S3. GRAMMAR III Pr. E.I.
BOUAYAD
THE PHRASE
It is a group of words not containing a subject and a verb. It functions (it is
used) as a single part of speech. For example: The young man hasn’t finished
typing.
There are five types of phrases:
1- Prepositional phrases
2- Participial phrases
3- Gerund phrases
4- Appositive phrases
5- Infinitive phrases
1-The Prepositional phrase:
A prepositional phrase is a group of words which starts with a preposition and
ends with a noun or a pronoun .The noun or pronoun with which it ends is
called object of preposition.
Examples:
-This is for you.
-This is for Ann.
- A prepositional phrase is used as an adverb or as an adjective as shown in the
following examples:
-Put it on the desk. (Prep.ph. Adverb of place)
-They are playing in the garden. (Prep .ph. Adverb of place)
-The leg of the chair is broken. (Prep.ph. Adjective)
-After lunch will be suitable.
-After dinner will be too late.
Occasionally, prep ph. is used as noun as in the above example where it
functions as a subject of the sentence and used then as a noun.
A- A Prepositional phase as an adjective :
Examples:
- Americans from the south are more conservative than those from the north.
- A visit to the Atlantic coast excites people from continent climate.
-The man in the living room is a friend of mine.
- Many of us like historical monuments.
B- A prepositional phrase as an adverb:
-It modifies a verb , an adjective or another adverb ;It tells how ,where ,why,etc
an action takes place .
Examples :
- Ali works with diligence.
- Ali works in his office.
- Ali works for weeks.
- Ali will be there before eight.
- She did it for her own good.
- To be true to one’s word is a good quality in itself.
- He threw the ball far to the left.
To recapitulate, prep phrases are usually used as modifiers as adjectives or
adverbs.
2-The Participial phrase:
We can distinguish between present participle and past participle .The
participle is a verb form used as an adjective.
Examples :
- I saw you crossing the road.
- The child, awakened, began to cry.
- Removing her handbag, she sat on the chair.
- Destroyed by fire, the house was never rebuilt.
In the last sentences, the participles have complements or modifiers. The
participle phrase is a phrase containing a participle and any complements or
modifiers it may have.
3) The gerund phrase: A gerund is a form ending with ‘ing’ and used as a noun.
Example: Writing is a difficult skill.
A gerund may be used anywhere a noun can be used:
- I don’t understand his writings.
- By organising your work, you can pass the exam.
- The committee proposed writing as soon as possible.
- Telling a joke is not always convenient.
- His most important achievement was winning the Olympic bronze medal.
4) The infinitive phrase:
An infinitive is a verb form usually preceded by ‘to’. It may be used as a noun or
as a modifier:
Examples:
- To submit is to die.
- We all want to go.
- Her ambition is to fly.
- He lacks the strength to resist.
- She worked hard to succeed.
- He wants to tell the truth.
- She has no courage to express what she feels.
- He wants to read the book.
- We shall try to finish the exercise at home.
- His plan is to read about the topic first.
- I am too tired to stay with you up to midnight.
- Is this the way to convert sea water?
Sometimes ‘to’ is omitted like:
- Can you help me do this exercise?
- Don’t make me laugh!
5) Appositive and Appositive phrase:
An appositive identifies or explains a noun or a pronoun. An appositive is
a noun or a pronoun often with modifiers- set beside another noun or
pronoun to explain or identify it.
Examples:
- Your brother John has left.
- Dr. Smith, the manager, is holding a meeting.
- Dr. Blake, the manager of Hector Company.
- Dr. Blake, the manager of Hector Company, is an intelligent man.
An appositive phrase always follows the word it explains or identifies,
but it may precede it:
- A beautiful bird, the dove is my favourite pet.
- The
