be
adjective, adjective phrases, or other groups of words
functioning as adjectives.
Amethyst, a purple birthstone, is the gem for February.
 Ernest Hemingway, a famous author, wrote in a terse style.
 The chef prepared escargots, a small dish.
 Store the onions in the cellar, a cool, dry place.

20.1 Verbal Phrases - Participles




Participle – is a form of a verb that can act as an
adjective.
Present participle – verbs ending in –ing (walking)
Past participle – verbs ending in –ed (walked)
Answer the questions what kind or which one about
the nouns or pronouns that they modify.
 The
hiker favored his aching ankle.
 Confused, Nan returned to her interrupted work.
 Irma’s shining eyes betrayed her excitement.
20.1 Verbal Phrases


Verb or Participle?
Verbs show action, a condition, or that something
exists while a Participle acts like an adjective a
modifies a noun or pronoun.
 The
god is snarling at the plumber.
 The snarling dog attacked the plumber.
 Delighted, the audience applauded.
 The mimes delighted their audience.
 The French people have experienced increasing
prosperity since the 1940’s.
20.1 Participial Phrases

Participial Phrases – a participle modified by an
adverb or adverb phrase or accompanied by a
complement. The entire phrase acts as an adjective.
 Traveling
quickly, we saw much of the French
countryside.
 The tourist, confused by the signs, got lost.
 The boy standing by the bus stop is Craig.
 The mural painted in 1497 is almost beyond repair.
 Painted in 1497, the mural is Leonardo’s masterpiece.
 There is Craig, standing by the bus stop.
20.1 Gerunds

Gerund – form of a verb that acts like a noun
 Eating
is my favorite pastime in France.
 The French people make visiting a pleasure.
 Mr. Mendoza’s lecture gave traveling a new dimension.
 Brandy’s profession, advertising, is very competitive.
 Their well-behaved dog showed signs of careful
training.
20.1 Gerund Phrases

Gerund Phrase – is a gerund with modifiers or a
complement, all acting together as a noun.
 Arguing
about grades will get you nowhere.
 Answering quickly is not always a good idea.
 Pierre was incapable of reciting the poem.
 The French teacher tried giving her students praise.
20.1 Verbs, Participle or Gerund?

Words ending in –ing that act as nouns are gerunds.
They don’t have helping verbs, nor do they act as
adjectives.
 Kevin
is yawning at his desk.
 The yawning boy was very tired.
 Yawning is contagious.
 Reading is a popular pastime.
 Reading newspapers and magazines, the commuter
waited for the metro.
20.1 Infinitives


Infinitive – a form of a verb that generally appears
with the word to and acts as a noun, an adjective or an
adverb.
When they are used as a noun, they can be used in any
part of a sentence (just like a gerund).
To understand requires maturity and acceptance.
 The peasants of France decided to rebel.
 The French soldier’s only hope was to surrender.
 Our flight from Paris was about to leave.
 You have only one choice, to stay.
 The children showed a willingness to cooperate.
 Some people were unable to fight.

20.1 Infinitive Phrases

Infinitive Phrase – an infinitive with modifiers,
complements, or a subject, all acting together as a
single part of speech.
 Jeffrey’s
entire family likes to rise early.
 To skate on the ice without falling was not easy for him.
 He hated to leave the city of Lyon.
 They promised to show us the slides from their trip to
France.
 I would like her to determine her own goals.
20.1 Infinitive or Prepositional Phrase


Prepositional Phrase – always ends with a noun or
pronoun.
Infinitives – always end with a verb.
 The
French soldier listed to the command.
 The general’s purpose in the army is to command.
 When I am in Paris, I like to drive.
 I travel is very easy in France.
 There are many different ways to tour.
 The subway will take you to every part of the city.
20.2 Clauses

Independent Clause – can stand by itself as a complete
sentence. They contain both a subject and verb.
That woman teaches Latin.
 Mudslides will engulf these hillside villas, and some will be
ruined.


Subordinate Clause – although it has a subject and
verb, it cannot stand by itself as a complete sentence; it
can only be part of a sentence.
Brian asked to be excused from studying because he was ill.
 The woman to whom I introduced you teaches Latin.
 Unless the rain stops soon, mudslides will engulf these hillside
villas.

20.2 Adjective Clauses


Adjective Clause – is a subordinate clause that
modifies a noun or pronoun by telling what kind or
which one.
They usually begin with a relative pronoun (that,
which, who, whom, or whose) or a relative adverb
(before, since, when, where, or why). All of these
words relate the clause to the word it modifies.
I
finished reading the book that you loaned me.
 We gave the story, which we found fascinating, a
second read.
20.2 Adjective Clauses

Keep in mind the idea of essential vs. nonessential
when looking at the subordinate clauses.
 Spring
is the time when peppers make their shrill
evening sound.
 Our trip to Italy ended with a visit to the town where
my parents were born.
 Jean McCurdy, who studied three hours every evening
for a month, won the statewide competition.
 The Roman Empire, which achieved greatness, had
humble beginnings.
20.2 Adjective Clauses


Relative Pronouns & Adverbs – even though they connect the
adjective clauses to the word that they modify, they also
play a role within their clause.
An introductory word can be understood.

The movie that is playing now is a comedy.
Clause – that is playing now
 Subject - _____ Verb - _______


The movie we saw last night was a documentary.
Clause – (that) we saw last night
 Subject - _____ Verb - _______ Direct Object - ______

The movie in which Tony appeared was a hit.
 He is an actor whose work I admire.
 I remember the day when they began filming.

20.2 Adverb Clauses


Adverb Clause – modify verbs, adjective, adverbs, or
verbals by telling where, when, in what way, to what
extent, under what condition, or why.
All adverb clauses begin with subordinating
conjunctions.
Tricia seemed happy wherever she was.
 Faster than the eye could follow, the race car sped away.
 Drive a car if you do not wave a license is illegal.
 Laughing until he gasped for breath, Fred could not speak.
 Before the year was over, Caesar made plans to march into
Rome.

20.2 Adverb Clauses

Elliptical Adverb Clause – is a clause in which the
verb or subject and verb are understood but not
actually stated.
 She
resembles their father more than he.
 She resembles their father more than him.
 My little brother is now as tall as I.
 The story appealed to me more than them.
 The tour was more exhausting than informative.
20.2 Noun Clauses


Noun Clause – is a subordinate clause that acts as a
noun.
In a sentence, a noun clause may act as a subject, direct
object, indirect object, predicate nominative, object of
the preposition, or appositive.
Whoever is last must pay a penalty.
 Please invite whomever you want.
 His manner gave whoever met him a shock.
 Our problem is whether we should stay here or leave.
 Use the money for whatever purpose you chose.
 The occupied country rejected our plea that orphans be
cared for by the Red Cross.
