Phrase definition: A phrase is a grammatical term

referring to a group of words that does not include a

subject and verb.
What is a Phrase? Examples,
Definitions
What are phrases? A phrase is a group (or pairing) of
words in English. A phrase can be long or short but it
does not include the subject-verb pairing necessary to
make a clause.
Some examples of phrases include:
after the meal (prepositional phrase)

the nice neighbor (noun phrase)

were waiting for the movie (verb phrase)

Each example of a phrase above does not contain a

subject doing an action (subject-verb). Therefore, each
example is merely a group of words called a phrase.

A phrase will always be more than one word.

Phrases vs. Clauses: a

Hierarchy of Word Units
 A phrase is any group of
words that does not contain a subject completing an
action.

When a group of words contains a subject doing an

action (subject-verb), it becomes a clause.

Phrases can be added to sentences to make them

more complex.

Concepts can begin with a single word and develop

into a compound sentence.

Example:
meal (word)

after the meal (phrase)

that mom prepared (clause)

After the meal that mom prepared I felt full.

(sentence)
After the meal that mom prepared, I felt full

because I ate too much. (complex sentence)

After the meal that mom prepared I felt full, but my

brother was still hungry. (compound sentence)

More Phrase Examples
 Before we go into
different types of grammatical phrases, lets look at a
few more examples of phrases.

In the air (prepositional phrase)

Beside the bed (prepositional phrase)

Along the road (prepositional phrase)

To live and breathe (infinitive phrase)

Looking stunning (participle phrase)

As you can see, English phrases can be just about any

combination of words so long as they do not contain a
subject-verb pairing.

Different Types of Phrase

What is a noun phrase? Noun phrases consist of a
noun and its modifiers.
the nice neighbor

a soft, comfortable bed

What is a verb phrase? Verb phrases consist of a

verb and its modifiers.
were waiting for the movie

felt a prick on his arm

 What is an adverbial
phrase? Adverbial phrases are phrases that act as
adverbs. They modify verbs, adverbs, or adjectives.
around the block (modifying where)

after the meal (modifying when)

in silence (modifying how)

What is a gerund phrase? Gerund phrases are

essentially noun phrases that begin with a gerund.
running through the woods

jumping like a kangaroo

What is an infinitive phrase? Infinitive phrases begin

with a verb infinitive and include any modifiers. Infinitive
phrases function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
to run out of food

to visit to the countryside

What is an appositive phrase? An appositive is

essentially a noun phrase but one that renames
another noun in the sentence.
The tree, a tall redwood, was beautiful.

The curtains were made of lace, a beautiful and

delicate fabric.

What is a participle
phrase? A participle phrase begins with a present (-
ing) or past (-ed) participle. A participle phrase includes
the participle and its modifiers. Participle phrases
function as adjectives.
The girls giggling and playing in the park never

seemed to tire.
Fatigued and dehydrated in the desert the men

traveled on.
What is a prepositional phrase? A prepositional
phrase is a group of words that includes a preposition
and a noun. A prepositional phrase will function as
either an adjective or an adverb.
before church

under the stairs

What is an absolute phrase? An absolute phrase

includes a noun and a participle and any modifiers.
the flag flying at half-mast

her hair streaked with sunlight

Summary: What are Phrases?

Define phrase: The definition of phrase is any
grouping of words that does not contain a subject and a
verb. A phrase is a very basic word unit in English.
Phrases Examples:

Reading a book

The tall basketball player