Phrase

What Is a Phrase?

A phrase is a group of words that stand together as a single grammatical unit, typically as part of another phrase, a clause, or a sentence. For example:

Our vicar played football before he came here.
She eats eggs in the morning.
Cats from the alleys control the mice.

A phrase does not contain a subject and verb and, consequently, cannot convey a complete thought.

Table of Contents

The Difference between a Phrase and a Clause
Interactive Examples of Phrases
Easy Examples of Phrases
Video Lesson
Types of Phrase
Adjective Phrase
Adverbial Phrase
Noun Phrase
Prepositional Phrase
Gerund Phrase
Infinitive Phrase
Participle Phrase
Appositive Phrase
Phrases Functioning as Different Parts of Speech
Why Phrases Are Important
Test Time!

The Difference between a Phrase and a Clause

A phrase is different to a clause because a clause contains a subject and verb, and a clause can convey a complete idea.

The Hierarchy of Word Units

Here is the hierarchy of word units, which includes "phrase" and "clause":

Word (e.g., shark)

Phrase (e.g., a seven-foot tiger shark)

Clause (e.g., When a seven-foot tiger shark arrived...)

Sentence (e.g., A seven-foot tiger shark arrived.)

independent clause

Complex Sentence (e.g., When a seven-foot tiger shark arrived, the crew stopped fishing.)

Compound Sentence (e.g., A seven-foot tiger shark arrived, and the crew stopped fishing.)

Interactive Examples of Phrases

Here are some interactive examples to help explain the difference between single words, phrases, and clauses. (In these examples, the subjects are blue, and the verbs are green. Note that none of the phrases has a subject or a verb.)

Easy Examples of Phrases

Let's start with a sentence that has no phrases and then build some in.

Janet eats cakes daily.
My cousin Janet eats cakes daily.
My cousin Janet eats cakes during the week.

adverb

My cousin Janet was eating cakes during the week.

verb

My cousin Janet was eating cream cakes from the bakery during the week.

direct object

The examples above prove that phrases function as one single unit within a sentence. But, let's look a little closer.

The term "cream cakes from the bakery" has its own embedded phrase ("from the bakery"). This is a prepositional adjectival phrase describing the "cream cakes." So, it is possible to have a phrase within a phrase. Here is another example:

It is a permit for salmon fishing.
It is a permit for salmon fishing.

Video Lesson

Here is a short video summarizing this lesson on phrases. video lesson

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos.

Types of Phrase

Here are some examples of the common types of phrase.

Adjective Phrase

An adjective phrase is a group of words headed by an adjective that modifies a noun. In these examples, the adjective phrases are shaded and the head adjective is in bold.

Dexter had noticeably evil eyes.
Victoria was immensely proud of us.

The term "adjectival phrase" is often used interchangeably with "adjective phrase," but many grammarians reserve "adjectival phrase" for multi-word adjectives that are not headed by an adjective. For example:

My auntie is the lady with all the unicorn tattoos.

Adverbial Phrase

An adverbial phrase is a group of words that functions as an adverb. In these examples, the adverbial phrases are shaded.

He sings in a low register.

preposition

Luckily for us, we arrived just in time.

Noun Phrase

A noun phrase consists of a noun and all its modifiers. In these examples, the noun phrases are shaded and the head nouns are in bold.

How much is that doggy in the window?

prepositional phrase

You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans.

prepositional phrase

gerund phrase

Prepositional Phrase

A prepositional phrase is a group of words that consists of a preposition, its object (which will be a noun or a pronoun), and any words that modify the object. In these examples, the prepositional phrases are shaded and the prepositions are in bold.

I lived near the beach.

adverb of place

How much is that doggy in the window?
You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans.

Gerund Phrase

A gerund phrase is a phrase that consists of a gerund, its object, and any modifiers. In these examples, the gerund phrases are shaded and the gerunds are in bold.

Moving quickly but stealthily is the key to survival.
Arithmetic is the ability to count up to twenty without taking off your shoes. (Mickey Mouse)

Infinitive Phrase

An infinitive phrase is the infinitive form of a verb plus any complements and modifiers. In these examples, the infinitive phrases are shaded and the infinitive verbs are in bold.

She tells you to dance like no one is watching.
The first step in forgiveness is the willingness to forgive those who have wronged us. (Author Marianne Williamson)

Participle Phrase

A participle phrase is an adjective phrase headed by a participle. In these examples, the participle phrases are shaded and the participles are in bold.

Overcome with disappointment, the professor shook his head and sighed.
Within 5 seconds, the dog chasing the hare was out of sight.

Appositive Phrase

An appositive is a noun or a noun phrase that sits next to another noun to rename it or to describe it in another way. In these examples, the appositives are shaded.

Elizabeth I, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, became Queen of England in 1558.
Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, is often called USA's greatest inventor.

Phrases Functioning as Different Parts of Speech

Here is a list of the parts of speech with an example of a phrase functioning as each one.

Phrase Functioning As an Adjective

I am looking for a book to make me laugh.

Why Phrases Are Important

As we've covered, the scope of the term "phrase" is wide, and it is not uncommon to have a phrase that has another phrase embedded within it, which itself could have an embedded phrase. That sounds complicated, and it can be, but here's one simple, key fact about every phrase: it will only function as one part of speech.

That said, here are the top seven writing issues related to phrases.

(Issue 1) When your noun phrase is the subject of a verb, ensure subject-verb agreement with the head noun.

The Spitfire's 9-yard belt of bullets give us the term "the full nine yards."
The Spitfire's 9-yard belt of bullets gives us the term "the full nine yards."

Do not be tricked into agreeing the verb with the nearest noun (here, "bullets"). When a noun phrase is the subject of a verb, the head noun governs the verb. Read more about subject-verb agreement.

(Issue 2) Avoid ambiguity when placing your prepositional phrase.

Ambiguity with prepositional phrases can be an issue. Look at this example:

Mark fed the shark in the cage.

You should eliminate such ambiguity by rewording. For example:

Mark was in the cage when he fed the shark.
Mark fed the shark that was in the cage.

Of course, as readers have some context, there is usually no genuine ambiguity, but you should still strive to keep your sentences ambiguity-free to portray yourself as a clear thinker. Here is another example:

Simon and his mother were reunited after 52 years in McDonald's.

When you use a prepositional phrase, check to see whether it could potentially be modifying something else in your sentence. Bear in mind that, even though it's clear to you what your prepositional phrase is modifying, it might not be clear to your readers.

If your prepositional phrase is ambiguous, move it next to (usually immediately to the right of) whatever it's meant to be modifying. That usually does the trick. For example:

Simon and his mother were reunited in McDonald's after 52 years.

Sometimes, you have to reword. For example:

Joe hit the burglar with a hammer. (ambiguous)
Joe hit with a hammer the burglar. (unwieldy)
Joe used a hammer to hit the burglar.

(Issue 3) Don't use a hyphen with an adverb ending "-ly."

When an adverb ending -"ly" (and lots do) is modifying an adjective, don't use a hyphen to join it to the adjective. The hyphen is unjustified (in the interest of writing efficiency).

She has beautifully-formed feet.

However, if your adverb is one like "well," "fast," "best," or "better" (i.e., one that could feasibly be mistaken as an adjective), then use a hyphen to eliminate any ambiguity.

She has well-formed feet.

(The hyphen is justified to make it clear you mean the adverb "well," i.e., healthily, and not the adjective "well," i.e., healthy.) Read more about this issue on the "adjective phrases" page.

(Issue 4) You can usually save two words by deleting "in order" in a phrase that starts "in order to."

If you need to reduce your word count, you can usually replace "in order to" with just "to" without any loss of meaning. For example:

You need a stubborn belief in an idea ~~in order~~ to see it realised. (Inventor James Dyson)

(Issue 5) Punctuate your participle phrases correctly.

Here are some general guidelines to help with correctly placing and punctuating a participle phrase.

(Guideline 1) When a participle phrase is at the front of a sentence, offset it with a comma and put the noun being modified immediately after the comma.

Removing his glasses, the professor shook his head with disappointment.

(Guideline 2) When a participle phrase follows the noun it's modifying, don't use a comma.

Scandal is gossip made tedious by morality. (Playwright Oscar Wilde)

However, if the participle phrase is nonessential (i.e., you could delete it or put it in brackets), then offset with a comma (or two commas if it's mid-sentence). (You could also use dashes or brackets.)

The yellow Ferrari, unregistered in the UK and probably stolen in France, was used as the get-away car.

Read more about this issue on the page about restrictive (or essential) modifiers.

(Guideline 3) When a participle phrase is at the end of your sentence and not immediately after its noun, offset it with a comma to help show that it's not modifying whatever is to its left.

The boys loved their boxing gloves, wearing them even to bed.

(Issue 6) Split infinitives are okay.

Often, an infinitive phrase will feature a split infinitive(e.g., "to really try," "to secretly observe").

Using a split infinitive is usually the most succinct and natural way to write. However, there's an issue with the split infinitive: some regard it as non-standard English or even a grammar mistake. Let's be clear. Split infinitives are perfectly acceptable.

But, can you take the risk that some of your readers might consider you sloppy for using a split infinitive? Here's some advice: Have a quick go at rewording your sentence to avoid the split infinitive, but if your new sentence doesn't read as well (and it probably won't), go with the split infinitive.

In these examples, the split infinitives are in bold and the infinitive phrases are shaded:

He needs to accurately present the facts.
He needs to present the facts accurately.

(Issue 7) Gerunds can reduce your word count and improve reading flow.

Gerund phrases are useful for reducing your word count and writing better-flowing sentences. Look at this sentence:

The discovery of this new cave will assist with the facilitation of the exploration of the western tunnels.

Here is the sentence using gerund phrases:

Discovering this new cave will assist with exploring the western tunnels.

Key Points

When a noun phrase is the subject of a verb, don't let the modifiers divert your eye from the head noun as it must govern the verb.
If your prepositional phrase could cause ambiguity, put it next to whatever it's modifying.
Join the adverb "well" to any adjective it's modifying with a hyphen.
If "in order to" adds no clarity and you're not looking for emphasis on the reason, delete "in order."
Split infinitives are fine.
Placed at the front of a sentence, a participle phrase is offset with a comma.
A participle phrase placed immediately after the noun its modifying is not offset with commas (unless it's nonessential).
Use gerund phrases to write shorter, better-flowing sentences.