1. Kinds of Phrases and Their Functions
The Phrase
Kinds of Phrases and Their Functions

2. What Is a Phrase? Type of phrase Example What’s missing Verb phrase
A phrase is a group of related words that is used as a single part of speech and that does not contain both a verb and its subject
Type of phrase
Example
What’s missing
Verb phrase
Has been invited
No subject
Prepositional phrase
After school
No subject or verb
Infinitive phrase
To do homework

3. A Phrase or a Clause?
A phrase is a group of related words that is used as a single part of speech and that does not contain both a verb and its subject
A clause is a group of words that has both a subject and a verb:
Independent clause: the field trip has been canceled
Dependent clause: before the party started

4. Prepositions
A preposition shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun, called the object of the preposition, to another word.

5. Common Prepositions About Above Across After Against Along Among
Around As At
Before
Behind
Below
Beneath
Beside(s)
Between
Beyond
But (meaning “except”) By
Down
During
Except
For
From In
Inside
Into
Like
Near Of
Off On
Out
Outside
Over
Past
Since
Through
Throughout To
Toward
Under
Underneath
Until
Unto Up
Upon
With
Within
Without

6. Compound Prepositions
A preposition that consists of two or more words is a compound preposition. Examples:
According to
Along with
Apart from
Aside from
As of
Because of
By means of
In addition to
In front of
In place of
In spite of
Instead of
Next to
On account of
Out of

7. Prepositional Phrases
Prepositional phrases are good for adding descriptive information to writing.
A prepositional phrase includes
a preposition,
the object of the preposition,
the object may be compound
any modifiers of that object.

8. Prepositional Phrases
A prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or a pronoun is called an adjective phrase.
Tells what kind(s) or which one(s)
Generally follows the word it modifies, which may be the object of another preposition
A prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb is called an adverb phrase.
Tells how, when, where, why, or to what extent (how long or how far)
Can come before or after the word it modifies

9. Prepositional Phrase or Compound Noun?
If the adjective phrase is combined with a noun to form a compound noun, the entire group of words is considered a noun. Like these:
Work of art
Hole in one
Board of education
Habitat for Humanity
Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan

10. Verbals and Verbal Phrases
Verbals are formed from verbs but are used as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs.
There are three kinds of verbals:
Participle
Gerund
Infinitive
A verbal phrase is made up of a verbal + its modifiers and complements.

11. The Participle Is a verb form that can be used as an adjective
Present participles end in –ing
Past participles end in –d or –ed, if they are not irregular
Be careful not to confuse a participle used as an adjective with one used as a part of a verb phrase.
The Smithsonian Institute, located in Washington, D.C., is the largest museum in the world.
The Smithsonian Institute, which is located in Washington, D.C., is the largest museum in the world.

12. The Participial Phrase
Is made up of a participle and any modifiers or complements the participle has.
Is used as an adjective.
Should be as close to the word or words you intend to modify as possible.
Climbing the hill, they were delighted to see a field of daffodils.
See how confusing it is if they are not together?
They were delighted to see a field of daffodils climbing up the hill. (What? Daffodils climbing? No!)

13. The Participial Phrase
The stone steps, having been worn down by generations of students, needed to be replaced. [modifies "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"]

14. The Absolute Phrase
The entire word group is used as an adverb to modify an independent clause of a sentence.
Does not have a direct grammatical connection to any word in the independent clause it modifies, but modifies the entire clause by telling when, why, or how.
An absolute phrase consists of
A participle or participle phrase,
A noun or pronoun that the participle or participle phrase modifies, and
Any other modifiers of that noun or pronoun.

15. The Absolute Phrase
They are always treated as parenthetical elements and are set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma or a pair of commas (sometimes by a dash or a pair of dashes).
Their reputation as winners secured by victory, the New York Liberty charged into the semifinals.
The season nearly finished, Rebecca Lobo and Sophie Witherspoon emerged as true leaders.
The two superstars signed autographs into the night, their faces beaming happily.

16. The Gerund A gerund is a verbal ending in –ing that is used as a noun.
The term verbal indicates that a gerund, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and therefore expresses action or a state of being.
However, since a gerund functions as a noun, it occupies some positions in a sentence that a noun ordinarily would, for example: subject, direct object, subject complement, and object of preposition.

17. The Gerund Gerund as subject: Gerund as direct object:
Traveling might satisfy your desire for new experiences. (Traveling is the gerund.)
The study abroad program might satisfy your desire for new experiences. (The gerund has been removed.)
Gerund as direct object:
They do not appreciate my singing. (The gerund is singing.)
They do not appreciate my assistance. (The gerund has been removed)

18. The Gerund Gerund as subject complement:
My cat's favorite activity is sleeping. (The gerund is sleeping.)
My cat's favorite food is salmon. (The gerund has been removed.)
Gerund as object of preposition:
The police arrested him for speeding. (The gerund is speeding.)
The police arrested him for criminal activity. (The gerund has been removed.)

19. The Gerund Phrase
These phrases function as units and can do anything that a noun can do.
Notice that other phrases, especially prepositional phrases, are frequently part of the gerund phrase.
Cramming for tests is not a good study strategy. [gerund phrase as subject]
John enjoyed swimming in the lake after dark. [gerund phrase as object]
I'm really not interested in studying biochemistry for the rest of my life. [gerund phrase as object of the preposition in ]

20. The Gerund Phrase
The gerund phrase functions as the subject of the sentence.
Finding a needle in a haystack would be easier than what we're trying to do.
Finding (gerund)
a needle (direct object of action expressed in gerund)
in a haystack (prepositional phrase as adverb)

21. The Gerund Phrase
The gerund phrase functions as the direct object of the verb appreciate.
I hope that you appreciate my offering you this opportunity.
my (possessive pronoun adjective form, modifying the gerund)
offering (gerund)
you (indirect object of action expressed in gerund)
this opportunity (direct object of action expressed in gerund)

22. The Gerund Phrase
The gerund phrase functions as the subject complement.
Tom's favorite tactic has been jabbering away to his constituents.
jabbering away to (gerund)
his constituents (direct object of action expressed in gerund)

23. The Gerund Phrase
The gerund phrase functions as the object of the preposition for.
You might get in trouble for faking an illness to avoid work.
faking (gerund)
an illness (direct object of action expressed in gerund)
to avoid work (infinitive phrase as adverb)

24. The Infinitive Most infinitives begin with to.
An infinitive is a verbal consisting of the word to plus a verb (in its simplest "stem" form) and functioning as a noun, adjective, or adverb.
Don’t confuse an infinitive with a prepositional phrase that begins with to.

25. Infinitives
The term verbal indicates that an infinitive, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and therefore expresses action or a state of being.
However, the infinitive may function as a subject, direct object, subject complement, adjective, or adverb in a sentence.
Although an infinitive is easy to locate because of the to + verb form, deciding what function it has in a sentence can sometimes be confusing.
To wait seemed foolish when decisive action was required. (subject)
Everyone wanted to go. (direct object)
His ambition is to fly. (subject complement)
He lacked the strength to resist. (adjective)
We must study to learn. (adverb)

26. The Infinitive Phrase
An infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive — the root of the verb preceded by to — and any modifiers or complements associated with it.
Infinitive phrases can act as adjectives, adverbs, and nouns.
Her plan to subsidize child care won wide acceptance among urban politicians. [modifies plan, functions as an adjective]
She wanted to raise taxes. [noun-object of the sentence]
To watch Uncle Billy tell this story is an eye-opening experience. [noun-subject of the sentence]
To know her is to love her. [noun, predicate nominative]
Juan went to college to study veterinary medicine. [tells us why he went, so it's an adverb]

27. Appositives
An appositive is a noun or pronoun placed beside another noun or pronoun to identify or describe it.
My sister, Christine, is my best friend.
Our baseball team has won its first two games, one by three runs and the other by six.
Greg, a cautious driver, has never had an accident.

28. Appositive Phrases
An appositive phrase consists of an appositive and any modifiers it has.
An appositive phrase may contain a second phrase such as a prepositional phrase.
The Millers live on Magnolia Lane, a wide street lined with beech trees.
Mount Kosciusko, a part of the Australian Alps, is the highest peak in Australia.
Diligent and quick-witted students, Nicholas and Coco always get good grades.

29. Appositive Phrases
Appositives and appositive phrases that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence are set off by commas.
Does Mrs. Bieltz’s sister, Christine, also have brown eyes?
Not essential because I only have one sister.
An appositive that tells which one of two or more is essential to the meaning of the sentence and should not be set off by commas.
Mike’s friend Tony is a manager.
Mike’s friend Kevin is a police officer.
Essential because Mike has more than one friend.