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Grammar for Grade 9. Episode III Phrases. What’s a Phrase?. A phrase is a group of words that make sense together, but which doesn’t have a subject and verb. Because they lack a subject, a verb, or both, they cannot be full sentences. Phrases can be as short as two words long.
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Grammar for Grade 9 Episode III Phrases
What’s a Phrase? • A phrase is a group of words that make sense together, but which doesn’t have a subject and verb. Because they lack a subject, a verb, or both, they cannot be full sentences. • Phrases can be as short as two words long
Prepositional Phrases • A group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun. • The noun or pronoun that follows the preposition is called the object of the preposition. • (You saw this idea in Episode I: Parts of Speech) • Prepositional phrases can act as adjectives or as adverbs.
Sample Prepositional Phrases • They began the project with good intentions. • “With” is a preposition. • “Intentions” is a noun, so it is the object of the preposition “with”. • This phrase describes HOW they began the project, so it is acting as an adverb. • Do you have a room with a view? • “With” is a preposition, “view” is its object. • This phrase describes WHAT KIND of room, so it is acting as an adjective.
Appositives • Appositives are nouns placed next to other nouns (or pronouns) and give extra or identifying information about them. They are not necessary for the sentence to make sense. • If the appositive is more than one word, it is called an appositive phrase. • My dog, Ariel, is a poodle. (Ariel is an appositive) • Jake’s cousin, a civil engineer, is visiting. (a civil engineer is an appositive phrase)
Using Appositives • Always set an appositive off with commas, unless it is necessary to the sentence. • Tony Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye is great. • Because Morrison has written several novels, we need this appositive, so there are no commas. • I just met my birth mother, who lives in Greece. • Because the appositive is at the end of the sentence, we only need a comma before it. • Robbie, an angry young man, punched a teacher. • Because the appositive interrupts the sentence, we need a comma before it and another after it.
Participles • Participles are verb forms (verbals) that can work as adjectives. • Present participles end in –ing. • The suspect told a confusing story. • Past participles usually end in –ed, but may take other forms • He ordered fried haddock, but the waiter brought him broiled scrod.
Participial Phrases • Participial phrases contain a participle and include all complements and modifiers. • The students sitting in the back of the auditorium could not hear the lecturer. • A participial phrase that begins a sentence is usually followed by a comma. • Frightened by the horror movie, Mike and Leroy turned on all the lights in the house.
Gerunds • Gerunds are verbals that end in –ing (like participles); however, while participles act as adjectives, gerunds act as nouns. • Thinking hard, he discovered the answer. • Thinking is a participle that modifies the pronoun he. • Thinking gives him a headache. • Thinking is a gerund that functions as the subject of the sentence.
Gerund Phrases • A gerund phrase includes a gerund and any complements and modifiers. • Thinking like a criminal is part of every detective’s job. • Every modern criminal must try thinking as a crime-scene analyst does, if he wants to stay out of jail.
Infinitives • Infinitives are base forms of verbs, with the word “to” in front of them. This construction is the name of the verb. • To run • To jump • To have • To be • Infinitives may be used as nouns, adjectives or adverbs.
Infinitive Examples • To smoke is prohibited. • The infinitive “to smoke” is used as a subject. Since only nouns and pronouns can be subjects, it is functioning as a noun. • Raphael loves to cook. • The infinitive “to cook” is being used as a direct object. • He had a longing to escape. • The infinitive “to escape” is being used as an adjective. • He was too angry to talk. • The infinitive “to talk” is being used as an adverb.
Infinitive Phrases • Infinitive phrases include an infinitive plus all modifiers and complements. • It is easiest to get there by plane. • “To get” is an infinitive. The rest of the phrase answers the questions “To get where?” and “To get there how?” • To drive while texting is very dangerous. • This infinitive phrase is functioning as a subject.
