TECHNICAL ENGLISH 2

Phrases

Whereas clauses are larger units that always contain at least a subject and a verb, phrases are smaller parts of the sentence.

Sometimes they are essential to the structure of a clause (e.g., a noun phrase that functions as the subject), and sometimes they just provide some extra information (most prepositional phrases).

TYPES OF PHRASES

1.Noun Phrase

A noun phrase is any noun or pronoun along with its modifiers:

The school children
Yesterday’s newspaper

2. Verb Phrase

A verb phrase is any number of verbs working together:

Had been sleeping
Will contact

 Verb phrases often contain adverbs that change the meaning of the phrase:

Has never lost
May not trespass

3.Prepositional Phrase

A prepositional phrase always starts with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun (and its modifiers) that is called the object of the preposition:

Through the wheat field
Preposition: through

 Here are some more examples of prepositional phrases:

During the year
Despite complaints

 For more on prepositional phrases, see the section on prepositions.

4.Verbal Phrases

There are three types of verbal phrases: participial phrases, gerund phrases, and infinitive phrases. Each is explained below.

5.Participial Phrase

Participial phrases start with either a present or past participle. Here are some examples of each.

Phrases with present participles:Lounging by the pool
Chasing a butterfly

 Phrases with past participles:

Struck by lightning
Driven to succeed

6.Gerund Phrase

A gerund phrase is a present participle (and its modifiers) that acts like a noun. It can take on a variety of jobs in the sentence. Here are a couple of examples:

Practicing helped a lot. (subject)
I love reading. (direct object)

7.Infinitive Phrase

An infinitive phrase is the infinitive and its modifiers:

To sing
To walk all that way

 The infinitive phrase can also function in various ways:

To give to charity is a noble thing. (subject)

8.Appositive Phrase

An appositive phrase is a phrase that renames an earlier noun or pronoun:

My best friend, Nick Palacio, loves scuba diving.

 In these examples, the appositive is a noun phrase. But you can use other phrases as appositives too:

My dream, to make it to the NBA, is what keeps me going. (infinitive phrase)

 Appositives are great for inserting some extra information in a sentence.

9.Absolute Phrase

Absolute phrases are the trickiest to identify. These phrases are not closely connected to the rest of the sentence; they don’t describe a specific word, but modify the whole sentence. They add extra information and are usually separated by commas (or dashes).