Page 6 Types of Phrases

Phrases


A phrase is a group of related words, not having a subject or predicate, used as though it were a single word. It is not a complete thought or a statement.

Knowing how phrases are used will add variety and life to your sentences.

To add life and movement to your voice or style, you may write the following phrases:

Type of Phrase Sentence Extra Help
'-ing' words are part verb and part adjective — which makes them gerunds. Exploding in a colourful display, the fireworks fizzled. An adjective (from Latin adjectivum means something that is added) adds to or describes a noun or pronoun.

Example: beautiful, tiny, sparkling
verbs with 'to' in front of them are infinitives

(to) the formal part of the verb, an infinitive 		The fireworks were known to explode in a colourful display. A verb (from Latin verbum, word) is a word used to express an action or a state of being.

Example: to hop, to crash, to appear, to exist, to be
prepositional phrase After exploding in a colourful display, the fireworks fizzled.

With a colourful display, the fireworks exploded. 		A preposition (from Latin prae, before) is a connecting word that shows a relationship between the object and another word in the sentence:

Examples:

  • about the house
  • at the door
  • for the cat
  • from my uncle
  • in the book
  • up the tree
  • with my friend

Prepositions are usually short words such as about, at, for, from, in, up, with.
Added description inside commas (parenthetical information) The fireworks, a truly colourful display, exploded. The added information describes the noun it follows.


Revision



You may add phrases to various parts of the sentence.
  1. You can add an introductory phrase to provide precision to your sentence.
Using a remotely controlled submersible, the team found the crabs.
  1. You can add a phrase to the middle of a sentence using commas (a parenthetical phrase).

Adventure, mysterious and beckoning, is the subject of many dreams.
  1. You can add a phrase at the end to provide more detail, emotion, and meaning to the sentence.

The girls hosed the cars after the boys left.




 Self-Assessment

Click here to practice recognizing phrases. 



  Please contact your teacher if you have questions.