Phrases and Clauses

Front

What is a clause?

Back

A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. It can express a complete thought (independent clause) or an incomplete thought (dependent clause).

Front

What is a phrase?

Back

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

Front

Example of an independent clause?

Back

"Sam and I want a new Xbox." This clause can stand alone as a complete sentence.

Front

Example of a dependent clause?

Back

"Although I like ice cream" is a dependent clause because it cannot stand alone.

Front

What is the main difference between a phrase and a clause?

Back

A phrase does not have a subject-verb pair and cannot stand alone, while a clause has a subject and a verb and can express a complete thought.

Front

Identify the type of this sentence: "The last sentence is spelled incorrectly."

Back

This is a clause because it has a subject ('The last sentence') and a verb ('is spelled').

Front

Identify the type of this phrase: "through the roof"

Back

This is a phrase because it does not contain a subject-verb pair.

Front

Identify the type of this sentence: "we are in the building."

Back

This is a clause because it has a subject ('we') and a verb ('are').

Front

What is an example of a phrase?

Back

"in the room" is a phrase because it does not have a subject-verb pair.

Front

What is a simple way to remember the difference between phrases and clauses?

Back

Remember: Clauses have both a subject and a verb, while phrases do not.