Phrases and Clauses

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What is a phrase?

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A phrase is a group of words that does not contain a subject-verb pair and does not express a complete thought.

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What is a clause?

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A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. It can be independent or dependent.

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What is an independent clause?

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An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a sentence because it expresses a complete thought.

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What is a dependent clause?

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A dependent clause is a group of words that cannot stand alone as a sentence because it does not express a complete thought.

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Example of an independent clause.

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"They worked diligently." This clause can stand alone as a complete sentence.

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Example of a dependent clause.

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"Even though I tried my best." This clause cannot stand alone as it does not express a complete thought.

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What is the difference between a phrase and a clause?

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A phrase does not have a subject-verb pair, while a clause does.

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What is a noun phrase?

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A noun phrase is a phrase that has a noun as its head word, often including modifiers.

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What is a verb phrase?

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A verb phrase consists of a main verb and its auxiliaries (helping verbs).

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What is an adverbial phrase?

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An adverbial phrase modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb, providing context such as time, place, or manner.