Phrases, Verbals and Clauses: Review

A prepositional phrase includes a preposition, a noun or pronoun called the object of the preposition, and any modifiers of that object.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE: During the stormy night the black horse ran off.

A participle is a verb form (often –ing or –ed) that can be used as an adjective. A participial phrase consists of a participle together with its modifiers and complements. The entire phrase is used as an adjective.

PARTICIPLE: The smiling child waved. The police officers searched the abandoned warehouse.

PARTICIPIAL PHRASE: Becoming thirsty from the heat, I looked for a water fountain.

An infinitiveis a verb form that can be used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. Most infinitives begin with to. An infinitive phrase consists of any infinitive and any modifiers or complements the infinitive has.

INFINITIVE: Stella likes to skate but not to ski.

INFINITIVE PHRASE: To lubricate the chain, we used machine oil on the bicycle.

A gerund is a verb form ending in –ing that is used as a noun. A gerund phrase consists of a gerund and any modifiers or complements the gerund has. The entire phrase is used as a noun.

GERUND: Skiing down that slope was fun.

GERUND PHRASE: Having a part-time job may interfere with your schoolwork.

A clause is a word group that contains a verb and its subject. A subordinate (dependent) clause does not express a complete thought and cannot stand by itself as a complete sentence.

An adjective clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun or a pronoun. Adjective clauses are introduced by relative pronouns:

thatwhichwhowhomwhose

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE: Leonardo da Vinci was the artist who painted the Mona Lisa.

Ms. Jackson showed slides that she had taken in Egypt.

An adverb clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. An adverb clause is introduced by a subordinating conjunction:

afteras thoughsincewhen

althoughbecauseso thatwhenever

asbeforethanwhere

as ifhowthoughwherever

as long asifunlesswhether

as soon asin order thatuntilwhile

ADVERB CLAUSE: If it does not rain tomorrow, we will go to Crater Lake.

Gabrielle can type faster than I can.

Identify the underlined groups of words in the following sentences:

  1. Singing a happy tune, Marcia strolled down the street.
  1. To travel to India is Devorah’s goal.
  1. Angelo’s pleading rarely influenced his mother’s decisions.
  1. Before school I will drive the children to Starbuck’s.
  1. If I forget my lunch, I can drive home quickly to eat.
  1. Knowing Spanish, a person can travel in Mexico and South America without a language barrier.
  1. Tourists looking for beautiful views might visit Denmark.
  1. Built last year, one new home sits proudly on top of a hill.
  1. The frantic darting of the fish indicated that a shark was nearby.
  1. When we finished, I thanked my aunt for her help with the bicycle.
  1. During theater practice I tripped and broke my toe.
  1. Skating on the sidewalk, my little brother tried to do some acrobatics.
  1. Because I had a sore throat, I could not audition for the play.
  1. In the United States citizens have the right to speak their minds.
  1. Going to the movies seemed like a fun activity for the holiday.
  1. To keep your bones strong, be sure to drink plenty of calcium.
  1. In the darkening attic room, the girls searched for the box of old photos.
  1. Before I take the math test, I need to study chapters eight through ten.
  1. Skating on Lake Placid was the highlight of our vacation.
  1. Signaling the referee for a timeout, the coach gathered her players for a pep talk.