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Phrase: Noun Phrase, Verb Phrase, Prepositional Phrase, Adjective Phrase, and Adverbial Phrase

A phrase is a collection of words that make up a part of speech. It is different than a clause or
sentence in that it does not have a complete Subject-Predicate components; a phrase might only
have a subject (noun phrase) or a predicate (verb phrase) but not both.

Noun phrase is a phrase that acts as a noun in a sentence—it can be the subject or the object. You
can identify a noun phrase by looking for its main noun and analyse if it is ultimately described by
the other words. If it is, then the phrase is a noun phrase. If the noun actually describes or is
attributive to another class of word, it is not a noun phrase.

Examples:

Yellow monkey  Monkey is the base noun since it is the only noun. It is described by the adjective
yellow.

Harsh and cold winter  Winter is the main noun; both harsh and cold describe winter.

Drinking an apple juice in the morning…  Nouns: drinking (gerund), apple, juice, morning. Now
lets analyse:

- Drinking does not describe any other word. This is the strongest candidate as our main noun.
- Apple describes juice, making apple juice a noun phrase on its own. Furthermore, apple juice
is a direct object of drinking. So, in a sense, apple juice describes drinking.
- Morning, together with in the makes the prepositional phrase describing drinking.
- So, we can conclude that the base noun is drinking—because it is described by other words
and do not describe other words.

When looking for noun phrases, it is important that you understand gerunds. A gerund is a noun
made from verb in its present continuous form (V-ing). Examples: drinking, mining, yelling, sleeping.
Notice that the base verb can be either transitive or intransitive. As mentioned in an example above,
a gerund can construct a noun phrase.

It is easier to think a verb phrase as a predicate; that is the part of a complete sentence that is
centred on a main verb. A verb phrase must have a main verb and can have objects or adverbs—but
it does not have a subject. In essence the main verb can be in one of 4 forms:

- Non-finite form; that is the form that follow the subject of the sentence in present or past.
Examples:
 I decided to go to the post office even though it is raining.
 She goes to school by bus every day.

- Continuous form: Auxiliary verb be (is/am/are/was/were) + V-ing.


Examples:
 An eagle is eyeing its prey down below.
 We were running with all we had as if our lives depended on it.

- Perfect form: Auxiliary verb have (including has/had) + V3.


Examples:
 I have been to Rome once.
 Actually, Tom had never read the book Clara was so fond of.
 She has been visiting grandma for the last few weeks.

- Modal verb + V1 (infinitive).


Examples:
 I will come as soos as She goes.
 She might be at home as we speak.
 Do not worry, Gerard shall be looking after your brother.

Prepositional phrase is the phrase that contains a preposition, the object, and any other words
modifying the object. Prepositional phrase can modify a noun (thus adjective phrase), modify a verb
(thus adverbial phrase), or act as a noun. Some of the most common prepositions:

to, from, of, about, near, by, after, before, in, inside, over, below, under, behind, in front of,
beside, with, for, since, during

Examples:

 We promise to meet after school to plan the next tournament. (as an adverbial phrase)

 Did you know that there is a cafe under the bridge? (as an adjective phrase)

 Behind her is the person in charge of this event. (as a noun)

Adjective phrase can be in various forms, but in essence it modifies a noun. To elaborate, an
adjective phrase answer the questions of quality or quantity (how good/bad, how many/much).
Furthermore, adjective phrases include the comparative and superlative forms.

Examples:

 Mary lives in a very big house. (notice than the phrase can contain an adverb)

 The more appropriate way to do this is by going the high road.

 As the fastest running mammal in the world, cheetahs can run only for a short period of time.

Like adjective phrase, adverbial phrase can also have many forms, but in its core it answers the
questions of manner (how, where, when) that modifies a verb or an adjective.

Examples:

 It looks like the door was open forcefully from the outside.

 Do you see that granny in a red coar standing by the coffee shop?

 She said she would come home in an hour.

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