Phrases and Clauses
Phrases
A phrase is a group of words that acts in a sentence as a single part of speech.
Examples:
My brand new kitten
Before the game
Prepositional phrase: Begins with a preposition. (Example: My kitten jumped onto the counter.)
Appositive phrase: A group of words that stands next to a noun to add additional information.
(Examples: Love Bug, my pet canary, is fed daily. This plant, a cactus, does not need much
water.)
Verbal Phrases: When two or more words make up a verb. The last word is the main verb; other
words are helping (auxiliary) verbs. (Example: That window must have been broken by a rock.)
Participle Phrase: Will begin with a present (-ing) or past (-ed) participle, always functioning as
adjectives adding description to the sentence. (Examples: Crunching popcorn for the entire
movie. The water drained slowly in the pipe clogged with hair.)
Gerund Phrase: Begin with a gerund (-ing word) and include other modifiers. Gerund phrases
always function as nouns. (Examples: Eating ice cream on a windy day can be a messy
experience if you have long hair. Students are responsible for mastering their subjects.)
**Both a present participle and a gerund end in –ing. A present participle is used as an adjective,
whereas a gerund is used as a noun.
Infinitive phrase: Uses the infinitive (to + simple form of the verb, i.e. to run, to swim, to be).
(Example: To earn an A in English, you must do your homework.)
Clauses
A clause is a group of words that has a subject and verb that is used as part of a sentence. Clauses fall into
two main categories, independent clauses and dependent clauses.
Dependent clauses contain a subject and a verb, but it does not express a complete thought. A
dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence.
Examples:
When I came home from school
Although school had ended
Independent clauses contain a subject and a verb and express a complete thought. An
independent clause can stand alone as a sentence.
Examples:
Our oven door is broken.
No one emptied the trash.
Sentence Kinds
Declarative Sentence: Makes a statement. They tell us something about a person, a place, a thing, or an
idea. Example: English is my favorite subject.
Interrogative Sentence: Asks a question. Example: Did you know I have read hundreds of books?
Imperative Sentence: Makes a command. They often contain an understood or implied subject (you).
Example: Go check out a book.
Exclamatory Sentence: Communicates a strong emotion or surprise. Example: I cannot believe what
happened in chapter eight!
Conditional Sentence: Expresses wishes, (“If…then” statements) or conditions contrary to fact.
Example: If you complete all of your reading homework, then you will do well on the quizzes.
Sentence Types
Simple Sentences
A simple sentence may have a single or a compound subject. But, a simple sentence has only one
independent clause and no dependent clause. It may contain one or more phrases.
Examples:
My back aches
My teeth and my eyes hurt
My throat and nose feel sore and look red
I must have caught the flu from the sick kids in my class.
Compound Sentence – two independent clauses. The clauses may be joined by a semicolon or by a
comma and a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS).
Examples:
 I usually don’t mind missing school, but this is not fun.
 I feel too sick to watch TV; I feel too sick to eat.
Complex Sentence – one independent clause (underlined) and one or more dependent clauses (in bold).
Examples:
 When I get back to school, I’m actually going to appreciate it.
 I won’t even complain about math class, although I might be hallucinating because I’m
feverish.
Compound-Complex Sentence – two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.
Example:
 Yes, I have a bad flu, and since I need to get well soon, I won’t think about school just yet.
Sentence Arrangements
Loose Sentence: Expresses the main thought near the beginning and adds explanatory material as needed.
Example: We hauled out the boxes of food and set up the camp stove, all the time battling the hot wind
that would not stop, even when w screamed into the sky.
Balanced Sentence: Emphasizes a similarity or a contrast between two or more of its parts (words,
phrases, or clauses). Example: The wind in our ears drove us crazy and pushed us on.
Periodic Sentence: Postpones the crucial or most surprising idea until the end.
Example: Following my mother’s repeated threats to ground me for life, I decided it was time to propose
a compromise.