Phrase Study Guide
There are five types of phrases: appositive, prepositional, gerund, participle, and infinitive.
You should be able to identify each type of phrase within a given sentence. Look at the
definitions and examples below:
1. Appositive Phrases:
Example:
Ansley, my daughter, loves to dance. (underlined phrase renames Ansley)
2. Prepositional Phrases:
Example:
3. Gerund Phrases:
Example:
4. Participle Phrases:
Examples:
5. Infinitive Phrases:
Examples:
A noun/pronoun that renames another noun/pronoun.
A group of words that begins w/prep and ends w/noun or pronoun.
His house is on the lake. (on is the prep./ lake is the noun)
A gerund plus modifiers; a gerund is a “verb behaving badly”;
The verb ends in –ing and acts like a noun.
Writing long essays can be fun. (Writing is the gerund; the phrase is
underlined; What is fun? Writing long essays. This acts like a noun.)
A participle plus modifiers; a participle is a “verb behaving badly”;
The verb ends in –ing or –ed and acts like an adjective.
Running down the hall, he bumped into the principal. (Running is the
participle; the phrase is underlined; the phrase describes he. Who was
running? He.)
An infinitive plus modifiers; an infinitive is a “verb behaving
badly”; The verb preceded by the word to can act like a noun,
adjective, or adverb.
He likes to eat pepperoni pizza. (To eat is the infinitive; the phrase is
underlined.)