A phrase is a group of related words that is used as a single part of speech and does not contain a verb and its subject.

• Prepositional

• Verbal

Participial

Gerund

Infinitive

•Appositive

Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase includes a preposition, a noun or pronoun called the object of the preposition, and any modifiers of that object.

Prepositional phrases can either function as adjectives or adverbs.

Identify the following prepositional phrases. Are they adjective or adverb?

Brian’s Song is an inspiring story about friendship and courage.

During the Civil War, Louisa Mae Alcott worked in a hospital as a nurse for six weeks.

Louisa Mae Alcott wrote Little Women, a novel rich in New England tradition.

Sarah Kemble Knight kept a journal of her trip to New York.

Verbal Phrases

A verbal is a form of a verb used as a noun, adjective or adverb.

The three kinds of verbals are participles, gerunds and infinitives.

When used with other modifiers and prepositional phrases, these verbals are called verbal phrases.

The Participle

A participle is a verb used as an adjective. There are two kinds of participles: present

and past. Present participles end in ing and past participles end in ed, or d (unless the past tense is irregular).

Examples: singing lessons, smiling teacher, baked chicken, frightened boy

Identify the participial phrases in the following sentences.

Nodding his head, the defendant admitted his guilt.

I love to see roses bursting into bloom in the spring.

Known as Johnny Appleseed, John Chapman distributed apple seeds and saplings to families heading West.

If a participial phrase is not used near the noun it modifies, it can cause confusion.

The defendant admitted his guilt, nodding his head.

Bursting into bloom in the spring, I love to see the roses.

Heading West, John Chapman distributed apple seeds and saplings to families, known as Johnny Appleseed.

Gerunds

A gerund is a verb that is used as a noun. It ends in ing. Examples: Swimming is excellent exercise. Janetta’s hobby is knitting. In cooking, use salt sparingly. He gave studying all his attention.

Identify the following gerund phrases. How do they function?

Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein after having a nightmare about a scientist and his strange experiments.

My brother likes working at the travel agency. An excellent way to build your vocabulary is

reading good literature. Walter Mitty daydreamed of being a

courageous pilot.

Infinitives

An infinitive is a verb used as a noun, adjective or adverb.

An infinitive is “to” plus a verb. Examples: To fly was an ambition of humans. (noun) His attempt to fly was a failure. (adjective) Rip Van Winkle went to the woods with his

dog to hunt. (adverb)

Identify the following infinitive phrases. How do they function?

To finish early is our plan. Julia wants to go to the beach with us on

Saturday. Napoleon’s plan to conquer Europe failed. Chico was unable to play in the football

game.

Appositives

An appositive is a noun or a pronoun placed beside another noun or pronoun to identify or explain it.

Appositives can either be essential (no commas) or non-essential (commas needed around both sides of noun/pronoun).

Examples of appositives

We went to the Navajo Gallery in Taos, New Mexico to see R.C. Gorman’s painting Freeform Lady. (essential, no commas)

Namingha, a Tewa-Hopi artist, often paints abstract images of Hopi pueblos. (non-essential, commas needed)

Identify the following appositive phrases.

The Kenai Peninsula is the home of the Alaska moose, the largest moose in the world.

We visited Boston Harbor, the site of the Boston Tea Party.

A nineteenth-century female author Marian Evans had to publish her book Middlemarch under a male pseudonym, George Eliot.

Putting it all together. Identify the type of italicized phrases in each sentence.

1. Working on the school newspaper has taught me responsibility.

2. Delayed by the snowstorm, the flight from Chicago to Seattle was finally cleared for takeoff.

3. Today’s crossword puzzle is difficult to complete correctly.

4. If you want to go to the concert tonight, give me a call after school.

5. At the beginning of class today, we sang “La Marseiilaise,” the French national anthem.

Continued…

6. Preserving rare and valuable books and documents is one of the challenges facing the Library of Congress.

7. The emu, a flightless bird from Australia, is similar to the ostrich.

8. Franklin’s history report was on Booker T. Washington, founder of Tuskegee Institute.

9. Refreshed by the cool breeze, I didn’t object to going back to work.

10. The United States, a true, “melting pot,” has been greatly enriched by many diverse cultures.