Phrases: Noun and Adjective Phrases

• A phrase is usually present within a clause, but a phrase cannot contain a clause.
• A clause must have a finite verb, whereas a phrase must not.
• A phrase is a group of words without a finite verb that completes a sentence.
• A phrase is a small group of words forming a meaningful unit within a clause according to the Oxford Dictionary.

Noun Phrase

• A noun phrase centers around a single noun and functions as a subject, object, or complement in the sentence.
• Example: "I like to swing the bat hard when I am at the crease" (object), "Reading novels is a good habit" (subject), "The probability of happening that match is not much" (subject), "We are sorry for her departure."

Adjective Phrase

• An adjective phrase is comprised of an adjective and functions as a single adjective in the sentence.
• Example: "Alex is a well-behaved man", "He is a man of friendly nature", "Julie is a woman of gorgeous style", "She leads a very interesting life", "A lot of people do not sleep at night".

Adverbial Phrase

• An adverbial phrase modifies the verb or the adjective and functions as an adverb in the sentence.
• Example: "The horse runs at a good speed", "I was in a hurry then", "I ran as fast as possible", "He works very slowly".

Prepositional Phrase

• A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and connects nouns.
• Example: "He sacrificed his life for the sake of his country", "In the end, we all have to die", "He is on the way", "By working aimlessly, you will not get success", "In spite of working hard, he was insulted by his boss".

Verb Phrases

• Sentences often require multi-word verb phrases for more nuanced descriptions of actions.
• Verb phrases consist of a main verb/verbs and auxiliary (helping) verbs.
• Example: "The teacher is writing the answer", "They have been playing since the last two hours", "You must call your mom at once", "He has taken the dog along".

Infinitive Phrases

• An infinitive phrase includes an infinitive with a simple verb, and possibly modifiers attached to the object.
• It expresses an action and can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb.
• Example: "Alex likes to read comics" (noun), "To attend the morning lecture, I set my alarm for 6 am" (noun form), "To keep his dogs calm, Alex turned on the radio" (adverb).

Participle Phrases

• A participle phrase begins with a present (ending in -ing) or past participle (ending in -ed).
• It may include modifiers and associated words.
• A participle phrase always functions as an adjective.
• Example: "We got a call from my aunt today telling us the good news", "The house was severely damaged by the flood", "Please sit down without making a sound."

Gerund Phrases

• A gerund is a word ending with "-ing".
• A gerund phrase contains an “-ing” word, with possible modifiers, and functions exclusively as nouns.
• Example: "She is currently writing her memoir", "Washing the dishes is Alex's chore", "Waking up before sunrise had become his habit".

Absolute Phrase

• An absolute phrase contains a noun or pronoun with a participle and associative words/modifiers.
• It modifies a whole clause or sentence, but isn't a complete sentence or clause itself, and is usually separated by commas.
• Example: "He looked towards the beggar, his face expressing pity", "We were glued to the match, our eyes always following the ball", "He sat on the bed, his clothes neatly folded by his side".
• Absolute phrases modify an entire independent clause instead of a single word, setting them apart from participle, infinitive, and prepositional phrases

Practice Phrases

• "I hope to win the first prize" (Noun phrase - object of the verb hope)
• "The girl in brown frock is my sister" (Adjective phrase - modifies noun girl)
• "Did you enjoy watching the movie?" (Noun phrase - object of verb enjoy)
• "She always drives with care" (Adverb clause – shows manner)
• "They were shouting in a loud voice" (Adverb phrase - shows manner)
• "The train stopped at Victoria Terminus" (Adverb phrase - shows place)

Additional Practice Phrases

• "He studied all night to avoid failing his math test the next day"
• "Perched menacingly on the porch railing, the cat watched the neighbor's dog"
• "The princess with long golden hair was trapped in a tower by a dragon"
• "The turtle was running quite quickly considering the nature of his species"
• "The setting sun glowing with colors of red, purple, and orange fascinated us this evening"