Phrases These indispensable and adaptable groups of words add information and detail, and bring cohesiveness to ideas within a sentence. Phrases help build structure in your writing.

Phrase O A phrase is a string of two or more words that can express a thought or function as a single part of speech, like an adjective or an adverb, in a sentence. O It does not contain both a subject and a predicate (verb), so it cannot function as a sentence. O Phrases without a predicate O that car O Justin’s umbrella O Phrases without a subject O almost hit a tree O broke into pieces

Appositive Phrases O An appositive renames, identifies, or gives more details about a noun or pronoun that it follows. O An appositive phrase is typically set off by commas and begins with a, an, the (there are always exceptions to this rule!) O Their son Paul, the oldest of four, is going to Princeton in the fall. O My friend, Mark, is a great volleyball player. (exception)

Gerund and Participial Phrases O Gerund phrases begin with an –ing (gerund) and acts like a noun in a sentence. O Walking across the rickety wooden bridge is scary. O Walking across the rickety wooden bridge answers what was scary? Thus, it functions as a noun O Participial phrases includes an –ing but functions like an adjective in a sentence. O Walking across the rickety wooden bridge, I stepped on each board with caution. O Walking across the rickety wooden bridge is describing the subject I, functioning as an adjective.