PHrases English IV

Phrase A phrase is a group of related words that form a single part of speech. A phrase does not contain a verb and its subject. A group of words with its own subject and verb is a clause. Turn to page 54 in your grammar workbooks

Recognize a prepositional phrase when you see one. All prepositional phrases contain a preposition and an object of that preposition. after school from Beverly in Ireland before lunch at home with Pedro

Recognize a prepositional phrase when you see one. Many prepositional phrases contain a preposition, an object of the preposition, and one or more modifiers of the object. Modifiers include adjectives and articles. under the stairs concerning the new movie across the known universe beside Joseph’s new Camaro within the dark, damp basement

What do prepositional phrases do? Within sentences, prepositional phrases serve as adjectives and adverbs. Adjectives modify nouns. They answer the questions “What kind, which one, and how many?” with my seven big brothers inside a deep, green, and scary forest before Sunday’s episode of that zombie show

What do prepositional phrases do? Within sentences, prepositional phrases serve as adjectives and adverbs. Adverbs modify verbs, other adverbs, and adjectives, as well as phrases and clauses that serve those functions. Adverbs answer the questions “When, where, how (under what conditions), how often, how much (to what extent), and why?” I had a suitcase in my hand. I put it on the floor gently. She yelled at me anyway. She yells at me everyday. I cry about our fights very often.

Participle A form of a verb used as an adjective. Running Fishing Flying Filled Clogged Eaten

Participial Phrases A phrase beginning with a participle that also functions as an adjective in a sentence. Clogged with hair Eaten by mosquitos Filled with candy

Participial Phrases The water drained slowly in the pipe clogged with drain hair. The campers eaten by mosquitos never came back to that lake again. These baskets filled with candy are the hardest to lift.

Comma rule 17b governs the use of introductory participial phrases Add a comma after a participial phrase before an independent clause. Clogged with drain hair, the water drained slowly in the pipe. Eaten by mosquitos, the campers never came back to that lake again. Filled with candy, these baskets are the hardest to lift.

Absolute Phrases An absolute phrase combines a noun and a participle with any modifiers. Legs quivering Her arms folded across her chest Our fingers scraping the leftover frosting off the plates

Comma rule 17f - Absolute Phrases Absolute phrases modify an independent clause and are separated from that clause by a comma. Legs quivering, our old dog Gizmo dreamed of chasing squirrels. Her arms folded across her chest, Professor Hill warned the class about the dangers of drunk driving. We devoured Aunt Lenora’s carrot cake, our fingers scraping the leftover frosting off the plates.

Gerunds Like participles, gerunds are verbs that function as a different part of speech—in this case, they function as nouns. Gerunds always end in –ing. Gerunds can perform all the functions of nouns: subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, predicate nominatives, and objects of prepositions.

Gerund phrases Gerund phrases consist of gerunds and their modifiers and complements. The entire phrase is used as a noun. Eating ice cream on a windy day can be tricky when you have long hair. Moving in with your best friends can be a tricky prospect. My least favorite chore is washing the dishes.

Don’t confuse gerund phrases and participial phrases Remember that gerund phrases will always function as nouns, whereas participial phrases will always function as adjectives. Running long distances is not my idea of a good time. The dog running down the street might belong to my next-door neighbor. I made my living by selling washing machine parts. Waking to the sound of his alarm clock, Freddie cursed the arrival of another early morning.

Infinitives An infinitive is a verb form that can be used as a noun, adjective, or adverb. Almost every infinitive begins with the word to. After a long day at school, all I want is to sleep. I braved the icy snow to ensure that our cable bill was paid on time. Some infinitives include one or more helping verbs—these are known as present perfect infinitives. These help us refer to things that have happened in the past or will happen in the future. When she asked why I didn’t call, I pretended to have lost her number. I hope to have finished my essay by Sunday evening.

Infinitive phrases An infinitive phrase includes an infinitive, an object, and any modifiers of that object.

Infinitive phrases These are phrases consisting of an infinitive (to + a verb) and any objects and modifiers To smash a spider To kick a ball past a goal To understand a difficult book These function as either nouns, adverbs, or adjectives.

17b Use a comma after an infinitive phrase and before an independent clause To pass your driver’s test, you must study and spend many hours practicing. To steal the dragon’s treasure, I had to use my magic ring. To get my oil changed at Midas, I had to wait several hours.

Appositive Phrases Form: Contains a noun or pronoun and its modifiers Function: Adjective Appositives and appositive phrases usually appear in a sentence next to a noun that they rename. Appositives help us be “positive” we have all the information we need about a noun. My dog, a Corgi, has very short legs. My fiancé, a veterinarian, keeps a close watch on his diet. We decided to meet our friends at Mug Shotz, the best coffee shop in Bowling Green.

Appositive Phrases More examples: The car, a green sedan, passed us on the hill. The family car, an old heap, still runs well. According to Comma Rule 17E, appositives that are nonessential to the meaning of a sentence should be set off with commas. This is usually the case; here are 2 examples of essential appositives. The movie The Departed is one of my very favorite crime films. We walked down the aisle to the song “Clocks.”

Appositive Phrases Underline the appositive phrases and circle the noun or pronoun they modify. This ring, a family heirloom, is very valuable. Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes, stocks coho salmon. The hottest months--June, July, and August--have been cooler recently.