Transcript Document 7582825

Phrases and Clauses
(Expanding simple sentences into
complex sentences).
Phrases – a group of words that
lacks a subject, a verb, or both.
3 Main Types:
Prepositional
Participial
Appositive
Prepositional
• Preposition – a word used to show the relationship of a noun or
pronoun to some other word in the sentence. Common
prepositions: about, above, across, around, at, before, between,
by, concerning, during, except, for, from, in, into, of, over,
since, through, to, toward, under, until, up, upon, with, within.
• Def. – A prepositional phrase is a group of words beginning with a
preposition and usually ending with a noun or pronoun.
• Examples – at the lake; inside the house; under the sea; along the
path
• Rule of thumb – Prepositional phrases do not stand by themselves;
they are parts of a sentence and are used as modifiers (a modifier is
a word or phrase that describes or makes more definite), sometimes
as adjectives and at other times as adverbs. [An adjective phrase is
a prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or a pronoun; ex. That
tall building with the red tower is our new library.] [An adverb
phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, an adjective,
or another adverb; ex. Louisa May Alcott wrote with great care.]
Strategy #1: Combine sentences
by using prepositional phrases.
• Not Combined: Handlers can usually train
dogs. Training is in basic obedience.
Training takes about eight weeks.
• Combined: Handlers can usually train
dogs in basic obedience in about eight
weeks. (prepositional phrases in bold)
Participial phrases
• Participle – a word that is formed from a verb and used
as an adjective; ex. The talking students were asked to
be quiet. The cheering fans waited for their team to
arrive.
• Def. – A participial phrase is a phrase containing a
participle and any complements (complement - one or
more words in the predicate that complete the meaning
of the subject and verb) or modifiers it may have. A
predicate is the part of the sentence that says something
about the subject [i.e. the verb and those words that
follow; ex. John (subject) walks by the road (predicate).]
• Examples – Nodding his head, the student agreed with
the teacher. Holding her breath, the cheerleader
waited for the results. Disturbed by his letter, she
called him on the phone.
Strategy #2: Combine sentences
using participial phrases.
– Not Combined: Handlers and dogs work
together. This strengthens the bond between
pet and master.
– Combined: Handlers and dogs work together,
strengthening the bond between pet and
master. (participial phrase in bold)
Appositive phrases
• Appositive – a noun or pronoun that follows
another noun or pronoun to identify or explain it.
Ex. Her sister Nancy was a year older. My
favorite dog Sherman ran away from home.
• Def. – An appositive phrase is made up of an
appositive and its modifiers.
• Examples – We drove through Tallahassee, the
capital of Florida. George Washington, the
first president of America, was a great military
leader.
Strategy #3: Combine sentences
by using appositive phrases.
– Not Combined: A training collar helps the
handler correct the dog. It is the handler’s
most important tool.
– Combined: A training collar, the handler’s
most important tool, helps correct the dog.
(appositive phrase in bold)
Other Phrases
Verbals
(Verb phrases)
Absolutes
Gerunds
Infinitives
Absolutes – p. 220
• A word group that modifies a whole clause
or sentence, usually consisting of a noun
followed by a participle or participial
phrase.
• Ex. His tone suggesting no hint of
humor, the minister told us to love our
enemies because it would drive them nuts.
Gerunds
• A verb form ending in –ing that is used as
a noun.
• Ex. Jogging can be good exercise.
• A gerund phrase includes the gerund and
all the words related to the gerund.
• Ex. Shouting at people does not make
them understand you better.
Infinitive
• A verb from that can be used as a noun, an
adjective, or an adverb. It has the word to
directly before the plain form of the verb.
• Examples:
– To forgive does not always mean to forget. (used as
a noun)
– The best time to visit the north is in the summer.
(used as an adjective)
– They were eager to try. (used as an adverb)
• An infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive
together with its complements and modifiers.
• Ex. To lift those weights takes a lot of strength.
Clauses
3 Main Types
of Clauses
Adverb Clause
Adjective Clause
Noun Clause
Adverb Clauses
• An adverb clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a
verb, an adjective, or an adverb by telling how, when,
where, or under what condition
• Adverb clauses begin with subordinate conjunctions and
answer such questions as where, why, when, how, to
what extent, in what manner, and under what conditions.
• Subordinate conjunctions:
– After, although, as, because, since, though, unless, until, when,
whenever, where, wherever, while, that, as long as, even
though, in order that, so that, provided that, as if.
Adverb Clauses continued
–
–
–
Example: Because the house had been empty for so long, the
lawn and garden were choked with weeds. [The adverbial
clause is underlined and because is the subordinating
conjunction.]
When combining two sentences, identify the less important
sentence and join it with the other sentence by adding a
subordinating clause [don’t forget to use punctuation when
combining.].
Example: The medium-sized sun will last longer than more
massive stars. Massive stars burn up their fuel at a very fast
rate. [When combining these two sentences using an adverb
clause, it looks like this: Since massive stars burn up their
fuel at a very fast rate, the medium-sized sun will last longer
than more massive stars.]
Adjective clauses
• An adjective clause is a subordinate clause used
as an adjective to modify a noun or a pronoun.
• Adjective clauses begin with relative pronouns: who,
whose, that, whom, which OR relative adverbs: when,
why, where.
• Note: Sometimes a relative pronoun is omitted. The
missing pronoun, however, is understood and still
functions in the sentence.
• Examples:
– The flowers (that) I bought for my mother are beautiful.
– The friends (whom) I visited are my cousins.
Adjective clause continued
–
–
Example: The novel that I read in class was very
interesting. [The adjective clause is underlined
once and the relative pronoun that introduces the
clause is italicized.]
When combining two sentences, identify the less
important sentence and join it with the other
sentence by adding a relative pronoun [Add
commas when you use the word which.]
•
•
Ex. The school has just been declared a landmark. The
school was renovated last year. [When combining these
two sentences using an adjective clause, it looks like this:
The school, which was renovated last year, has just been
declared a landmark.]
Ex. I borrowed a novel from the library. The novel is about
the American Revolution. [When combining these two
sentences using an adjective clause, it looks like this: The
novel that I borrowed from the library is about the American
Revolution.]
Noun Clauses
• Noun clauses often begin with the words that,
which, who, whom, or whose (the same
pronouns used to begin adjective clauses).
Noun clauses can also use variants of those
words such as whichever, whoever, or
whomever. Noun clauses may also begin with
the words when, where, whether, why, how, if
what, or whatever.
• Examples:
– No one knew where we were headed.
– She asked whether we should go.
– Do you know when you are leaving?
A Final Note about Noun Clauses
• Sometimes students confuse noun clauses
functioning as appositives with adjective
clauses. Remember, appositives rename the
noun before them, whereas adjectives describe
that noun.
• Examples:
– The report that there was an earthquake alarmed my
mother. (Noun clause)
• Notice that you can replace “the report” with “that there was
an earthquake.” And both, of course, can be replaced with
the pronoun “it.”
– The report that was in the paper explained the
situation. (Adjective clause)
• You can not say “That was in the paper explained the
situation.”