Phrases and Clauses
Phrase
Clause
Kinds of Clauses
Phrase
A phrase is a group of words working together. Some examples of phrases are:
- in the office -- This is a prepositional phrase. (The meeting will be in the office.)
- pick up -- This is a phrasal verb. (He picked up some pamphlets at the conference.)
- a big profit -- This is a noun phrase. (MacCorp has a big profit this year.)
Clause
A clause is a group of words working together with a subject and a verb showing time (or tense).Some examples of clauses are:
- The budget was cut. (Independent Clause)
- The budget for advertising on the Internet was cut. (Independent Clause)
- because the ads didn’t focus locally (Dependent or Subordinate Adverb Clause of Reason)
- Please book the flight connecting to Toronto. (Independent Clause using the Imperative Mood -- a Command)
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Kinds of Clauses
The type of clause depends on its completeness and its function in the sentence.- The shipment arrived at 5 p.m. (Independent Clause)
- after the shipment had arrived (Dependent Adverb Clause of Time)
- The shipment arrived late, but this did not cause any problems. (Two Independent Clauses joined by the co-ordinating conjunction "and".)
- After the shipment had arrived, the assembly line was restarted. (An Adverb Clause of Time and an Independent Clause)
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