Phrases Phrases When one adjective or adverb cannot convey enough information, a phrase - PowerPoint Presentation

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Phrases

Phrases

When one adjective or adverb cannot convey enough information, a phrase can contribute more detail to a sentence. A

phrase

is a group of words that does not include a subject and verb and cannot stand alone as a sentence.

Kinds of Phrases

Prepositional phrases

Appositive phrases

Participial phrases

Gerund phrases

Infinitive phrases

Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition and a noun or pronoun, called the object of the preposition.

b

etween

the

window

and the

wall

preposition

object

object

with

the

wind

and the freezing

rain

Preposition

object

object

b

eside

the

underground

stream and

rock

Preposition

object

object

Adjectival Phrases

An adjectival phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies(describes) a noun or pronoun by telling what kind or which one.

A painting

of great beauty

hung in the palace.

Mary had lunch

from a

paperbag

.

The mansion

across the road

has been abandoned.

Let’s take a picture

of the Eiffel Tower

.

I gave the people

on the bus

a tour.

France is a country

with many charms

.

Adjectival Phrases

A sentence may contain two or more adjectival phrases.

We bought tickets

for the trip

to Paris

.

The painting

of the zoo

in the museum

is old.

Adverbial Phrases

An adverbial phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb by

pointing out where, why when, in what way, or to what extent

.

Adverbial Phrases

She ran

with speed

. (tells in what way)

I was frightened

at the time

. (tells when)

The birds flew

over the house

. (tells where)

The ball rolled

across the floor

.

Charlie was annoyed

beyond belief

.

He buried the thought deep

in his mind

.

Adverbial Phrases

An adverbial phrase may either follow the word it modifies or be located elsewhere in the sentence. Often, two adverbs in different parts of a sentence can modify the same word.

A village flooded

during the storm

.

During the storm

, a village flooded.

After dinner

we all gathered

in the living room

.

Appositives & Appositive Phrases

An appositive is a group of words that identifies, renames, or explains a noun or pronoun. Using an appositive is an easy way to give additional information about a noun or pronoun.

Appositives & Appositive Phrases

Some villagers,

the old-timers

, prefer to travel the dirt roads.

The home team,

the Cougars

, won the season title.

As the examples show, appositives usually come right after the words they explain and are set off by punctuation. These appositives are nonessential, meaning that they can be removed from the sentence without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Appositives

Some appositives are

essential

and

are not set off by punctuation

because they are important to the meaning of the sentence.

The artist

Monet

was a French painter.

(The appositive is essential because it identifies which specific artist.)

My brother

Hermando

is a graceful dancer.

(The appositive is essential because you might have several brothers.)

Appositive Phrases

More examples of appositive phrases

Mrs. Maldonado,

my English teacher

, assigned an essay.

Fred explained numismatics,

the hobby of coin collecting

.

Ernest Hemingway,

a famous author

, wrote in a terse style.

The chef prepared lasagna,

an Italian dish

.

I brought my brother,

a boy of six

, a souvenir from my trip.

I chose the color purple,

an unusual color for a house

.

Store the onions in the cellar,

a cool, dry place

.

Gerunds & Gerund Phrases

A

gerund

is a form of a verb that ends in –

ing

and acts as a noun.

A

gerund phrase

consists of a gerund an one or more modifiers. These phrases act together as a noun.

Gerunds

Skiing

is my favorite pastime.

The French people make

visiting

France a pleasure.

Mr. Mendoza’s lecture gave

traveling

a new dimension.

My dad’s favorite activity is

fishing

.

His dog showed signs of careful

training

.

Brady’s profession,

advertising

, is very competitive.

Note all gerunds function as a noun in the sentence…not a verb!!!!

Gerunds

Kevin

is

yawning

at his desk.

(verb –

note helping verb

)

The

yawning

boy was very tired.

(participle)

Yawning

is contagious.

(gerund)

My sister

was

sighing

, and that upset me.

(verb –

helping verb

)

Sighing

, my sister upset me. (participle)

My sister’s

sighing

upset me. (gerund)

Gerund Phrases

Solo flying

is not for beginners.

Answering quickly

is not always a good idea.

Many places in the city prohibit

walking on the grass

.

Pete was incapable of

reciting the poem

.

The algebra teacher tried

giving her students praise

.

Note gerund phrases contain the gerund and its modifiers.

Infinitives

An

infinitive

is a form of a verb that generally appears with the

word

“

to

” in front of it

and acts as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.

Infinitives

To understand

life requires maturity and acceptance.

(noun)

The peasants decided

to rebel

. (noun)

The soldier’s only hope was

to surrender

. (noun)

I have no goal except

to finish school

. (noun)

You have only one choice,

to stay

. (noun)

The children showed a willingness

to cooperate

. (adjective)

Some people were unable

to fight

. (adverb)

Participle Phrases

The most common kinds of participles are present participles and past participles. The two participles can be distinguished from one another by their endings.

Present participles

usually end in –

ing

(frightening, entertaining)

Past participles

usually end in –

ed

(frightened, entertained), but many have irregular endings, such as –t or –

en

(burnt, written).

Participle Phrases

The

limping

hiker favored his

aching

ankle. (present)

Irma’s

shining

eyes betrayed her excitement. (present)

Confused

, Nan returned to her

interrupted

work. (past)

The

shattered

window needs replacement. (past)

A participle is a form of a verb that can act

as an adjective

.

Participle Phrases

REMEMBER

a

verb

shows an action, a condition, or the fact that something exists. A

participle

acting as an adjective modifies a noun or pronoun.