Phrase and clause are the most important elements of English grammar. Phrase and clause cover everything a sentence has. Clauses are the center of sentences and phrases strengthen the sentences to become meaningful. If the clauses are the pillars of a building, the phrases are the bricks. A phrase usually is always present within a clause, but a phrase cannot have a clause in it. The basic difference between a clause and a phrase is that a clause must have a finite verb and a phrase must not. In this Power Point Presentation I clearly Discussed about the Phrases and Clauses in very detailed manner. Please use this Power Point Presentation for your reference purpose.

1. P R E P A R E D B Y
A N T O H
D E P A R T M E N T O F E N G L I S H
S T X A V I E R ’ S C O L L E G E O F E D U C A T I O N ( A U T O N O M O U S )
P A L A Y A M K O T T A I
T I R U N E L V E L I
I N D I A
T A M I L N A D U
P I N – 6 2 7 0 0 2 .
PHRASES AND CLAUSES

2. General Information
 Phrase and clause are the most important elements of
English grammar.
 Phrase and clause cover everything a sentence has.
 Clauses are the center of sentences and phrases
strengthen the sentences to become meaningful.
 If the clauses are the pillars of a building, the phrases are
the bricks.
 A phrase usually is always present within a clause, but a
phrase cannot have a clause in it.
 The basic difference between a clause and a phrase is that
a clause must have a finite verb and a phrase must not.

3. Phrase
 A phrase, therefore, is a group of words which has
no finite verb in it and acts to complete the sentence
for making it meaningful.

4. Phrase according to Oxford Dictionary
 “A phrase is a small group of words that form a
meaningful unit within a clause.”-Oxford
Dictionary

5. Phrase according to Osborne, Timothy,
Michael Putnam, and Thomas Gross (2011)
 “In linguistic analysis, a phrase is a group of words
(or possibly a single word) that functions as
a constituent in the syntax of a sentence, a single
unit within agrammatical hierarchy.”- Osborne,
Timothy, Michael Putnam, and Thomas
Gross (2011)

6. Types
 Noun Phrase
 Adjective Phrase
 Adverbial Phrase
 Prepositional Phrase
 Conjunctional Phrase
 Interjectional Phrase

7. Noun Phrase
 A noun phrase is usually assembled centering a
single noun and works as a subject, an object or a
complement in the sentence.

8. Examples
 I like to swing the bat hard when I am at the
crease. (An object)
 Reading novels is a good habit. (A subject)
 The probability of happening that match is not
much. (A subject)
 We are sorry for her departure.

9. Adjective Phrase
 An adjective phrase is comprised of an adjective
and works as a single adjective in the sentence.

10. Examples
 Alex is a well-behaved man.
 He is a man of friendly nature.
 Julie is a woman of gorgeous style.
 She leads a very interesting life.
 A lot of people do not sleep at night.

11. Adverbial Phrase
 An adverbial phrase modifies the verb or the
adjective and works as an adverb in the sentence.

12. Examples
 The horse runs at a good speed.
 I was in a hurry then.
 I ran as fast as possible.
 He works very slowly.

13. Prepositional Phrase
 A prepositional phrase always begins with a
preposition and connects nouns.

14. Examples
 He sacrificed his life for the sake of his country.
 In the end, we all have to die.
 He is on the way.
 By working aimlessly, you will not get success.
 In spite of working hard, he was insulted by his
boss.
 Note: Prepositional phrases include all other
types of phrases.

15. Conjunctional Phrase
 A conjunctional phrase works as a conjunction in
the sentence.

16. Examples
 As soon as you got in, he went out.
 We have to work hard so that we can win the next
match.
 I will attend the ceremony provided that you come.
 John started working early in order that he could
finish early.

17. Interjectional Phrase
 Interjections that have more than one words are
called the interjectional phrases.

18. Examples
 What a pity! He is dead.
 What a pleasure! I won the first prize.
 Oh please! Don’t say that again.

19. Clause
 A clause is comprised of a group of words which
includes a subject and a finite verb.
 A clause contains only one subject and one verb.
 The subject of a clause can be mentioned or hidden,
but the verb must be apparent and distinguishable.

20. Clause according to Merriam Webster
 A clause “a group of words containing a subject and
predicate and functioning as a member of a complex
or compound sentence.” – Merriam-Webster

21. Examples
 I graduated last year. (One clause sentence)
 When I came here, I saw him. (Two clause
sentence)
 When I came here, I saw him, and he greeted
me. (Three clause sentence)

22. Types
 Independent Clause
 Dependent Clause

23. Independent Clause
 An independent clause functions on its own to
make a meaningful sentence and looks much like a
regular sentence.
 In a sentence two independent clauses can be
connected by the coordinators: and, but, so, or,
nor, for, yet.

24. Examples
 He is a wise man.
 I like him.
 Can you do it?
 Do it please. (Subject you is hidden)
 I read the whole story.
 I want to buy a phone, but I don’t have enough
money. (Two independent clauses)
 He went to London and visited the Lords.
(Subject of the second clause is ‘he,' so “he
visited the Lords” is an independent clause.)
 Alex smiles whenever he sees her. (One independent
clause)

25. Dependent Clause
 A dependent clause cannot function on its own
because it leaves an idea or thought unfinished.
 It is also called subordinate clause. Dependent clauses
help the independent clauses complete the sentence.
 A dependent clause alone cannot form a complete
sentence.
 The subordinators do the work of connecting the
dependent clause to another clause to complete the
sentence.
 In each of the dependent clause, the first word is a
subordinator.
 Subordinators include relative pronouns, subordinating
conjunctions, and noun clause markers.

26. Examples
 When I was dating Daina, I had an accident.
 I know the man who stole the watch.
 He bought a car which was too expensive.
 I know that he cannot do it.
 He does not know where he was born.
 If you don’t eat, I won’t go.
 He is a very talented player though he is out of
form.

27. THANK YOU