Phrase types

1. Phrase types Critically important information… No, but seriously

2. Parts of speech • Noun: • People, places, things or ideas • Adjective: • Words that describe (or modify) nouns • Verb: • Express action • Adverb: • Modify verbs (and adjectives & other adverbs) by answering the questions, “How?” “When?” “Where?” and “Why?” • Preposition: • Indicate location (physical locations or locations in time)

3. New parts of speech • Gerund • An –ing word (ALWAYS) that functions as a noun • Participle • Forms of verbs that can function as adjectives or nouns, and often have an –ed or –ing ending • Appositive • A noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it • Infinitive • Will almost always begin with the word TO followed by the simple form of the verb

4. Gerund • An –ing word (ALWAYS) that functions as a noun • Easy to confuse with participles, because those can also end in –ing, but remember, a gerund functions as a noun • Since Pi was young, swimming has always been one of his true loves. • Pi’s first love is swimming. • Pi enjoys swimming more than almost anything else.

5. Participle • Forms of verbs that can function as adjectives or nouns; almost always have an –ed or –ing ending • Verb: Giggle • Past participle: Giggled • Present participle: Giggling • The sloth was happy to see the rising sun. • The man throwing him in the pool was Mamaji.

6. Appositives • Appositives: Rename nouns, are usually placed beside what they rename, and are frequently offset by paired commas • Francie, a little girl from Brooklyn, had big dreams. • The quarterback, No. 6, threw the football for a touchdown. • Adam, a student who hates depressing books, will probably still be unhappy this term.

7. Infinitives • Will almost always begin with the word TO followed by the simple form of the verb • TIP: Because an infinitive is not a verb, you cannot add s, es, ed,or ingto the end — EVER • To find his way to land is the only thing Pi wants. • Whenever Pi is bored, he always finds something to look at. • The students braved the rain and cold to go to school.

8. And now… Putting them into phrases…

9. Noun phrase • Noun phrase: Consists of a noun and its modifiers (aka “nominal phrase”) • The silent, misty, spooky night cast a spell on us all. • I would love a nice, cold, vanilla shake. • The slow-moving sloth seemed to wave at us.

10. Prepositional phrase • Prepositional phrases: Consists of a preposition followed by its object and its object’s modifiers • Time & space words  stops when it hits an object • The zombie went _________ the desk. • Pi and his family lived in India. • The mindful practice of religion helped Pi come back to life after his ordeal.

11. Gerund phrase • Gerund phrases: Consist of a gerund and any objects and/or modifiers • Virtually never require punctuation • Bella likes jumping on the trampoline. • Bernard hates buttering toast with a fork. • I enjoy riding my bike in the evening. • Eating ice cream on a windy day can be a messy experience if you have long, untamed hair.

12. Gerund phrases Finding a needle in a haystack would be easier than what we’re trying to do. I hope that you appreciate my offering you this opportunity. Tom’s favorite activity has been jabbering away with his friends. Being the boss made Jeff feel uneasy.

13. Participle phrases • Participle phrases: Consist of either a past or present participle and any objects and/or modifiers • Participle phrases always function as adjectives • Participle phrases can be taken out of a sentence, and the sentence will still make sense • The sloth staring at the scholar didn’t mind being studied. • Exhausted out by his trials, Pi wished for tranquility. • Jumping from the boat, Richard Parker vanished.

14. Participle phrases • Arriving at the store, I found that it was closed. • The church, destroyed by the fire, was never rebuilt. • The guy wearing the gorilla costume is my cousin. • Children interested in music early develop strong intellectual skills.

15. Gerund vs. participle • Walking on the beach, Richard Parker was unsteady after so many months at sea. • Walking on the beach is difficult when you’ve been on water for too long. • Jamming too much clothing into a washing machine will result in disaster. • Last night I found the dog named Icarus hogging the middle of the bed.

16. Gerund vs. participle • Do you see an –ing word? • Yes = Gerund or participle • Is the –ing word acting like a noun? • Yes = Probably gerund • Do you see punctuation near the –ing word? • Yes = Probably participle • Will the sentence makes sense if you remove that word and the rest of the phrase surrounding it? • Yes = Definitely participle

17. Infinitive phrases • Infinitive phrases: Starts with an infinitive (to + simple form of the verb) and its objects and/or modifiers • Pi went to Brazil to study sloths. • To study sloths was the only goal of Pi’s trip to Brazil. • Pi hopes to study sloths during his time in Brazil. • The best way to study sloths is to go to Brazil. • Pi, a student, is studying sloths to soothe his shattered self.

18. Absolute phrase • Combines a noun and a participle with any accompanying modifiers or objects • Rather than modifying a specific word, an absolute phrase will describe the whole clause: • Legs quivering, our old dog Gizmo dreamed of chasing squirrels. • Her arms folded across her chest, the teacher warned the class about the noise level. • We devoured the cookie dough, our fingers pulling the leftover bits from the inside of the bowl.

19. Absolute phrase • Think of it like a collapsed sentence that modifies a different (complete) sentence • The pattern: His (noun) was _________ • The pattern: His brain was aching • To create an absolute phrase, drop the was • His brain aching • AND THEN attach that to a complete sentence • His brain aching, he wished the grammar lesson would end.