The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS
THE ELEMENTS OF THE SIMPLE SENTENCE are: the subject, the
predicate, the object, the adverbial modifiers and the noun modifiers or the attribute.
1. SUBJECTS may be simple or compound expressed by nouns (common or proper) or
noun equivalents (gerunds, infinitives, gerund phrases, pronouns, noun phrases, or
nominal clauses)
Love makes the world go round.
(noun)
Lying is not the best policy. (gerund)
To learn means to know. (to-infinitive phrase)
The best policy is telling the truth. (noun phrase)
Living well requires a lot of money. (gerund phrase)
What goes round comes around. (nominal clause)
Anybody can do it (indefinite pronoun)
Doing this means to harm everybody. (gerund phrase)
Whatever he does is well done. (nominal clause)
That he is a liar is a fact. (nominal clause)
The subject may also be expressed by:
 the personal pronoun THEY/YOU, by the indefinite pronoun ONE or by the noun
PEOPLE to introduce generic information:
One can never tell.
They say it’s better late than ever.
People do such things.
 the personal pronoun IT in impersonal constructions expressing time, distance, weather:
It’s quite warm today.
It’s still raining.
It’s five o’clock.
It’s about twenty miles from Cluj to Timisoara.
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IT may be an introductory subject rephrasing the action expressed by:
a to-infinitive phrase:
To get there in time is necessary. It’s necessary to get there in time.
To do something like that is mean. It’s mean to do something like that.
a complex object (For+ Accusative + infinitive): For him to do that is absolutely
necessary. It’s absolutely necessary for him to do that.
a gerund phrase: Doing that is useless. It’s useless doing that.
A nominal clause introduced by WHAT, THAT, HOW: How he manages all this is a
mystery. It’s a mystery how he manages all this.
INTRODUCTORY IT may be expressed by:
 IT+BE+ADJECTIVE/NOUN (subject+linking verb+subject complement):
It’s likely/It’s unlikely/It’s worth/It’s appropriate/ It’s natural/ It’s obvious/ It’s odd/
It’s fun/ It’s a pity/It’s a shame/It’s surprise/ It’s no use:
It’s worth doing this task properly.
It’s important for them to be there on time.
It’s essential that everybody should participate.
It was nice seeing you.
It was fun to be with them.
It’s a pity to have lost so much money.
It’s a shame how they behave.
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
It’s no use crying over spilt milk.
IT (formal subject) +VERBS expressing feelings and subjective attitudes: to disgust,
upset, shock, horrify, appeal, grieve, distress:
It grieved me that he couldn’t come. (It-formal subject, nominal phrase, delayed subject)
It pleased us to hear about his success.
 IT (formal subject) +VERBS like to occur, seem, matter, take, need 1 delayed subject:
It occurred to me that he could be guilty.
It takes two hours to get there.
It seems that you are right.
It looks as if they were in trouble again.
It matters whether they come or not.
It happened that nobody disturbed us.
It suits me best to get there in the morning.
 IT + PASSIVE CONSTRUCTION with a generic value:
It was believed that the Earth was the centre of the universe.
It has been found that the letter is a fake.
It has been suggested that we all attend the lecture.
It was predicted that wars would break out at the end of our century.
It has been agreed that everybody will participate in the team work.
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The subject may as well be expressed by INTRODUCTORY THERE in:
 Existential sentences (delayed subject): There is a book on the table.
There is nobody in the room.
Is there anybody in the house?
There is some milk left.
There were many people at the conference.
 THERE+EXISTENTIAL VERBS (to live, exist): Once upon a time there lived an old
woman.
 THERE+BE+a particular situation+PRESENT PARTICIPLE: There were children and
soldiers crossing on the bridge.
 THERE+MODALS: There might be something wrong with him.
There can be no fault with him.
There should be somebody to help us.
 THERE+BE+NO+NOUN +GERUND: There is no sense/no use/no point quarrelling.
+ TO-INFINITIVE: There is no need to be there.
 THERE+BE+NO/NOBODY/SOMEBODY: There’s something utterly wrong with it.
There was no sigh of a living soul.
 THERE+VERBS of events (to happen, to follow, to appear, to enter, to come, to remain):
All of a sudden there entered the jester.
There remains nothing to be said.
There happened to be a policeman in the street.
INTRODUCTORY IT/THERE EXERCISES:
It’s not far from here. (IT- the formal subject of an impersonal construction)
There are only two kilometres. (THERE expresses what remains from the distance: We
have two more kilometres to drive)
It is very late. There are only two minutes to get to the tram. (We have only two minutes to
get to the tram)
It is December 30. There’s one more day left of the year. (Only one day is left of the year)
It seems that there is a mistake in his judgement. (this is speaker’s opinion)
There seems to be a mistake in his letter. (the very existence of a thing)
It appeared that they all were wrong. (opinion)
There appeared a misunderstanding. (the very appearance of a thing)
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
It happened that they all were away that day. (an impersonal reference)
There happed to be a dry cold day when they arrived. (an accidental situation)
It follows that correction should be made. (a conclusion)
There followed an ominous silence. (a given situation)
It remains for you to decide. (a generic value)
There still remains something to be done. (the very existence of something which is to be
done)
The subject may not be expressed in colloquial language: Care for a drink?
or I may or may not do it.
There are some nouns which have a particular subject and predicate concord/agreement:
 Pluralia Tantum: wages, holidays, proceedings, savings, minutes, holidays:
The holidays are coming!
His wages haven’t increased lately.
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Proper nouns expressing mountain ranges (The Alps, The Andes) and islands (The West
Indies):
The Carpathians aren’t covered with snow all year round.
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When the subject is expressed by nouns related to quality there are two kinds of
concord: if the subject is a noun phrase containing an indefinite article the predicate will
have a plural form white if there is a definite article, the predicate will be in the singular:
A great number of students are gathering in the lecture hall.
The number of students has increased since 1990.
A great variety of books are to be found on the stands.
The great variety of books does not mean good quality.
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When the subject is expressed by an indefinite or negative pronoun the predicate is
singular:
Nobody is to be blamed.
One never knows.
Little is known about his way of living.
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The subject expressed by the pronoun ALL can be followed either by a singular or plural
verb depending on the meaning:
All is well that ends well.
All were there except Jill.
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The subject expressed by the interrogative pronoun WHAT is followed by a singular:
What makes you laugh?, instead WHO and WHICH can be followed either by a singular or
a plural: Who is he?/Who are they?/Which is yours?/Which are yours?
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The subject expressed by a non-finite verb (a gerund or an infinitive) is always followed
by a singular: To say that is a gross mistake./Telling the truth is not always the best
solution.
Multiple subject: linked by AND or BOTH...AND have a plural: They are at the seaside.
Both she and he are at the seaside.
 EITHER...OR: it’s an attraction agreement, the nearest word impose the number of the
predicate: Either the students or the teacher has to be there.
Neither he or she is home.
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases

Neither the workers nor the manager is going to change the plan of action.
If the multiple subject is linked by WITH, AS WELL, AS, EXCEPT, BUT the
agreement will be then made with the first element of the sentence:
A young woman with her child was there too.
2. THE PREDICATE expresses an action (The engine is running), a quality (He is tall),
a state (I’m not feeling well today) and a process (Some people grow old unnoticeably)
and it can be classified as follows:
a. THE VERBAL PREDICATE expressed by a finite verb:
He came out from that building.
She hasn’t been asked anything by anybody.
He can speak French fluently./ They should have called on their friends. (verbal
predicate modally composed)
b. THE NOMINAL PREDICATE expressed by a LINKING VERB + SUBJECT
COMPLEMENT:
She is a good girl.
She has become quieter lately.
LINKING VERBS:
 TO BE: They are happy there./ Nobody was aware of the danger.
 VERBS OF SEEMING: He appears quite nervous./They look worried./She seems sad
today.
VERBS OF BECOMING: become, get, grow, go, fall, come, etc.
Leaves turn yellow in autumn.
We are running short of everything.
They grew old.
 VERBS OF CONTINUING: to go on, keep on, remain, stay, hold, etc.
She kept on laughing on them.
Stay fine and be happy.
They remained silent.
 VERBS OF PERCEPTION of intransitive use: smell, taste, feel, sound, etc.
The coffee tastes excellent.
His suggestion sounds good to us.
Roses smell sweet.
Some of the linking verbs may have transitive use (complete predication) changing partly or
completely their meaning:
People of this village grow vegetables. (finite verb used in transitive use, direct object)
She turned away and left.
We generally stay with friend when we travel.
They went home.
She remained in her room for the whole day.
A person who runs everyday is a jogger.
She is smelling the flowers.
You can feel the taste of honey in this cake.
I felt pain and yet felt at ease. (verbal predicate in transitive use, direct object; nominal predicate
+ subject compliment)
I lay relaxed as if I has woken from some golden sleep. (verbal predicate +predicative adjunct)
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
There are verbs of complete predication which need a PREDICATIVE ADJUNCT to refer both
to their action and to the subject’s state or quality: The predicative adjunct may be expressed by
a noun, an adjective or a participle.
She acted as an interpreter. (She was our interpreter)
The experiment turned out a success. (The experiment was a success)
He died poor. (He was poor when he died/He died as a poor man)
The letter came open. (The letter was open when it came)
The door burst open (The door was open)
The boat drew close. (The boat was close to the shore)
The hostage escaped unharmed. (The hostage was unharmed)
3. OBJECTS may be DIRECT (a noun or a noun equivalent), INDIRECT (a noun,
noun equivalent or prepositional phrases) and a PREPOSITIONAL OBJECT (a
prepositional phrase):
He told the truth. (noun phrase, direct object)
He told me the truth. (personal pronoun, indirect object)
He agreed with my proposal. (prepositional phrase, prepositional object: preposition
+ complement of preposition)
a. THE DIRECT OBJECT is demanded by a transitive verb: They raised the issue in the
Parliament and can become the subject of the sentence in the passive voice: The issue was
raised in the Parliament.
There are some transitive verbs which cannot be put into the passive voice and thus their
direct object cannot become the subject of the sentence.
 to possess, to have, to contain, to suit, to resemble, to lack
She resembles her mother.
The box contains twenty books.
She lacks courage.
I hailed the cab.
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to wish: I wish you Many Returns of the Day. The direct object of the verb “to want”
cannot be a subject when it expressed by an inanimate but where an animate is the
direct object it can be subject, too:
I want an ice cream.
They want you on the phone./ You are wanted on the phone. (“wanted”-predicate
adjunct)
 verbs expressing the price, the size, the distance –to cost, to measure, to take):
It takes two hours to get them.
These books cost a lot of money.
Direct objects are demanded by the ditransitive verbs (to ask, to envy, to save, to teach, to save
smth for somebody): He asked me a question.
They envied us our success.
He saved me the trouble of going there.
Her mother taught him English and French.
Save the last dance for me.
Save a banana for me, please.
They blamed him for their facts. (direct object + prepositional object)
She helps the child with his homework. (direct object + prepositional object)
They deprived her of their rights. (direct object + prepositional object)
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
He paid the bill for us. (direct +indirect object)
He spared for her the trouble of going there. (direct +indirect object)
She passed the salt to me/She passed me the salt. (direct +indirect object)
I gave a bunch of flowers to my friend./I gave my friend a bunch of flowers. (direct
+indirect object)
There are transitive verbs including the direct objects in their meaning: to eat, to drink, to read,
to smoke, to sing, to marry
She married him last night. She married last night.
Many people drink soft drinks nowadays. He drank and smoked a lot.
I’ve read a lot of English books. I’m reading now too.
PHRASAL VERBS (finite transitive verbs + a preposition or an adverbial particle) have a direct
object: to call on, to carry out, to cut up, to put up, to hand in, to put together, to put off.
Spell out the words you want to say.
ERGATIVE VERBS: transitive verbs changing into intransitive one.
The man closed the door. The door closed.
Mother froze the meat. The butter froze in the fridge.
She cooks spaghetti every day. The food is not cooked yet, it is cooking.
ERGATIVE VERBS+MODIFIERS:
I’m reading a novel. It reads easily.
They sell a lot of frozen vegetables nowadays. They don’t sell quite well.
She washed her woollen jumper. It washed well.
There are intransitive verbs which receive a direct object expressing the same idea (COGNATE
DIRECT OBJECT): to live a life, to die a death, to dream a dream.
Not many people lived a life as he did.
She sighed a deep sigh.
He smiled a beautiful smile.
THE DIRECT OBJECT may be expressed by:
1. a noun: I saw the girl crossing the street.
2. a noun substitute:
 Personal pronoun: We met them yesterday.
The child wants it now. (the toy)
or by an EMPTY IT after to consider, to hold, to like, to hate or in idiomatic phrases: to
lord it, to rough it, to overdo it, to fight it:
I consider it a mistake to interfere. (object complement + toinfinitive phrase)
We hold it true that all men are born equal. (object complement +
nominal clause)
We found it difficult to believe him.
He hated it when friends failed him.
 Indefinite or negative pronouns: I saw someone at the door.
Many people want something for nothing.
I expected nothing good from him.
 Demonstrative pronouns: I’ve borrowed this one.
 Possessive pronouns: I want mine not yours.
 Interrogative pronouns: Whom did you see?
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases

Reflexive pronouns: They expressed themselves in clear terms. (There are some verbs
frequently used with direct objects expressed by reflexive pronouns when the
subject and the doer are one and the same person):
He introduced himself to us.
He said he would kill himself.
Many people deceive themselves by not being realistic.
To busy and to pride are always used with reflexive pronouns:
They busied themselves with trifles.
He always prided himself on his achievements.
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Reciprocal pronouns: each other, one another.
They kissed each other and said good-bye.
They helped one another as they were really good friends.
3. A Non-Finite Verb (Infinitive or Gerund) the subject being the same for both
clauses:
They wanted to spend the summer holidays with their relatives.
He threatened to kill them.
She avoided meeting him.
They denied having seen the man.
Do you mind meeting him?
4. COMPLEX OBJECT:
a. Accusative + INFINITIVE follows verbs which demand a bare infinitive or a long
infinitive:
They made him laugh. (short infinitive)
He let us enter the building.
They ordered him to leave. (long infinitive)
People considered him to be a genius.
She wanted us to help her.
I prefer the tea to be hot.
I’ll show you how to do it.
Her impatience increased to such an extent that she almost forced me to run.
EMPTY IT + TO-INFINITIVE: I think it to be useful.
They believed it to be a mistake./It was believed to be a mistake. (delayed subject)
Accusative +Infinitive can change into Nominative+ Long Infinitive:
They expected her to do the job./She was expected to...
Everybody encouraged him to give it another try./ He was encouraged..
The parents allowed/forbade the child to play./The child was allowed..
They advised us not to take the bus./We were advised not..
Accusative +Infinitive expresses an accomplished action (I saw him leave) while
Accusative +Participle expresses an unaccomplished one, in progress (I saw her
crossing the street).
The complex object is used with verbs of perception:
She heard him slam the door.
We watched/noticed/saw them play.
b. FOR +INFINITIVE comes after a subject complement expressed by an adjective:
It is easy for you to talk like that.
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
It is hard for him to find help.
We were sorry for him to have missed that opportunity.
It is advisable for you to accept the offer.
c. COMPLEX GERUND OBJECT:
I can’t imagine being taken hostage on a plane. (NOMINATIVE +GERUND)
I can’t imagine them/anybody being taken hostage on a plane.
(ACUSATIVE+GERUND)
He insisted on participating too. He insisted on my going too.
They don’t like my smoking.
Teenagers dislike their parents’ interfering in their lives.
5. NOMINAL CLAUSES:
We heard that they were rewarded.
I don’t know how you manage it.
She promised that she would help us.
b. THE INDIRECT OBJECT expresses the person to whom the action is directed and is
usually preceded by the preposition TO/FOR: Give the matches to father. (noun)
Fetch a glass of water to me!
Read it to me!/Read it for me!
Don’t do it to him./Why don’t you do it for him.
She handed the bill to her husband.
It can happen to anybody! They apologised to us.
Talk to him.
There are some verbs which always need an indirect object introduced by TO:
Il’ll explain it to him.
The doctor didn’t prescribe to the patient any medicine.
She introduced her friends to us.
They proved to him that he was wrong.
Suggest to him another solution.
There are verbs which have an indirect object without TO:
Allow him to see you again.
They refused him his last request.
Spare me a few minutes.
c. THE PREPOSITIONAL OBJECT can be expressed by noun phrases, pronouns
(personal, reflexive, indefinite, gerund, subordinate clause:
They called for a doctor.
She couldn’t put up with his behaviour.
He insisted on meeting her.
He is fond of you.
They are interested in computer science.
She looked at herself in the mirror.
We’ve been looking for him everywhere.
Your success depends on nothing else but more work.
We look forward to seeing you. Gerund phrase)
Everything depends on what he will say about it. (nominal prepositional clause)
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
The prepositional object comes after:
a.
transitive verbs with compulsory preposition. The direct object can become subject:
o to accuse somebody of something: They accused him of murder/He was accused of
murder.
o to assure somebody of something: I assured him of my affection.
o to punish...for: They punished the driver for his negligence/The driver was
punished for his negligence.
o to warn...of: Parents warn children of danger./Children are warned of danger.
o to remind...of: He reminded them of their duties/They were reminded of their
duties.
o to congratulate...on: I congratulated him on his success.
o to blame...for: They blamed him for his carelessness.
o to prevent...from: I prevented her from doing such a thing.
o to inform...of: He informed me of his plans.
o to rob ...of: They robbed him of his money.
b. After verbs with compulsory preposition (the prepositional object follows immediately
after the verb; The prepositional objects become the subject of the sentence and the
preposition comes at the end:
No one will approve of this plan.
We have to dispose of this rubbish.
They objected to the decision.
They will succeed in carrying out the experiment.
c. Phrasal verbs whose adverbial particles or prepositions change their meaning. The
prepositional objects become the subject of the sentence and the preposition comes at the
end:
The police looked into the matter closely/ The matter was looked into closely.
She asked for help.
Mother will see to the child when we are away.
He took to her first time he saw her.
She took up stamps collecting as a hobby.
They called for the doctor. Whom did they call for?
d. After a subject complement (a predicative) expressed by an adjective or a past
participle:
o amused at, characteristic of, devoid of, heedless of, mindful of, indicative of,
answerable for, efficient in, fortunate in, inherent in, lacking in, outstanding in,
persistent in, rooted in, successful in, steeped in, contingent on, keen on,
incumbent on, averse to, prone to, reconciled to, connected to, annoyed with,
angry with, busy with, compatible with, excited with, exhausted with, , happy
with, horrified with, impatient with, pleased with, upset with:
Some drivers are heedless of the danger.
He is very devoted to his friends.
They were upset with the news. What were they upset with?
He is good at doing cross-words.
Every seems to be connected to something.
He is fortunate in having won the prize.
4. COMPLEMENTS are structures built around a noun, an adjective or a preposition,
functioning as completing elements.
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
a. SUBJECT COMPLEMENTS are words used to complete the meaning of a
linking verb and to rename, identify or describe the subject. They may be nouns
or noun equivalents when renaming the subject, or adjectives when describing it:
He is a student. (noun phrase)
Love is blind. (adjective)
They can be expressed by:
- a noun: She is a widow.
- a possessive pronoun: This book is mine.
- an adjective: She looks happy. (There are adjectives which are only used as
subject complements: ablaze, aghast, afoot, afraid, alive, alone, apart, ajar,
ashamed, asleep, aware, content, due, fond, glad, ill, ready, sorry, well- The
disease is due to malnutrition./ I am fond of children.
- a numeral: There were five instead of ten
- a to-infinitive: To know is to learn
- a past participle verb form with adjectival value: The town seemed
uninhabitated.
- A nominal clause: Truth is what we believe to be true nowadays.
b. OBJECT COMPLEMENTS are words used to complete the meaning of a verb
and to rename, identify or describe the direct object. They may be nouns or noun
equivalents when renaming the direct object, or adjectives when describing it:
They elected him Prime Minister. (noun phrase)
They appointed him captain. ( noun expressing the object’s quality)
He found the job difficult. (adjective expressing the object’s state)
The object complement appears after:
 CAUSATIVE verbs such as: to make, to drive, to knock:
He drove me crazy.
He knocked the man unconscious.
She wiped her eyes dry.
She paints her eyes blue and black.
They shot him dead.
 IDENTITY verbs: to call, to elect, to declare, to name, to make, to crown, to label, to
appoint:
They call him a genius.
 Verbs expressing the speaker’s opinion about the object:
We consider the matter worth looking into.
Did you find the show amusing?
I find it difficult to believe.
 Verbs expressing the direct object’s state:
She boiled the egg hard.
He left the door open.
I like my coffee bitter.
c. COMPLEMENTS OF PREPOSITION are always nouns or noun equivalents
and appear immediately following a preposition:
He worried about the beggar. (prepositional phrase, prepositional object; the
beggar- noun phrase, complement of preposition)
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
d. NOUN COMPLEMENTS (APPOSITIONS) are word groups that function as
nouns consisting of an APPOSITIVE (a noun or a noun equivalent ) and all its
modifiers (one-word modifiers, phrases or clauses)
Mr. Smith, the director, is expecting you. (noun phrase)
David, the boy that I have been telling you about, is over there. (noun phrase)
The idea that we should run away, came from the leader. (nominal clause)
e. ADJECTIVE COMPLEMENTS are groups of words that complete the meaning
of adjectives:
He was extremely proud of his achievements. (prepositional phrase)
I am really undecided about what to tell him. (prepositional phrase)
He was sure that his wife was cheating on him. (nominal clause)
He is sorry that he cannot be here. (nominal clause)
The highway was large enough to accommodate six lanes. (infinitive phrase)
He is always eager to please. (infinitive phrase)
5. MODIFIERS are words, phrases or clauses that describe, qualify, intensify or limit
the intensity of other words. They are classified as MODIFIERS OF NOUNS
(premodifiers and postmodifiers) and ADVERBIAL MODIFIERS, which modify
verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, phrases, clauses, or even the rest of the sentence
they are part of.
A beautiful girl in a red dress approached me. (a-determiner; beautiful- premodifier,
adjective; in a red dress-postmodifier, noun phrase)
An extremely beautiful girl.....(extremely- adverbial modifier, adverb modifying the
adjective “beautiful”)
She played the piano beautifully. (adverb modifying the verb phrase “play the piano”,
adverbial modifier of manner)
She played the piano extremely beautifully. (adverb modifying another adverb)
Honestly, I don’t believe in love at first sight. (adverb modifying the whole clause that
follows it).
1. MODIFIERS OF NOUNS are classified as premodifiers (words, phrases, clauses
modifying a noun, placed after the determiner and before the head noun) and
postmodifiers (which immediately follow the head noun)
Premodifiers may be:


Nouns: door mat, can opener, car industry, cat food, family dinner party,
pain killer, Christmas party
Adjectives: valuable guidance
Composed adjectives (adjective+noun+ed: long-haired, blue-eyed;
adjective/adverb+past
participle:
well-paid
worker;
adjective/adverb/noun + present participle; heart-breaking)
Other adjectives:
Air-conditioned room, brand-new suit, cut-price sale, bullet-proof jacket,
cross-Channel train, lead-free gasoline, long-distance call, man-killing
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases



poison, nuclear-free zone, remote-controlled toys, tax-free cigarettes, topsecrets documents.
Adverbs (the after life),
Word groups (an up-to-date edition)
Clauses (a wear-at-night-throw-in-the-morning outfit).
A successful family dinner party (unspecific determiner + qualifying premodifier +
classifying premodifiers)
coffee mug (determiner + premodifier + head noun)
a gold watch
a black coffee
the old man
the above information; the inside repairs;
the half-past-five train
Australian citizens oppose nuclear tests. (adjectives, noun modifiers, classifiers)
Many big industrial towns have decayed lately. (unspecific determiner + qualifier+
classifier)
It was a frightening sight.(unspecific determiner +qualifying modifier)
The blooming economy was a sign of good management. (specific central determiner +
qualifying modifier)
She bluntly refused to live in that stinking little town.
Everything was just an outright lie.
He made us a long-standing offer that we could not refuse.
The whole business was pure fiction.
He expects to be elected with a thumping majority.
Classifiers:
Raw meat
Foreign language
Traditional/Social/Rural/Public life
Financial times
Wrong answer
Running nose
Missing children
Leading organisation
Canned vegetables
Broken leg
Closed door
Furnished room
Ready-made clothes
Order of adjectives:
 An interesting medical experiment (+unspecific determiner + qualifier +
classifier + noun)
 A new technological development (+unspecific determiner + qualifier + classifier
+ noun)
 A cheap black suit, a nice red wine (qualifier + colour adjective)
 A huge silvery-white steel sky-scraper, red velvet shoes, a grey stone building
(qualifier + colour adjective + material)
 A tall young woman, an attractive young man, a nicely-dressed elderly woman,
a handsome tall young man (qualifiers + age adjectives )
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases


A lovely cool evening, an amusing cheap novel (adjectives expressing speaker’s
opinion + another qualifier)
A small square curtainless window
Postmodifiers are:
 Nouns functioning as noun complements (appositions): Mother Theresa,
the river Thames, Professor Smith
Her husband, a man in his fifties, was killed in battle.
His father, a staunch Republican, has won the elections.
 Adjectives functioning as:
1. appositions (Alexander the Great)
He has many friends, young and old.
2. subject complements, object complements or noun complements: two
ideas alike, the building ablaze, the only excuse acceptable, a book
practical in approach, a work pedagogical in nature, fiction proper, the
members absent, the audience present, The president elect of the U.S.
This may be called new technology proper.
That wasn’t a proper joke. (qualifying premodifier)
The persons responsible for a child’s education ought to be the parents.
The situation asked for a responsible decision.
All those members present will have to vote.
The present chairman will take the decision.
3. adverbs: the floor below, the people inside, the situation thereafter
4. expressions of measurement: a hotel eleven-storeys high, a girl tenyears old
5. prepositional phrases: an angel of a girl, nouns of Latin origin, a matter
of principle, the roof of our house, the claws of the cat, a play of
Shakespear’s, the woman on the phone, the shop at the end of the
street.
He has joined the academic staff of our university.
The back of the house was badly damaged by the fire.
They couldn’t cross the street because of the stream of cars.
People thought of her as a woman of substance.
An old man with steel-rimmed spectacles was standing on the road.
6. clauses:
a. NOMINAL CLAUSES- function as nouns and are introduced by
the conjunction “that”, syntactic function: noun complement:
She was terrified by the fear that she would fail the exam. (that she
would fail the exam IS the very fear)
The thought that he might cheat on her terrified her parents.
He refused to help me, in spite of the fact that I had always helped
him.
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
b. RELATIVE CLAUSES – function as adjectives and are
introduced by relative pronouns (which, that, who, whom, whose)
and relative adverbs (where, when, why):
 DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES- bring essential information to the
sentence they are part of:
The fear that overwhelmed her was the deep-seated fear most women must
overcome.
The thought that she entertained could well be read in her eyes.
The fact that he brought to our attention got all of us worried.
“that overwhelmed her” IS NOT the fear, it offers more details about her fear.
“that she entertained” IS NOT the thought but provides additional information about
her thought, while “The thought that he might have” is the very thought.
“that he brought to our attention” IS NOT the fact, it gives information about the
fact
My friend who lives in Canada is a doctor. – I’ve got many friends.
This is the book that I’ve been telling you about. – Prepositional defining relative clause.
 NON DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
Are separated by commas from the rest of the sentence, do not bring essential
information to the sentence they are part in, cannot be introduced by “that”:
My friend, who lives in Canada, is a doctor. (I’ve got only one friend)
Tokyo, which is the capital of Japan, has a rather low crime rate.
2. ADVERBIAL MODIFIERS:
 ADVERBIAL MODIFIERS OF TIME:
They met yesterday at five o’clock, (adverbials modifier of time, adverb and prepositional
phrase, complement of preposition).
The concept of time is expressed with the help of:
1. adverbs: today, yesterday, tomorrow, just, nowadays, then, now:
Just /Shortly after 1945 the world broke into two.
I’ve been up today from six a.m.
I met him briefly in the street yesterday.
To approximate we use adverbs such as: about, almost, after, around, soon after, shortly,
thereabouts, nearly, less than, more than:
It was about midnight when the storm broke out.
He arrived soon after nine.
She came at about five.
They quarrelled for about two hours.
The flight took two hours and a half or so.
To express a past moment we use AGO+ NOUNS:
The new law was introduced three months ago.
This happened years ago.
The adverb TOO precedes the adverbs SOON, EARLY, LATE:
It is too soon to discuss the future.
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
Things done too late can be of no use at all.
2.
prepositional phrases
The most frequent prepositions are:
 ON (on Christmas day/on Easter Sunday/on New Year’s Eve/on New Year’s Day):
She came on Sunday (expressing the day of the week)
He left on the 15th of May. (expressing the date)

AT (at dawn/at dusk/at midday/at midnight/at noon/at night/at sunrise/at sunset/at
daybreak/at nightfall/at Christmas/at Easter):
She came at ten o’clock. (expressing the hour)
 IN: It happened in May. (expressing the month)
The war broke out in 1939. (expressing the year)
Many important discoveries have been made in the 20th century. (expressing the
century)
We go skiing in winter.
She is usually at home in the mornings. (expressing a sequence of the day)
They always have coffee in the morning.
 DURING expresses a limited period of time:
The baby is generally quiet during the night.
During Christmas everybody went on holiday.
 BY:
I’ll be back by eight.
By the end of the century they will have retired.
The duration of an action is expressed by adverbs, adverbial phrases or prepositional phrases
and the question asked is “How long?”:
 Adverbs: briefly, temporarily, permanently, meantime:
She thought she would be young forever.
 Prepositional phrases: FOR+ an hour, a day, ages, etc:
The strike went on for a week.
They were away for the whole summer.
I haven’t seen you for ages.
The pilgrims travelled for a whole year.
IN, WITHIN + an hour, a day, a month express the duration and the end of the action:
She’ll be back in an hour.
She finished her project within a month.
The duration may be expressed by noun phrases such as: day after day, day in day out, year
after year:
She looked after her children day after day.
We express an indefinite duration by “a long time, for a time, quite a time, some time, for a
while”:
He sat quietly for quite a time/for a while.
It took them some time to finish the task.
The sun had been up for some time.
After the verbs “to last, to stay, to spend”, we use a noun phrase without the preposition “FOR”:
The war lasted four and a half years.
She spends hours feeding the baby.
3. Nouns such as “day, month, week, year” preceded by “this, last, next, the following”
express a longer sequence of time:
15
The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
The following day the sky cleared.
Prices went up last month.
The frequence of an action is expressed by noun phrases (every+ hour, day, year), adverbs
+noun+ly (daily, hourly, weekly, monthly, yearly), prepositional phrases (on week-ends, in the
mornings).
Other examples of adverbial modifiers of time:
Things will settle before long.
After the first thunder it started to rain.
They played tennis all day long.
It rained all through the night and the next day.
I’ve spoken English from early childhood.
Nothing has happened up to now.
They still don’t know who the winner is.
I no longer believe in your story.
Everything will be prepared in due time.
Bread is brought to the village daily.
She has often warned us of the danger.
The wind suddenly died out.
They lived here once.
Never do that again.
Always think twice!
Haven’t you heard the news yet?
I haven’t made up my mind yet.
We were all early risers on that day.
 ADVERBIAL MODIFIER OF PLACE:
The concept of place may be expressed by:
1.
adverbs rendering the direction or the destination (abroad, ashore, downtown, upstairs,
towards, overseas):
She ran upstairs to her room.
The wind pushed the boat westwards.
She stepped backwards in horror.
They have been living abroad for twenty 20 years now.
The adverb “here” and “there” may be preceded by prepositions in order to bring further
information about the place:
The wreckage of the car was found down there.
They live up there.
There are adverbs which can be directly combined with verbs like the adverbial particles:
She looked up, hearing her name called.
People were rushing about in search of water and food.
They can be also combined with nouns like prepositions: She took them for a walk up the hill.
Indefinite adverbs, such as “somewhere, anywhere, everywhere” give some vague information
about the place: Your wallet must be somewhere around here.
Adverbs expressing the distance: deep, far away, high up, low/down
They moved far away from the noisy city.
Birds fly high up in the sky.
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
The adverbs RIGHT, STRAIGHT and DIRECTLY may be used as premodifiers of the
adverbial of place:
My house is right here.
Walk straight along the river bank and you’ll find the church.
She ran directly towards the open door.
2. The concept of place may be expressed by adverbial phrases which indicate repeated
movements in different directions: back and forth, to and fro, up and down, round and
round, in and out, from side to side:
He walked up and down on the pavement.
The dancers moved round and round on the polished floor.
3. Prepositional phrases express place, destination and direction:
He was sitting at the back of the room. (idea of place)
The old man was walking towards the bridge. (idea of direction)
They left for Scotland. (idea of destination)
She bought the cake at the baker’s. (idea of place)
He leaned the ladder against the tree.
They were sitting round the table.
She hung the portrait on the wall.
You’ll sleep better with a pillow underneath your head.
They walked along the river bank.
The boy threw the ball over the fence.
The most frequent prepositions expressing the concept of place are AT, TO, ON, IN:
They stayed at a hotel/at home.
The child was playing on the floor.
They were in the room.
They went to university.
On either side, there is a wilderness of small rocks.
There are some prepositions which are more specific expressing the concept of place:
FROM ( the origin): He’s from Africa.
The cat jumped out from under the bed.
OFF (separation): He felt off the ladder.
Keep off the grass.
OUT OF (from inside): The ticket has fallen out of his pocket.
4. Noun phrases express the idea of distance: a long way, twenty miles, a few yards (the
specific question is How far?)
They walked ten miles to the nearest village.
Order of adverbial modifiers:
He drove five miles to the beach. (distance, direction)
The path followed up to a cave at the top of the hill. (direction, place)

THE ADVERBIAL MODIFIER OF MANNER is expressed by adverbs and
prepositional phrases:
They sat silently by the fire.
He behaved badly, that’s all.
They will meet privately in June.
The old woman was nearly killed by the rushing car.
He behaved in a foolish manner/foolishly.
She talked to us more convincingly than anyone else.
She thinks she knows best what to do.
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
The general rule of formation is adding –LY at the end of the adjective: She is nervous./She
speaks nervously about his experience.
Adverbial modifiers of manner express:
 the subject’s feelings:
I thanked them gratefully for the help.
Reluctantly, I resumed my seat.
 the speaker’s opinion:
You’ve done your homework well.
The team did superbly at the contest.
They openly discuss their feelings.
She desperately tried to move the limp body.
 A negative opinion:
She suffered terribly of homesick.
The business was badly managed.
 The subject’s motion:
Although very old he still walks around nimbly.
He clumsily unlocked the door.
 The circumstances of the action:
He admitted publicly that it was a mistake.
They deliberately avoided speaking to him.
There are however some important exceptions to this rule: The adjectives HARD and BARE,
when adverbs change their meaning expressing the idea of insufficiency (almost none, almost
never)
He is hard working. He works hard. He hardly works these days. It’s hardly surprising she
was fired, she never did any work.
The trees are bare in winter. She barely knows anyone here.
Moreover, there are adjectives which completely change both their meanings and their syntactic
function:
Birds fly high in the sky. (adverbial modifier of place)
She is highly viewed by her peers. (adverbial modifier of manner)
Stay close by and watch the baby.( (adverbial modifier of place)
She was followed closely. (adverbial modifier of manner)
They live quite near. (adverbial modifier of place)
He was nearly killed by that car. (adverbial modifier of manner)
There are some adverbial modifiers of placed which derived from nouns + wise, +style, +fashion:
They were asked to move clockwise.
There are some adverbs which express the degree of accomplishment of an action, be it high
(absolutely, fully, heartily, severely, strongly, deeply, tremendously, wholeheartedly) or low
(dimly, lightly, slightly, partly, vaguely):
We fully understand your grief.
I badly need some leisure time.
She strongly recommended him for the grant.
They enjoyed themselves tremendously at the party.
Their instructions did not help much.
The room was dimly lit.
He vaguely remembered me.
The circumstances in which the action took place can also be expressed
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES: She left in a hurry/hurriedly.
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The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
She lifted the baby with great care/carefully.
Prepositional groups are usually based on the prepositions IN, WITH, WITHOUT, BY, ON:
IN a low voice, good faith, misery, hope, terror, fear, revenge, freedom, a hurry;
WITH love, care, courtesy, consideration, indifference, kindness, disbelief, pleasure;
WITHOUT comment, surprise, smile;
BY accident, design, chance;
ON purpose, on tiptoe;
Other prepositional groups: LIKE THAT, LIKE THIS, LIKE HIS FATHER.
Do it like this.
You work like your mother.

THE ADVERBIAL MODIFIER OF REASON and CAUSE may be expressed by
prepositional phrases: from lack of, for want of, for need of, out of, in view of, in the
light of, on the grounds of.
The child was weak from lack of proper nourishment.
She started crying out of sheer jealousy.
For want of nails the house was roofless.
Because of, for, due to, owing to lay even more the emphasis on the reason:
They couldn’t leave the house because of the heavy rain.
He couldn’t speak for laughter.
Due to the strike, they couldn’t leave on Friday.

THE ADVERBIAL MODIFIER OF PURPOSE and RESULT are expressed by a
subordinate (an adverbial clause) or a prepositional phrase:
He went there for an interview.
They kept sending messages with a view to maintain peace.
As a result of poor management, the business collapsed.
In consequence of his illness, he had to retire.

THE ADVERBIAL MODIFIER OF CONCESSION (CONTRAST) are expressed by
prepositional phrases such as: in spite of, despite, although, for all, with all,
notwithstanding:
For all his good intentions, nobody took him seriously.
In spite of his accent, we could understand him.

THE ADVERBIAL MODIFIER OF CONDITION is expressed by prepositional
groups such as: in case of, but for, etc:
In case of fire, use the emergency door.
But for the rock, the car would have fallen in the precipice.
The adverbial modifiers of reason, result or purpose usually come at the end of the sentence
while adverbial modifiers of condition or concession are at the beginning at the sentence:

THE ADVERBIAL MODIFIER OF INSTRUMENT is usually expressed by
prepositional phrases introduced by WITH:
He cut her finger with a knife.

THE ADVERBIAL MODIFIER OF MEANS is usually expressed by prepositional
phrases introduced by:
- ON and BY (for means of transport):
She prefers travelling by plane to travelling by bus.
19
The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
-
BY (for means of communication):
The message was sent by cable.
BY (for the way the action is accomplished):
He made his fortune by working hard.

THE ADVERBIAL MODIFIER OF ASSOCIATION / ACCOMPANIMENT is
usually expressed by prepositional phrases introduced by WITH, along with,
together with, or without (if the association is not accomplished):
She came to the party with her boyfriend.
Come along with me.
They came without their friends.
Most of the people in Europe drink tea without milk.

THE ADVERBIAL MODIFIER OF SUBJECT-MATTER is usually expressed by
prepositional phrases introduced by ABOUT, ON, OF and related to verbs such as to
speak, to read, to write, to take:
They spoke about their childhood.
She wrote a book on child psychology.
Exercises: Identifying phrases - identify the type of each designated phrase and state its syntactic
function:
 Drive carefully, because not only cars can be recalled by their maker.
carefully –adverb, adverbial of manner;
not only cars- noun phrase, subject;
their maker- noun phrase, complement of preposition;
 Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
that- relative pronoun, subject;
you – personal pronoun, direct object;
in the middle of it- prepositional phrase, adverbial of time (the middle of it- noun phrase, complement
of preposition);
 Eat a live toad in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day.
live toad- noun phrase, direct object;
in the morning- prepositional phrase, adverbial of time (the morning- noun phrase, complement of
preposition);
for the rest of the day- prepositional phrase, adverbial of time (the rest of the day- noun phrase,
complement of preposition);
 If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
kind- adjective, subject complement;
the decency to be vague- noun phrase, direct object;
 If you lend someone 20 dollars, and never see that person again it was probably worth it.
someone- indefinite pronoun, indirect object;
20 dollars- noun phrase, direct object;
that person- noun phrase, direct object;
it- personal pronoun, subject;

You shouldn’t cry because it’s over, but smile because it happened.
20
The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
it- personal pronoun, subject;
 You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
only one person in the world- noun phrase, subject complement;
the world- noun phrase, subject complement;
to one person- prepositional phrase, indirect object (one person- noun phrase, complement of
preposition);

We could learn a lot of things from crayons, because although some are sharp, some are
pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colours, they all have to
learn to live in the same box.
a lot of things- noun phrase, direct object;
sharp- adjective, subject complement;
pretty- adjective, subject complement;
some- indefinite pronoun, subject;
weird names- noun phrase, direct object;
all-indefinite pronoun, subject;
in the same box- prepositional phrase, adverbial of place (the same box- noun phrase, complement of
preposition);

A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shinning and wants it back
the minute it begins to rain. (Mark Twain)
you- personal pronoun, indirect object;
his umbrella- noun phrase, direct object;
the sun- noun phrase, subject;
it- personal pronoun, direct object;
begins to rain- verbal phrase, vern in catenative use expressing the beginning of an action,
predicate;
 A professor is one who talks in someone else’s sleep.
someone else’s sleep- noun phrase, complement of preposition;
 A schoolteacher is a disillusioned woman who used to think she liked children.
disillusioned woman- noun phrase, subject complement;
who- relative pronoun, subject;
children- noun, direct object;
 A consultant is someone who takes the watch off your wrist and tells you the time.
the watch- noun phrase, direct object;
you- personal pronoun, indirect object;
the time- noun phrase, direct object;

A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward
to the trip.
you- personal pronoun, indirect object;
to go to hell- verbal phrase (non finite to-infinitive), direct object;
to hell- prepositional phrase, adverbial modifier of place;
the trip- noun phrase, direct object;

Once you’ve put one of his books down, you simply can’t pick it up again. (Mark Twain, of
Henry James)
one of his books- noun phrase, direct object;
it- personal pronoun, direct object;
21
The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
again- adverb, adverbial modifier of time;

You have the right to remain silent but anything you do say will be misquoted, then used
against you.
the right to remain silent- noun phrase, direct object;
against you- prepositional phrase, prepositional object (you- personal pronoun, complement of
preposition);
 This is what we call today “the honeymoon”.
what- relative pronoun, direct object;
“the honeymoon”- noun phrase, object complement;
 Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.
purely coincidental- adjective phrase, subject complement;
 The fact that no one understands you doesn’t mean you’re an artist.
no one- indefinite pronoun, subject;
you- personal pronoun, direct object;
an artist- noun phrase, subject complement;
 The play was a great success but the audience was a total failure.
a great success-noun phrase, subject complement;
a total failure- noun phrase, subject complement;
 Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
anger without enthusiasm- noun phrase, subject complement;

Accuracy to a newspaper is what virtue is to a lady, but a newspaper can always print a
retraction.
to a newspaper- prepositional phrase, noun complement;
what-relative pronoun, subject complement;
virtue- noun, subject;
a retraction- noun phrase, direct object;
 Despite the cost of living have you noticed how popular it remains?
cost of living- noun phrase, complement of preposition;
how popular – adjective phrase, subject complement;
it- personal pronoun, subject;
 He who laughs last laughs best. He who laughs last thinks slowest.
who- relative pronoun, subject;
last- adverb, adverbial modifier of time;
slowest- adverb, adverbial modifier of manner;
 You should always borrow money from a pessimist because she/he won’t expect it back.
money- noun, direct object;
a pessimist- noun phrase, complement of preposition;
it- personal pronoun, direct object;
back- adverb, adverbial modifier of place;
 I just got lost in thought, as it was unfamiliar territory.
unfamiliar territory- noun phrase, subject complement;
22
The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
 I love peace and quite.
peace and quite- coordinated nouns, compound direct object;
 Atheism is a non-prophet organisation.
a non-prophet organisation- noun phrase, subject complement;
 The only substitute for good manners is fast reflexes.
for good manners- prepositional phrase, postmodifier of the noun “substitute” (good mannersnoun phrase, complement of preposition);
fast reflexes- noun phrase, subject complement;
 You’re in the wrong lane and going the wrong way.
in the wrong lane- prepositional phrase, adverbial modifier of place (the wrong lane-noun phrase,
complement of preposition);
 If at first you don’t succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
all evidence that you tried- noun phrase, direct object (that you tried- defining relative clause,
postmodifier of the noun “evidence”);
at first-prepositional phrase, adverbial modifier of time
 A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
the place where you got tired of thinking- noun phrase, subject complement (where you got
tired of thinking- defining relative clause postmodifying the noun “place”);
 Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.
you- personal pronoun, subject;
it- personal pronoun, direct object;
 No one is listening until you make a mistake.
no one- indefinite pronoun, subject;
a mistake- noun phrase, direct object;
 Success usually occurs in private and failure in full view.
usually- adverb, adverbial modifier of time;
failure- noun, subject;
in full view- prepositional phrase, adverbial of place (full view- noun phrase, complement of
preposition);
 To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism, but to steal from many is research.
to steal ideas from one person- infinitive phrase, subject;
plagiarism- noun, subject complement;
to steal from many- infinitive phrase, subject;
research- noun, subject complement;
 If you want to succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles.
in politics- prepositional phrase, prepositional object (politics- noun, complement of preposition);
necessary- adjective, subject complement;
to rise above your principles- infinitive phrase, delayed subject;
 If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
nobody- indefinite pronoun, subject;
missing a couple of payments- gerund phrase, direct object;

He who hesitates is probably right.
23
The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
who- relative pronoun, subject;
right- adjective, subject complement;
 A clear conscious is usually the sigh of a bad memory.
usually: adverb, adverbial modifier of time;
the sigh of a bad memory- noun phrase, subject complement;
 Love may be blind but marriage is a real eye-opener.
blind- adjective, subject complement;
a real eye-opener- noun phrase, subject complement;

The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because, when it was
built, engineer failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the
building.
it- personal pronoun, subject;
the weight of all the books- noun phrase, direct object;
the building- noun phrase, direct object;
 The only 15-letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable.
that- relative pronoun, subject;
without repeating a letter- prepositional phrase, adverbial modifier of manner;
uncopyrightable- adjective, subject complement;
 Two wrongs are only the beginning.
only the beginning- noun phrase, subject complement;

The only way to prompt a man to do something for you is to tell him that he is too old to be
able to do that thing.
a man- nouns phrase, direct object;
for you- prepositional phrase, indirect object;
to tell him- infinitive phrase, subject complement;
too old to be able to do that thing- adjective phrase, subject complement;
 Blessed are they who could laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
blessed- adjective, subject complement;
at themselves- prepositional phrase, prepositional object (themselves- reflexive pronoun,
complement of preposition);
 To err is human to admit it is not.
to err- infinitive phrase, subject;
human- adjective, subject complement;
it- personal pronoun, direct object;

Anytime four New Yorkers get into a cab together without arguing, a bank robbery has just
taken place.
four New Yorkers- noun phrase, subject;
without arguing – prepositional phrase, adverbial modifier of manner (arguing- gerund,
complement of preposition);
 I started out with nothing and I still have most of it left.
nothing- indefinite pronoun, complement of preposition;
most of it – noun phrase, direct object;
left- past participle, object complement;
24
The PHRASE. Identifying phrases
 I feel free to do that.
free- adjective, subject complement;
 Tell me what to do and I’ll tell you where to go.
me- personal pronoun, indirect object;
you- personal pronoun, indirect object;
 A bicycle can’t stand alone because it is two-tired.
alone- adjective, adverbial modifier of manner;
two-tired- adjective phrase, subject complement;
 He had a photographic memory, which was never developed.
photographic memory- noun phrase, direct object;
which- relative pronoun, subject.
 Santa’s helpers are subordinate clauses.
subordinate clauses- noun phrase, subject complement ;
 You’ll understand in the end.
in the end- prepositional phrase, adverbial modifier of time (the end- noun phrase, complement of
preposition);
 When she got married she also got a new name and a dress.
a new name and a dress- coordinated noun phrases, compound direct object.
 Beauty opens locked doors.
locked doors- noun phrase, direct object;
 Friends agree best when they are at a distance.
best- adverb, adverbial modifier of manner;
at a distance- prepositional phrase, adverbial modifier of place (a distance- noun phrase,
complement of preposition);
(from Bullivant, A, The Little Book of Humorous Quotations, Bristol, Siena, 1998.)
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