Phrases Part-1

 Phrases

In our previous blog, we learned about sentence structure. In this blog we are going to learn about phrases, that is important element in a sentence. Now let's learn about phrases in detail. 

What is a Phrase? 

A phrase is a small group of words that stand together as a conceptual unit. A phrase can either consist of one word or it may consist of a complete sentence. A phrase comes with a clause. 

A phrase can also be written as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective or as an adjective in a sentence. 

Example: 

1) Mother is in the kitchen. 

In this sentence, the word - in the kitchen is a phrase. This is because these are a group of words that are explaining a particular concept of the task that the mother is performing in the kitchen. 

2) The boy on the bus is my classmate. 

In this sentence, the word - the boy on the bus is a phrase. This is because it is giving information about who is the classmate. 

3) She ran to school very quickly. 

In this sentence, the word - very quickly is a phrase. This is because the word very quickly is showing the way she ran. In this case, it sounds like an adverb of manner due to the word quickly. 

Types of Phrases 

There are six main types of phrases. 

1) Noun Phrase 

2) Adjective Phrase 

3) Prepositional Phrase 

4) Gerund Phrase 

5) Participial Phrase 

6) Infinitive Phrase 

Now let's learn about each type of phrase in detail and practice them with sentences, in order to understand the concept better. 

1) Noun Phrase 

A noun phrase is a word that functions as a noun in a sentence. All its determiners are used to modify the noun. A noun phrase is one that consists of a noun, which acts as a headword and other words that come before or after it. 

A noun phrase is made up of nouns and modifiers.

Example: 

a) She is wearing a long gown with high heels. 

In this sentence, the words gown and heels are used as an object, which is a noun. Hence, it is a noun phrase. 

b) A man standing on the terrace was yelling loudly. 

In this sentence, the word man is used as a noun, that is a person. Hence it is a noun phrase. 

2) Adjective Phrase 

An adjective phrase is a group of words along with its modifiers, that act as an adjective in a sentence. An adjective phrase acts as an adjective in a sentence to change a noun or pronoun to a complete meaningful sentence. 

Example: 

a) She looked gorgeous in the black, frilled frock. 

In this sentence, the word gorgeous is used to modify how she looked in the dress. Hence, it is an adjective phrase. 

b) Out of 13 contestants, one from India won the race. 

In this sentence, the word from India is modifying the boy who has won the race. Hence, it is an adjective phrase. 

3) Prepositional Phrase 

A prepositional phrase, as the name suggests is the one that indicates the positions of an object or something else. They are used very commonly in sentences. 

Also, a prepositional phrase always begins with a preposition and the noun and pronouns are its subjects. 

Example: 

a) Rohan is going to sleep in the kid's bedroom tonight. 

In this sentence, the word in the kid's bedroom is a prepositional phrase. It shows the place where the kids Rohan is going to sleep tonight. 

b) A bird has built a nest outside my window. 

In this sentence, the word outside my window is a prepositional phrase. It shows the place where the bird has built its nest. 

We will learn about the Gerund phrase, Participial phrase and Infinitive phrase in Part-2 of phrases.