Hello there! Welcome to today’s class on PHRASE. For you to be here, I trust that you must have read my other posts on parts of speech as it will really help you to understand today’s class. Just visit here and explore.

So let’s get started with it…

WHAT IS A PHRASE?

A phrase is a group of words that partly makes sense alone, and so does not convey a complete thought, has no subject verb combination, or a verb but if used in a sentence has a unique meaning. It is also a group of related words in a sentence and can be found at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.

Examples of phrase

1. Made of gold
2. For the party
3. A beautiful girl
4. In the market
5. Under the tree
6. Sleeping at night
7. The hungry woman
8. The lady in blue gown
9. With Daniel
10. The baked bread

These phrases can be used in a sentence to give them a meaning

1. He bought a wrist watch Made of gold
2. I won’t go for the party
3. I saw a beautiful girl
4. I was in the market when you called
5. We should meet under the tree
6. She saw me sleeping at night
7. The hungry woman wanted some food
8. I saw the lady in blue gown
9. She was angry with Daniel
10. The baked bread was my launch

A sentence may also contain more than one phrase in a sentence.

Example

1. A short boy /was crying /beside me

Phrase 1         phrase 2        phrase 3

2. The smart man /has built /a beautiful house

Phrase 1             phrase 2            phrase 3

3. The clothes /were scattered/ in the room

Phrase 1          phrase 2                phrase 3

4. My father /was born /on October, 24^th

Phrase 1      phrase 2        phrase 3

5. James and John /were sleeping/ in the house

Phrase 1                  phrase 2         phrase 3

There are different types of phrase based on the parts of speech

TYPES OF PHRASE

1. Noun phrase
2. Verb phrase
3. Adjective phrase
4. Adverb phrase
5. Prepositional phrase

Now let’s take them one after the other

Noun Phrase

A Noun phrase acts like a noun in a sentence. It begins with a noun or a pronoun or other related words

Example

1. That beautiful dress was bought by my mother

The dress in this sentence is a noun

That beautiful dress is a noun phrase

That beautiful dress was bought by my mother

2. The smart boy passed all his exams

The boy in this sentence is a noun

The smart boy is a noun phrase

The smart boy passed all his exams

3. John and Peter are coming
4. The blue eyed girl has gone

The girl in this sentence is a noun

The blue eyed girl is the noun phrase

The blue eyed girl has gone

5. The baked cake is burnt

The cake in this sentence is a noun

The baked cake is a noun phrase

The baked cake is burnt

Note:

Verb Phrase

A verb phrase is a combination of the main verb and the helping verb in a sentence

Example

1. She has bought a new book
2. You should come here now
3. Her clothes were scattered everywhere
4. I have corrected the mistake
5. The chairs were broken

Adjective Phrase

An adjective phrase modifies a noun

Example

1. She’s sad with her exams
2. I bought the blue bag
3. She’s beautiful in her gown
4. The questions were quite difficult
5. The food was too cheap

Adverb Phrase

Adverb phrase modifies verbs

Example

1. She ate very slow
2. Peter drove the car amazingly well
3. The cat ran quite slow
4. The sun looked amazingly beautiful
5. The boy looked fiercely at her

Prepositional phrase

Prepositional phrase tells about the location, or possession, or condition

Example

1. She wrote on the blackboard
2. Put the dress in the bag
3. I saw her under the tree
4. We met at the hospital
5. I stood by and watched them fight

Now let’s do some practice

Identify the noun phrase in the following sentence

1. John and Kate are running
2. The beautiful dress is torn
3. That chair was made by my father
4. That girl is crazy
5. My teacher is singing

Answer

1. John and Kate are running
2. The beautiful dress is torn
3. That chair was made by my father
4. That girl is crazy
5. My pretty teacher is singing

Identify the verb phrase in the following sentence

1. The book was stolen yesterday
2. The bag was expensive in the market
3. You should come to my house tomorrow
4. He has finished the food
5. She has cried a lot

Answer

1. book was stolen yesterday
2. The bag was expensive in the market
3. You should come to my house tomorrow
4. He has finished the food
5. She has cried a lot

Identify the adjective phrase in the following sentence

1. I am very sad with my exams
2. I bought the bag really expensive
3. She looked so rejected
4. The food was quite terrible
5. The hole was too deep

Answer

1. I am very sad with my exams
2. I bought the bag really expensive
3. She’s so fat
4. The food was quite terrible
5. The hole was too deep

Identify the adverb phrase in the following sentence

1. I am very sad with my exams
2. I bought the bag really expensive
3. She looked so rejected
4. The food was quite terrible
5. The hole was too deep

Answer

1. She feels very sad with my exams
2. I carried the bag like it’s really heavy
3. She looked so rejected
4. The cooked quite terribly
5. They entered too deep

Identify the prepositional phrase in the following sentence

1. The hospital is near the market
2. She’s at the hospital
3. Put the mangoes in the basket
4. Meet me under the tree
5. I was born on October, 23^rd

Answer

1. The hospital is near the market
2. She’s at the hospital
3. Put the mangoes in the basket
4. Meet me under the tree
5. I was born on October, 23^rd

Let’s practice more

Identify the types of phrases in these sentences

1. The boy has cried too much
2. The fat boy was caught in the principal’s office
3. Peter has separated the bad mangoes
4. Faith should come from the market
5. Mangoes and oranges were found in the basket
6. Daniel ate really fast
7. I bought a red pillow in the market
8. The hospitals always have a unique smell
9. My laptop is very big
10. She was so hungry so she quickly ate the delicious food

Answer

1. The boy /has cried/ too much
2. The fat boy /was caught/ in the principal’s office
3. Peter/ has separated /the bad mangoes
4. Faith /should come /from the market
5. Mangoes and oranges /were found /in the basket
6. Daniel /ran/really fast
7. I /bought /a red pillow /in the market
8. The hospitals/ always have/ a unique smell
9. My laptop/ is/ very big
10. She /hurriedly ate/ the delicious food

Okay! It’s been a wonderful class with you all. But before I go I will like to leave this with you.

Answer the following question

1. What is a phrase
2. Examples of a phrase
3. Types of phrases
4. Make sentences with the above

You can leave your answers and questions in the comment box; I will answer all… Thanks for your time

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