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Phrases
Phrases in General
Prepositional Phrases
More than one adjective phrase can modify the same word in the same
sentence.
Alternatively, one adjective phrase can modify the object of the preposition
in another adjective phrase.
Example: The abandoned house down the street with the Walmart is a bit
frightening.
The adjective phrase of milk modifies the noun carton, as does the adjective
phrase in the fridge.
The adjective phrase down the street modifies the noun house. The adjective
phrase with the Walmart modifies the object of that adjective phrase, street, in order
to clarify exactly what street is being referred to.
As is the case with adjective phrases, adverb phrases can work in tandem to modify the same
verbs, adjectives, or adverbs.
Prior to 8 A.M. is the adverb phrase that modifies the verb arrived, telling when the children arrived.
Both during the morning and at an animal shelter modify the verb volunteer, specifying when and
where exactly I volunteer.
Appositives
Appositive Phrases
Example:
Better.
Usually, appositives and appositive phrases are bordered by commas. This is always the
case with appositives or appositive phrases that refer to proper nouns. This is not the case
when the appositive is a single word that is closely related to the noun or pronoun being
modified and is essential to the meaning of the sentence.
The writer has many instructors, so in order to clarify who yelled, the appositive David is necessary. It is
one word, and since it is essential, it is not bordered by commas.
Example: The author of the book of the month, Kurt Vonnegut, writes with anger.
The quarterback is the appositive relating to the proper noun Jerome, so it is bordered by commas.
There is only one book of the month with only one author, so the appositive Kurt Vonnegut is not necessary.
Thus, it is bordered by commas.
The general rule is that if you can take out a phrase and not have that change the overall
meaning of the sentence, it is nonessential and should be bordered by commas. If removing
a phrase would really change the meaning of a sentence, no commas are necessary.
We will complete Exercise 5 in the textbook together.
Infinitives
The infinitive to kill modifies the verb shoots and thus acts as an adverb.
Example:
To
The infinitive phrases both act as nouns, the first as the subject and the second as the
predicate nominative in the sentence.
The infinitive phrase to sleep this weekend modifies the adjective excited, meaning
that the infinitive phrase acts as an adverb.
The infinitive phrase to desire with great ferocity acts as an adjective modifying the
noun woman. This is also true, by the way
Participles
Present participles never stand alone as verbs, only as adjectives. When they are
part of verb phrases, they are used and recognized as verbs, not adjectives. When
they are participles, they will answer what kind or which one about nouns or
pronouns.
Example as part of verb phrase: The bear hunted and sought shelter.
Passive Voice
Past participles can also be helped by forms of be. In verb phrases, this
forms what is called the passive voice of a verb, something that good writers
avoid using, since it tends to make sentences boring and confusing. It
makes the sentence odd, since the subject of the sentence suddenly
becomes the recipient, not the doer, of the main action.
This is the passive voice. It reverses the traditional relationship of subject and verb by
making the recipient of the action (she) the subject of the sentence, leaving the taker of
the action (the police officer) as an object of a preposition. This is a sentence structure
that you should avoid.
This is an easy problem to fix. Just put the taker of the action before the recipient of the
action in your sentences.
Problem solved!
The participial phrase jumping out a window modifies the noun man, the object of the sentence.
This is clear because of the placement of the participial phrase in the sentence.
However
This is a completely different sentence at this point.
You should set off participial phrases with commas unless they are needed to
distinguish one thing from another.
We will work together on Exercise 9.
Gerunds
Example:
Here,
Gerund Phrases
Example: Her favorite activities are sitting on benches and throwing food at random
passersby.
The gerunds sitting and throwing are the beginnings of gerund phrases that together form the
compound predicate nominative of this sentence.
When a personal pronoun precedes a gerund or gerund phrase, you should always
use the possessive form of the pronoun.
The gerund jogging is the subject of the sentence and is joined in a phrase by the modifier phrase
outside in the rain.
Lots of Phrases
These phrases are somewhat confusing. Here are the general rules
in summary.
Test soon!