Sentences include a variety of phrases and clauses. But what’s the difference between a phrase and clause, and how can you tell if you’re using them correctly? Keep reading to identify the differences between a phrase and a clause when writing a strong sentence.
Phrases and clauses are both groups of two or more words that convey ideas. However, there is an easy way to tell if you’re using a phrase or a clause. The main difference is that clauses have both a subject and a predicate; phrases do not.
Phrases are part of clauses. They add meaning to sentences, but the sentence can exist without a phrase. Removing an entire clause from a sentence may affect understanding.
Phrases include details that make a sentence more interesting. They can clarify location, describe an action, and make a noun easier to picture. There are eight main types of phrases that add variety to the average sentence.
A noun phrase, also known as a nominal, functions as a noun in a sentence. It includes a noun and its modifiers, which describe more about the noun. You can use adjective phrases to further describe a noun.
Examples of noun phrases include:
Like noun phrases, verb phrases contain a verb and its modifiers. They can also include helping or linking verbs. Adverb phrases often appear within verb phrases.
Here are some examples of verb phrases:
A gerund is an -ing verb used as a noun. When you use a gerund phrase, you’re basically using a noun phrase with a gerund instead of a noun. For example:
Infinitives are verbs that begin with the linking verb to. You can start a sentence with an infinitive phrase, or you can use it in the sentence predicate. Infinitive phrases function as nouns or adjectives in a sentence, depending on how they are used.
Examples of infinitive phrases include:
You use one-word appositives to clarify which specific noun you are talking about. Appositive phrases work the same way, except they use more than one word. Here are some sentences with appositive phrases:
When you need to describe more about the position of a noun or pronoun, you use a preposition. A prepositional phrase includes all of the words that follow, which can include noun phrases. Check out these examples of prepositional phrases:
Participles are similar to gerunds in that they use verbs in a different way. Participial phrases typically begin with a participle (verb used as an adjective) and the modifiers that follow. Like adjectives, they modify nouns.
It’s easy to mistake absolute phrases as clauses. Even though they appear to contain both a noun and a verb, the verb is functioning as a participle, not an action word. Some examples of absolute phrases include:
Need more help with any of these phrases? You can read more examples of phrases here.
AdvertisementClauses are the backbone of a sentence. They contain the subject and predicate that make a sentence complete. While some clauses can’t stand alone as their own sentences, they must have a subject and verb to be classified as a clause.
Independent clauses are complete sentences. You can combine two independent clauses in a compound sentence, or add a dependent clause to create a complex sentence. Some examples of independent clauses include:
Dependent clauses are also known as subordinate clauses. While dependent clauses have subjects and verbs, they do not express a complete thought. They need to connect to an independent clause with a coordinating conjunction or subordinating conjunction.
Common types of dependent clauses are relative clauses, noun clauses, adjective clauses, and adverbial clauses. Relative clauses begin with relative pronouns, and noun clauses function as either the subject or object of a sentence. Adjective clauses further describe the noun in a sentence and adverbial clauses modify the verb of the sentence.
Examples of these dependent clauses include:
