Grammar--Phrases
Phrase
1) consists of more than one word
2) consists of more than one part
Prepositional Phrase
shows relationship of noun/pronoun to other words in the sentence [many have to do with location
(at, below); some have to do with time (after, about) and subject (of, about)]
FORMULA:
preposition + object = prepositional phrase
[noun or pronoun]
EXAMPLE:
The novel was by Chinua Achebe.
preposition + adjective(s) + object = prepositional phrase
(optional)
the, a, an = articles == adjective
EXAMPLE:
The novel was by a great African author.
Appositive Phrase
further describes a noun or pronoun with a noun or pronoun
FORMULA:
appositive + modifier = appositive phrase
[noun or pronoun] [other words]
EXAMPLE:
Chinua Achebe, a great author from Nigeria, wrote Things Fall Apart.
Gerund Phrase
functions as a noun
FORMULA:
gerund + modifier = gerund phrase
[verb (-ing)] [other words]
EXAMPLE:
Studying Achebe’s novel taught us that Africans have similarities to Americans.
Participial Phrase
functions as an adjective
FORMULA:
participle + modifier = participial phrase
[verb (-ing or -ed)] [other words]
EXAMPLE:
Students appreciating other cultures read Things Fall Apart enthusiastically.
Infinitive Phrase
functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb
FORMULA:
infinitive + modifier = infinitive phrase
[to + verb] [other words]
EXAMPLE:
(as a noun) To understand the theme of Achebe’s novel is inspiring.
(as an adjective) Students read novels to learn life lessons.
(as an adverb) Teachers explain to improve understanding.
Grammar
Phrase
1) consists of __________________________________________________
2) consists of __________________________________________________
Prepositional Phrase
shows relationship of ___________ to other words in the sentence [many have to do with __________
(____________________); some have to do with _________ (____________________)
and _____________ (_________________________)]
FORMULA:
_______________________ + ___________________ = _______________________
[ __________ or ____________ ]
EXAMPLE:
The novel was by Chinua Achebe.
preposition + __________________________ + object = prepositional phrase
(optional)
_____________, ____, __________ = _____________ == _______________
EXAMPLE:
The novel was by a great African author.
Appositive Phrase
further describes a ___________ or _________________ with a ___________ or _____________
FORMULA:
__________________ + ______________ = _________________________________
[ __________ or ______________ ] [ ________________________]
EXAMPLE:
Chinua Achebe, a great author from Nigeria, wrote Things Fall Apart.
Gerund Phrase
functions as a _________________________
FORMULA:
_________________ + ____________________ = ____________________________
[ ____________ (_______)] [ _____________________ ]
EXAMPLE:
Studying Achebe’s novel taught us that Africans have similarities to Americans.
Participial Phrase
functions as an ______________________________________________
FORMULA:
_________________ + _______________ = _________________________________
[ __________ (_______ or _____)] [ ____________________ ]
EXAMPLE:
Students appreciating other cultures read Things Fall Apart enthusiastically.
Infinitive Phrase
functions as a ______________, ____________________________, or ____________________
FORMULA:
___________________ + ___________________ = ___________________________
[ _____ + ___________ ] [ ______________________ ]
EXAMPLE:
(as a ___________ ) To understand the theme of Achebe’s novel is inspiring.
(as an _____________________) Students read novels to learn life lessons.
(as an ________________) Teachers explain to improve understanding.
Prepositional Phrase
Bell Ringers
Draw a line through the prepositional phrases in the following
sentences.
1. Tina tossed the ragged old baseball against the brick wall.
2. Between the houses was a colorful garden.
3. Ahead of me in line stood an old friend.
4. Next week, my family and I will be out of town.
Draw a line through the prepositional phrases in the following
sentences.
1. The elevator goes to the basement and the penthouse.
2. After the meeting, you should take this elevator to the lobby.
3. We sometimes work late at night.
4. The tennis club at school meets on Thursday.
Prepositional Phrase
Bell Ringers
Draw a line through the prepositional phrases in the following
sentences.
1. The loud music on the car stereo blared through the open
windows.
2. A strong wind from the south is blowing papers off the table
and onto the floor.
3. From an airplane the vast cultivated fields resemble
monumental works of abstract art.
4. Red, brown, and black patterns with a variety of textures
result from the plowing.
Draw a line through the prepositional phrases in the following
sentences.
1. They are the bonus of an unplanned collaboration between the
farmer and nature.
2. The lake near our house glimmers in the moonlight.
3. A noisy group from Desert Vista assembled by the fountain.
4. With Ken and Midge at her side, Barbie went to Nordstrom’s
to return an ugly dress .
Appositive Phrases
Bell Ringers
1. My friend Myles sent me a postcard from England.
2. He rode a hydrofoil across the English Channel, the body of
water between England and France.
3. Myles’ only brother, Timothy, now lives in Ireland.
4. A talented artist, Myles would like to become an illustrator of
children’s books.
1. My cousin Andrea broke her leg.
2. She was visited in the hospital by Dan and Rosalia, two friends
from school.
3. During her hospital stay, my mother took Andrea a get-well
gift, a very cute toy bear.
4. On Andrea’s cast her sister Camille drew an appropriate
cartoon, a rabbit on skis tumbling down a hill.
Appositive Phrases
Bell Ringers
1. Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female justice on the United
States Supreme Court, was appointed by President Reagan.
2. A familiar figure on the evening news was Connie Chung, a
Chinese American.
3. The Native American Maria Tallchief became a highly
accomplished ballerina.
4. Ntozake Shange, an African American author and university
professor, wrote a wonderful novel, Betsey Brown.
1. Anna Mary Robertson Moses, a farm wife untrained in art,
became the famous painter Grandma Moses.
2. Chita Rivera, an American actress, has starred in many
movies and musicals.
3. The tennis player Althea Gibson was the first African
American to win a national American tennis tournament.
4. Pearl Buck, who received the Nobel Prize for literature in
1938, is known The Good Earth, her novel about China.
Gerund Phrases
Bell Ringers
1. Reading a good book is my favorite pastime.
2. How much time do you devote to exercising in a gym?
3. Students are responsible for mastering their subjects.
4. We all like winning in Academic Decathlon, so we kept
studying our material night and day.
1. Listening to the radio helps Yusuf work faster.
2. Understanding Spanish history helps us explain Spain’s role
in Europe today.
3. Many Spaniards opposed Franco for accepting military aid
from Hitler.
4. By loaning Franco’s government millions of dollars, the United
States helped Spain during the cold war.
Gerund Phrases
Bell Ringers
1. Surviving is a challenge for the Yanomamo, a Stone Age
people from the Amazon Basin of South America.
2. For centuries the Yanomamo have lived by raising crops,
gathering fruits and nuts, and hunting.
3. The social activities of the Yanomamo include celebrating
feasts and exchanging gifts with people in nearby villages.
4. Living in remote jungle areas has prevented the Yanomamo
from having contact with modern civilization.
1. The Yanomamo have found no way of protecting themselves
from the outside world.
2. Contact with outsiders has endangered the Yanomamo by
exposing them to diseases.
3. Coping with culture shock is another challenge for them.
4. Nowadays seeing an airplane or a motorboat is no longer a
cause for wonderment.
Participial Phrases
Bell Ringers
1. Pete Sampras playing tennis draws large crowds.
2. Sampras, disappointed with his first serve, vowed to improve
his game.
3. Sitting quietly during one of Sampras’ games, his fans watch
him intently.
4. Graciously accepting a trophy from the sponsors, he smiled at
the crowd.
1. Americans looking for more variety often adopt the fashions of
other countries.
2. The demand for goods imported from other lands is often
great.
3. Chinese textile mills export silk decorated by hand.
4. A wool scarf woven in Ecuador is warm and colorful.
Participial Phrases
Bell Ringers
1. Brides prize lace veils made by French nuns.
2. Fine cotton fabrics used for men’s shirts come from Egypt.
3. Batik cloths made in Malaysia make beautiful warm-weather
dresses and shirts and shawls.
4. Freshwater pearls imported from Japan are used for necklaces
and earrings.
1. Leather processed in Italy is used in elegant shoes and purses.
2. Eastern European garnets glittering in gold rings are prized by
American women and men.
3. Aquamarines and topaz mined in Brazil make beautiful
jewelry.
4. Sweaters crafted by Irish workers are heavy and durable.
Infinitive Phrases
Bell Ringers
1. To hike the Appalachian Trail is my sister’s dream.
2. We decided to dress for the party.
3. The committee voted to appoint Jennifer president.
4. Kachina dancers perform their rituals to bring rain.
1. One of the most remarkable figures to join the American labor
movement was Mary Harris Jones.
2. In 1880, at the age of 50, Jones decided to change her life.
3. After abandoning her work as a teacher and dressmaker, she
proceeded to become a union organizer.
4. I made him do it.
Grammar--Phrases
Phrase
1) consists of more than one word
2) consists of more than one part
Prepositional Phrase
shows relationship of noun/pronoun to other words in the sentence [many have to do with location
(at, below); some have to do with time (after, about) and subject (of, about)]
FORMULA:
preposition + object = prepositional phrase
[noun or pronoun]
EXAMPLE:
The novel is by Margaret Craven.
preposition + adjective(s) + object = prepositional phrase
(optional)
the, a, an = articles == adjective
EXAMPLE:
The novel is by a novice woman author.
Appositive Phrase
further describes a noun or pronoun with a noun or pronoun
FORMULA:
appositive + modifier = appositive phrase
[noun or pronoun] [other words]
EXAMPLE:
Margaret Craven, a novice woman author, wrote I Heard the Owl Call My Name.
Gerund Phrase
functions as a noun
FORMULA:
gerund + modifier = gerund phrase
[verb (-ing)] [other words]
EXAMPLE:
Studying Craven’s novel taught us the Kwakiutles are similar to Americans.
Participial Phrase
functions as an adjective
FORMULA:
participle + modifier = participial phrase
[verb (-ing or -ed)] [other words]
EXAMPLE:
Students appreciating other cultures read I Heard the Owl Call My Name.
Infinitive Phrase
functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb
FORMULA:
infinitive + modifier = infinitive phrase
[to + verb] [other words]
EXAMPLE:
(as a noun) To understand the theme of Craven’s novel is inspiring.
(as an adjective) Students read novels to learn life lessons.
(as an adverb) Teachers explain to improve understanding.
Grammar
Phrase
1) consists of __________________________________________________
2) consists of __________________________________________________
Prepositional Phrase
shows relationship of ___________ to other words in the sentence [many have to do with __________
(____________________); some have to do with _________ (____________________)
and _____________ (_________________________)]
FORMULA:
_______________________ + ___________________ = _______________________
[ __________ or ____________ ]
EXAMPLE:
The novel is by Margaret Craven.
preposition + __________________________ + object = prepositional phrase
(optional)
_____________, ____, __________ = _____________ == _______________
EXAMPLE:
The novel is by a novice woman author.
Appositive Phrase
further describes a ___________ or _________________ with a ___________ or _____________
FORMULA:
__________________ + ______________ = _________________________________
[ __________ or ______________ ] [ ________________________]
EXAMPLE:
Margaret Craven, a novice woman author, wrote I Heard the Owl Call My Name.
Gerund Phrase
functions as a _________________________
FORMULA:
_________________ + ____________________ = ____________________________
[ ____________ (_______)] [ _____________________ ]
EXAMPLE:
Studying Craven’s novel taught us the Kwakiutles are similar to Americans.
Participial Phrase
functions as an ______________________________________________
FORMULA:
_________________ + _______________ = _________________________________
[ __________ (_______ or _____)] [ ____________________ ]
EXAMPLE:
Students appreciating other cultures read I Heard the Owl Call My Name.
Infinitive Phrase
functions as a ______________, ____________________________, or ____________________
FORMULA:
___________________ + ___________________ = ___________________________
[ _____ + ___________ ] [ ______________________ ]
EXAMPLE:
(as a ___________ ) To understand the theme of Craven’s novel is inspiring.
(as an _____________________) Students read novels to learn life lessons.
(as an ________________) Teachers explain to improve understanding.