What are phrases?

1. PHRASESPHRASES

2. What is a PHRASE?
• a word or a group of related words.
• DOES NOT contain both a subject and verb, so phrases are
• NOT sentences!
• NOT clauses!
Example: My English grammar textbook has been my favorite book since childhood.
Each circled part in the sentence above is a phrase.

3. 3 Types of PHRASES
• Noun phrase
• Verb phrase
• Prepositional phrase
Example: My English grammar textbook has been my favorite book since childhood.
noun phrase verb phrase noun phrase prepositional phrase

4. Noun PHRASE
A noun phrase is a phrase that includes a noun and any adjectives, articles, or possessives
that come before it. The following examples are all noun phrases:
• Students
• The students
• The intelligent students
• The highly intelligent students
• His textbook
This sentence contains 4 noun phrases. They are highlighted.
Ex. The students ate lunch at the school cafeteria on Monday.

5. Verb PHRASE
Verb phrases include linking verbs and any action verb and helping verbs. The following
are examples of verb phrases:
• eat
• will eat
• has eaten
• is eating
• was eaten
The verb phrase is highlighted in the following sentence:
Ex. The students has studied English for ten years.

6. Prepositional PHRASE
Prepositional phrases start with a preposition and end with a noun. The following are
examples of prepositional phrases:
• in Taiwan
• at the airport
• on Monday
• under my desk
• beside the red car
The prepositional phrases are highlighted in the following sentence:
Ex. At noon, my class begins on Zoom.