A phrase is a group of words acting as a
single part of speech and not containing
both a subject and a verb. It is part of a
sentence, and does not express a
complete thought.
 An example: “to be a sham” is a phrase of
the following sentence:
› WWE Wrestling is considered to be a
sham, because the fights are not real
and the arguments between the
“wrestlers” are rehearsed.

Two different types of phrases are
appositive phrases and infinitive phrases:
 Examples:
› Appositive: Robbie, a hot-tempered
tennis player, charged the ball boy
and tried to crack the poor boy’s skull
with a racket.
› Infinitive: Let me show you the best
way to paint the door.



An appositive phrase is a type of noun phrase
that follows the noun or pronoun it modifies
and amplifies or restricts its meaning.
For example:
› The typewriter, the prototype of the modern
key board, was invented in the year 1867.
 As you can see the appositive phrase is
“the prototype of the modern key board”.
 Trick: Appositive phrases always end with
a comma, and are in between two,
unless they start the sentence.
A phrase that begins with an infinitive
such as “to”. The infinitive, in this case
"to” precedes the verb, makes the
phrase “to jump” or “to think”.
 For example:
› “To emulate Ghandi is my life goal”
said the peace activist.
 As you can see infinitive phrase in this
sentence is “to emulate Ghandi”.


Identify the phrases in the following
sentences and classify them as
appositive or infinitive.

To indulge in platitudes is a very tacky
thing to do because it shows a great
deficit in originality and speech.
› The answer is “To indulge in platitudes”
and it is an infinitive phrase.
In order not to be seen, soldiers wear
camouflage clothing that blends in with
their surroundings.
› The answer is “In order not to be seen”
and it is an infinitive phrase.
 Mimes practice mimicry, a great skill, and
go around imitating people and acting out
situations.
› The answer is “a great skill” and it is an
appositive phrase.

The nursing home’s rendition of The
Nutcracker, which was terrible, lasted for
about two excruciating hours.
› The answer is “which was terrible” and
is an appositive phrase.
 Only being a videogame, it still received
praise for its flight simulation technology.
› The answer is “Only being a
videogame” and it is an infinitive
phrase.

Using a banal phrase made the speaker
sound inarticulate, even though he was
quite eloquent.
› The answer is “even though he was
quite eloquent” and it is an appositive
phrase.
 The redundant food, a dozen white
truffles, was thrown into the garbage.
› The answer is “a dozen white truffles”
and it is an appositive phrase.
