Types of Phrases

1. Types of Phrases Some things you already knew… and some thing you have always wanted to know .

2. Review: Phrase Vs. Clause • Prase • A group of words that are related. • Do not include a subject and a verb. • Clause • A group of related words that contains a subject and a verb. • May be dependent or independent.

3. Prepositional Phrase • Consists of a preposition, a noun or pronoun that serves as the object of the preposition (See List of Prepositions for examples)

4. Example of Prepositional Phrases used for Effect: • The hills across the valleyof the Ebro were long and white. On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of railsin the sun. Close against the sideof the station there was the warm shadow of the building and a curtain, made of stringsof bamboo beads, hung across the open door into the bar, to keep out flies. The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building. It was very hot and the express from Barcelona would come in forty minutes. It stopped at this junction for two minutes and went on to Madrid.

5. Infinitive Phrase • Infinitive: “to” + Verb (To swim, to eat, to write) • Consists of an infinitive and the object associated with it. • Infinitive phrases can act as adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. • Her plan to subsidize child carewon wide acceptance. ( Adjective—describes the plan) • She wanted to raise taxes. (Noun—object of sentence) • Juan went to college to study veterinary medicine. (Adverb—tells why he went/describes the verb)

6. Gerund Phrase • Verbs that end in “-ing” and act as nouns. • Can do anything a noun can do: • Cramming for tests is not a good study strategy. (subject of sentence) • John enjoyed swimming in the lake after dark. (Object of sentence) • I’m really not interested in studying biochemistry for the rest of my life. (object of the preposition).

7. Participial Phrase • Verbs ending in “-ing” and verbs in the past participle (ending in “-ed”, “-en”) • Act as adjectives • The stone steps, having been worn down by generations of students, needed to be replaced. (Describes steps) • Working around the clock, the firefighters finally put out the last of the California brush fires. (modifies “firefighters”) • The pond, frozen over since early December, is now safe for ice-skating. (modifies “pond”)

8. Appositive Phrase • Re-naming or amplification of a word that immediately precedes it. • My favorite teacher, a fine chess player, has won several state-level competitions. • The best exercise, walking briskly, is also the least expensive.