2. PHRASES
A phrase is a group of related
words that function as a single
part of speech.
A phrase does not have a
subject and a verb.
3. THE VERB PHRASE
Main verbs and helping verbs - a main verb
and one or more helping verbs (also called
auxiliary verbs) make up a verb phrase.
Verbs are classified as:
Helping or main verbs
Action or linking verbs
Transitive or intransitive verbs
4. Common Helping Verbs
Forms of Be Am BeenWas
Are Being Were
Be Is
Forms of Have Had Has Have
Forms of Do Do DoesDid
Modals (others) Can Might Should
Could Must Will
May Shall Would
5. A modal (or modal auxiliary) is a
helping verb that is joined with the
main verb to express an attitude
such as necessity or possibility.
We must win this game to reach the
playoffs. (Necessity)
Mr. Garza said that if we work hard
enough on the play we are writing, we
may get to perform it for the whole
school. (Possibility)
6. A helping verb may be separated from the
main verb.
Have you seen Tom Stoppard’s
play Rosenchrants and
Guildenstern Are Dead?
You should not miss it.
7. Action Verbs
An action verb expresses either
physical or mental activity.
Physical – Speak Sleep
Carry Throw
Mental – Think Imagine
Dream Know
Example:
The horse galloped across the
field.
Do you ever wonder what dogs
dream?
8. Linking Verbs
A linking verb connects the subject to a
word or word group that identifies or
describes the subject.
Such word or word group is called a
subject complement.
Example: Marcy looks serious.
9. Common Linking Verbs
Forms of Be
Am be will be had been
Is can be could be shall have been
Are may be should be will have been
Was might be would be could have been
Were must be has been should have been
Being shall be have been would have been
11. LINKING:
The fabric felt soft.
(The fabric was soft makes sense)
ACTION:
I felt the fabric.
(I was the fabric does not make sense)
Tips & Tricks: to determine whether the verb is
a linking verb or an action verb, substitute a form
of Be or seem. If the sentence still makes sense,
the verb is a linking verb.
12. Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
A transitive verb has an object – a word or
group that tells who or what receives the
action verb.
Example:
The rain lashed the windows.
We closed and bolted the shutters
13. Intransitive verb does not have an
object.
Example:
The rain fell.
My cousin arrived yesterday.
Which sentence is transitive and
intransitive verb?
The chorus sang patriotic songs.
The chorus sang beautifully.
14. A verb phrase may be classified as action
or linking verb and as transitive or
intransitive.
Example:
The actors are practicing their line.
The director is meeting with the stage
crew.
While action verbs may be transitive or
intransitive, linking verbs and state-of-being verbs
are always intransitive.
15. Identify the COMPLETE VERB PHRASE in each
sentence. Identify the classification of the verb
phrase.
1. My new stereo is not being delivered today.
2. Here is your breakfast.
3. The river does not usually freeze in winter.
4. There were thirty kinds of ice cream on the menu!
5. Can you finish your chores by 2 p.m.?
6. On the branch of a tree was a small nest.
7. Your parents should have been told about the
situation.
8. Should I bake cookies for the school sale?
9. from a small cliff we could suddenly see the lake!
10. The kids at my school have all mysteriously
disappeared!
16. 11. Haven’t your parents taught you proper
manners?
12. I will not be on time for class!
13. Fred can never remember his own phone
number!
14. Why didn’t they laugh at my joke?
15. Can you always find your way home it he dark?
16. His letters are often written in orange ink.
17. The gentle collie will never savagely attack
anyone.
18. Have your friends ever thrown a party?
19. Did you set your alarm for tomorrow morning?
20. We really must be going now.
17. THE PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE
A prepositional phrase includes a
preposition, the object of the
preposition, and any modifiers of that
object. The object of the preposition
may be compound.
18. Example:
Did the officials of the
Smithsonian Institution recently
unveil plans for a new museum?
According to them, the National
African-American Museum
opened in 1995.
Do you know the Greek myth
about Daedalus and Icarus?
Remember, a preposition always has a noun or
pronoun as an object.
19. A. The Adjective Phrase
A prepositional phrase that modifies a
noun or pronoun
An adjective phrase tells what kind or
which one.
Example:
One of my friends is making a film about
school.
20. Example: The film won’t include all of the
students in our class.
Example: Instead, it will relate the
adventures of five students at school and in
their neighborhood.
Note: Sometimes an adjective phrase is
combined with a noun to form a compound
noun.
Helen of Troy Tug-of-war
meals on wheels jack-in-the-box
21. 1. The dog with short legs is a dachshund.
Which one(s)?
2. Please empty this bag of groceries.
What kind?
3. The movie about creatures from another
planet was scary.
4. The glass of milk on the table is yours.
22. Finding Adjective Phrases
Write each adjective phrase. Then beside each phrase,
write the word it modifies.
Example: The preserves in the jar are homemade.
in the jar - preserves
1. The radio in the kitchen doesn’t work.
2. The last 20 minutes of the movie at Cinema I
were very funny.
3. The captain of the debating team met the
principal.
4. The article about animals without a home was
sad.
5.I need a box of nails in the top drawer.
23. 6. Edgar Allan Poe is the father of the
detective story.
7. The pot of soup on the stove should
be removed.
8. Some of the trees reach a height of
almost 400 feet.
9. I took a picture of my grandparents
from Baguio.
10. One of my brothers joined the
tennis team at school.
24. B. The Adverb Phrase
A prepositional phrase can also be used
as an adverb.
It can modify a verb, adjective, or an
adverb.
Adverb phrase:
Everyone came to my house.
An adverb phrase answers the question
Where? When? How? To what extent? Or To
what degree? Most adverb phrases modify
the verb.
25. Where: Next summer the Rogers will
drive to California.
When: We should meet during the
intermission.
How: John answered the question with
confidence.
26. Sam was happy with his report card.
The material was rough against her skin.
The meeting ran late into the night.
The kite soared high into the sky.
On Saturday meet me at ten o’clock
at Harvey’s.
27. Write each adverb phrase. Then beside each
phrase, write the word or words it modifies.
1. Hockey pucks are kept in a refrigerator
before a game.
2. Since Wednesday we have been rehearsing
the play.
3. The band performed on the field during
halftime.
4. On the river bank a small boy fished for
trout.
5. I am very happy about your promotion.
28. 6. At certain times snow falls in the Sahara
Desert.
7. Throughout the state, apple trees bloom
in spring.
8. After English class I went to the
cafeteria.
9. On Sunday we should meet for breakfast.
10. A bird sees everything at once in a total
focus.
11. During the marathon we sat on a
curbstone.
12. During the winter a person cannot catch
a cold at the Noth Pole.
29. APPOSITIVE
1. My sister Pat is coming home in June.
2. In the restaurant he ordered his
favorite drink, milk.
This identifying noun or pronoun is called
an appositive.
An appositive is a noun or pronoun in that
identifies or explain another noun or
pronoun in the sentence.
30. Most of the time an appositive is used with
modifiers to form an appositive phrase.
1. Our car, a small compact, gets great gas
mileage.
2. The award went to Mrs. Kenny, Sue’s mother.
3. Jack made dinner, chicken with rice.
Note: A prepositional phrase can be part of
an appositive phrase.
31. Identify the appositive phrases in each
sentence and the word or words it identifies
or explains.
1. Have ever read the poem “The Road Not
Taken” by Robert frost?
2. My sister has mastered calligraphy, the art
of beautiful writing.
3. July was named after Julius Caesar, a Roman
ruler.
4. August was named after Augustus, Caesar’s
nephew.
5. We discussed Moby Dick, the classic tale of a
man’s quest for the white whale.
32. The use of commas in appositives and
appositive phrases
Essential – no commas are needed
Not Essential – commas are needed before
and after an appositive or an appositive
phrase if the information is not essential to
the meaning.
A. On Tuesday we watched the play Romeo
and Juliet on television.
B. Romeo and Juliet, a play by William
Shakespeare, can be seen on television
on Tuesday.
33. 1. My sister plays the cornet, a wind
instrument.
2. I just finished reading a story by famous
science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov.
3. My dog Fred is never late for a meal.
4. Nora’s brother, an explorer scout, will
attend an Out-ward Bound program this
summer.
5. Juanita would like to take up the popular
sport wind surfing.
6. The first man to drive a vehicle on the moon
was David Scott, an American.
7. Juneau, the capital of Alaska, has a deep
harbor.
34.
35. A verb form that is used as a noun,
an adjective, or an adverb
Verbal
1. participle
2. gerund
3. infinitive
36. Consists of a verbal and its modifiers and
complements.
Verbal Phrase
1. Participial phrase
2. Gerund phrase
3. Infinitive phrase.
37. The Participial Phrase
A participial phrase consists of a
participle and its modifiers and
complements.
The entire phrase is used as an
ADJECTIVE.
38. Two kinds of participles:
a. Present participle
b. Past participle
A. Present Participles end in –ing.
The freezing rain made the road slick.
Bowing, the performers acknowledged the
applause.
Did I hear someone knocking on the door?
39. b. Most Past participles ends in –d or –d.
Others are irregularly formed.
First prize was an engraved trophy.
The lab tested samples of water taken from
wells in the area.
Rested and relaxed, we returned to work.
40. THE PARTICIPIAL PHRASE
1. Flying low, the plane circled the airport.
2. The elm growing in our yard is 20 years old.
3. The grand prize will go to the
person giving the right answer.
41. 4. Quickly raising his hand, Joe was
called on first.
5. Grinning broadly, Whoopy Goldberg
accepted the award.
6. Proclaiming his innocence, the candidate
vehemently denied the charges.
42. THE GERUND
- A verb form ending in –ing that used as a
noun
- A gerund can be used in all the ways a noun
can be used.
43. Uses of Nouns:
Subject = subj.
Direct Object = d.o.
Indirect Object = i.o.
Object of the preposition = o.p.
Predicate nominative = p.n.
Appositive = appos.
44. 4 COMMON KINDS OF COMPLEMENTS
A. Direct Object – completes the meaning of
action verbs
- a noun or pronoun that
receives the action
B. Indirect Objects – answers the questions To
or for whom? Or To or for what? After an
action verb
- to find an i.o, first find the d.o.
- ask yourself, towhom? For whom? To
what? Or for what? About each d.o
45. C. Predicate Nominative – A noun or pronoun
that follows a linking verb and identifies,
renames, or explains the subject.
Ex. Melba has become my best friend.
p.n.
*D. Predicate Adjective
46. SUBJECT
DIRECT OBJECT
INDIRECT OBJECT
Singing is my best talent.
Do you like skiing?
His trimmer waistline gave
his dieting a big boost.
OBJECT OF A
PREPOSITION
PREDICATE
NOMINATIVE
I can’t stop her from speaking.
My favorite pastime is reading.
47. Four Variations of the Gerund Phrase
1. The loud talking bothered the people in
the library.
2. Exercising daily is important for everyone.
3. Jogging in a park is a pleasant form of
exercise.
4. Watching a football game is one of my
favorite pasttimes.
48.
49. Infinitive
A verbal form that usually begins
with to.
It is used as noun, an adjective, or
an adverb.
50. Infinitive Used as a Noun
To succeed was his only goal.
They wanted to eat.
Infinitive Used as an Adjective
That is a big question to answer.
The book to read is a mystery.
Infinitive Used as an ADVERB
She was eager to study.
She ran to catch the bus.
52. Three variations of the infinitive phrase
*INFINITIVE WITH AN ADVERB
We hope to finish early.
*INFINITIVE WITH A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE
Tomorrow my family plans to leave for Manila.
*INFINITIVE WITH A COMPLEMENT
Does he want to cook dinner?
53. Sometimes to is omitted when an infinitive
follows such verbs as dare, feel, hear, help,
let, make, need, see, and watch.
1.Did you watch me play tennis?
[to play]
2.No one dared go without permission.
[ to go]
3.Chris helped his uncle paint the canoe.
[ to paint]
54. In addition to the present form, infinitive
have a present and past perfect form.
Form: add to have to the past participle
(To have seen him would have pleased
Jerome.)
add to have been to the present or
past participle and indicates
completed action.
(Elsa was known to have been chosen.)
55. More examples:
1. To get a medical degree is her goal.
2. They promised to return soon.
3. We have time to walk to the concert.
4. He is eager to give Chris the award.
Note:
5. Everyone expects Guadalupe to win the
election.
6. We wanted her to lead the discussion.
7. I believe them to be trustworthy.
56. 1.To win an Olympic medal is the dream
of every member of the women’s ski
team.
2.We went to Italy to see our
grandparents.
3. Marvella, please help me learn about
photography.
4. The ability to speak distinctly is an
advantage in job interviews.
5. Europeans were the first people to use
wallpaper.
