This document defines and provides examples of different types of phrases, clauses, and sentence structures: 1) It describes prepositional phrases, appositive phrases, verbal phrases, and other types of phrases. 2) It explains independent clauses, subordinate clauses like adjective and adverb clauses, and the different types of sentences that can be formed from clauses. 3) It provides examples of common grammatical errors like unintentionally capitalizing phrases and fragments.

2.  A phrase is a group of words, without a subject
and verb, that functions in a sentence as one part
of speech.
Examples:
 leaving behind the dog
 smashing into a fence
 before the first test

3. 1. PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES
• contain a preposition and a noun or pronoun
called the object of the preposition.
Examples:
PREP OBJ OF PRE
 on the freshly pressed white jacket
PREP OBJ OF PREP OBJ OF PREP
 beside the driftwood and seaweed

4.  Prepositional phrases modify adjectives or
adverbs and are called either adjective phrases
or adverb phrases.
 Adjective phrase is a prepositional phrase that
modifies a noun or pronoun by telling what kind
or which one.
 Examples:
 For Tom, fame is the only reason for writing.
(What kind of reason?)
 The lamp on Tom’s desk was a Christmas gift.
(Which lamp?)

5.  Adverb phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies
a verb, an adjective, or adverb by pointing out where,
when, in what manner, or to what extent.
 Examples:
 Wanting to impress Sue, Tom planned to make
reservations at an expensive restaurant. (Make
reservations where?)
 The volcano rumbled in the early morning. (Rumbled
when?)
 Tom consumed the sundae in short order. (Consumed
in what manner?)
 The shovel bit deep into the earth. (Deep to what
extent?)

6.  2. APPOSITIVE AND APPOSITIVE PHRASES
• are words placed next to nouns and pronouns to
provide additional information.
An appositive is a noun or pronoun placed next to
another noun or pronoun to identify, rename, or
explain it.
Examples:
 She did not care for his hobby, running.
 My friend Marilyn broke her collarbone.

7. An appositive phrase is a noun or pronoun with
modifiers placed next to a noun or pronoun to
add information and details.
Examples:
 My jacket, a windbreaker, fits well. (with a subject)
 I bought a book, an international atlas. (with a
direct object)
 The man gave his wife, his partner for ten years, a
beautiful opal ring. (with an indirect object)

8. To set up contrasts, appositives and appositive
phrase may begin with the word not.
Example:
 You should leave at seven o’clock, not eight
o’clock.
Appositives and appositive phrases can be
compound.
Example:
 The family -Trapp, his wife, and his children-
escaped from Austria during World War II.

9. Two sentences can be combined by turning the
information in one sentence into an appositive.
Examples:
Two sentences: The fruit was picked. The fruit was
sun-ripened pears.
Sentence with appositive phrase: The fruit, sun-
ripened pears, was picked.

10.  3. VERBAL AND VERBAL PHRASES
• A verbal is a word derived from a verb but used as
a noun, adjective, or adverb.
• A verbal with modifiers or a complement is called
a verbal phrase.
• There are three kinds of verbals – participles,
gerunds, and infinitives – and the phrases that can
be formed around them.

11.  3. VERBAL AND VERBAL PHRASES
• PARTICIPLES AND PARTICIPIAL PHRASES
A participles is a form of a verb that acts as an
adjective.
FORMS OF PARTICIPLES
Kinds of Forms Examples
Participles
Present Ends in -ing His fascinating
Participle responses convinced us
Past Ends in –ed, -t, - The extended table
Participle en accommodated more
people.
Perfect Includes having or Having exercised, I
Participle having been rested.
before a past
participle

12.  3. VERBAL AND VERBAL PHRASES
A participial phrase is a participle modified by an
adverb or adverb phrase or accompanied by
complement.
Examples:
 Burning brightly, the fire lit up the room.
 Holding the snake, I felt its cool skin.

13. 3. VERBAL AND VERBAL PHRASES
• GERUNDS AND GERUND PHRASES
A gerund is a form of a verb that acts as a noun.
Examples:
 Vaulting is my best event in gymnastics.
 Swallowing hurt my sore throat.

14.  3. VERBAL AND VERBAL PHRASES
• GERUNDS AND GERUND PHRASES
A gerund phrase is a gerund with modifiers or a
complement, all acting together as a noun.
Examples:
 Worrying about the deadline prevented the writer
from sleeping.
 Fishing from the pier is permitted.

15.  3. VERBAL AND VERBAL PHRASES
• INFINITIVES AND INFINITIVE PHRASES
An infinitive is a form of a verb that generally
appears with the word to and acts as a noun,
adjective, or adverb.
Kinds of OF
FORMS INFINITIVES
Forms Examples
Infinitives
Present To plus the base I like to debate.
Infinitives form of a verb
Perfect To have or to have I would have
Infinitives been plus a past liked to have
participle gone.

16.  3. VERBAL AND VERBAL PHRASES
• INFINITIVES AND INFINITIVE PHRASES
An infinitive phrase is an infinitive with modifiers,
a complement, or a subject, all acting together as
a single part of speech.
Examples:
 The baby wanted to wiggle continuously.
 I plan to visit during the afternoon.
 The student asked the college to send a catalog.

17.  A clause is a group of words with its own subject
and verb.
Examples:
 Since she laughs at diffident men
 Because she smiled at him
 When the saints go marching in

18. 1. INDEPENDENT CLAUSES
◦ has a subject and a verb and can stand by itself as
a complete sentence.
Examples:
 The school will be closed on Friday.
 I love grammar.

19.  2. SUBORDINATE CLAUSES
◦ also known as “Dependent Clause”.
◦ A subordinate clause, although it has a subject
and a verb, cannot stand by itself as a sentence; it
is only part of a sentence.
Examples:
 After the children left for school
 Because I love grammar

20.  2. SUBORDINATE CLAUSES
◦ KINDS OF SUBORDINATE CLAUSES
o ADJECTIVE CLAUSES (a.k.a. relative clause)
An adjective clause is a subordinate clause that
modifies a noun or pronoun by telling what kind or
which one.
Example:
 The rug, which I bought yesterday, is beige.
 I still remember the time when you broke your arm.

21.  2. SUBORDINATE CLAUSES
◦ KINDS OF SUBORDINATE CLAUSES
o ADJECTIVE CLAUSES (a.k.a. relative clause)
 Essential Adjective Clause – begins with a relative
pronoun like that or who. An essential clause is not
set off by commas.
Example:
 The building that they built in San Francisco sold for
a lot of money.

22.  2. SUBORDINATE CLAUSES
◦ KINDS OF SUBORDINATE CLAUSES
o ADJECTIVE CLAUSES (a.k.a. relative clause)
 Nonessential Adjective Clause – begins with a relative
pronoun like which or who and set off by commas.
Example:
 The building, which they built in San Francisco, sold
for a lot of money.

23.  2. SUBORDINATE CLAUSES
◦ KINDS OF SUBORDINATE CLAUSES
o ADVERB CLAUSES
An adverb clause is a subordinate clause that
modifies a verb, adjective, adverb, or verbal. it does
this by pointing out where, when, in what manner,
to what extent, under what condition, or why.
Example:
 I’ll do the laundry when I’m out of clothes.
 We called because we were worried about you.

24.  2. SUBORDINATE CLAUSES
◦ KINDS OF SUBORDINATE CLAUSES
o NOUN CLAUSES
A noun clause is a subordinate clause that acts as a
noun in a sentence.
Example:
 The boy wondered if his parents bought him what
he wanted for Christmas.
 The dentist treated whichever patient arrived first.

25.  Sentences may be classified according to the kind
and number of clause they contain.
1. A simple sentence consists of a single independent clause.
2. A compound sentence consists of two or more independent
clauses joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction or
by a semicolon.
3. A complex sentence consists of one independent clauses
and one or more subordinated clauses.
4. A compound-complex sentence consists of two or more
independent clauses and one or more subordinate clauses.

26.  Examples:
Simple Sentence I received your letter last week.
Either Fran or Dave will sell the tickets.
Compound One group addressed the envelopes, and
Sentence another sorted them by ZIP code.
Complex SUBORDINATE CLAUSE
Sentence Although the old photograph had faded badly,
MAIN CLAUSE
we could still see many details.
Compound- INDEPENDENT CLAUSE SUBORDINATE CLAUSE
Complex I turned on the heat as soon as we arrived,
and
INDEPENDENT CLAUSE
Now the house is warm.

27.  Do not unintentionally capitalize and punctuate
phrases, subordinate clauses, or words in a series
as if they were complete sentences.
 Examples:
 Participial Fragment:
Error:
o Angered by the injustice of the remark.
Correction:
o Angered by the injustice of the remark, Linda argued with
her friend.

28.  Prepositional Fragment:
Error:
o With his hand in the cookie jar.
Correction:
o The four-year old culprit was caught with his hand in the
cookie jar.

29.  Noun Fragment:
Error:
o A hurricane with fierce winds and rain.
Correction:
o A hurricane with fierce winds and rain lashed the coast.
 Verb Fragment:
Error:
o Will be at the rehearsal today.
Correction:
o I will be at the rehearsal today.