What makes a phrase

A prototypical phrase is a group of words forming a unit and consisting of a head or "nucleus" together with other words or word groups clustering around it. If the head of the phrase is a noun, we speak of a noun phrase NP e.

If the head is a verb, the phrase is a verb phrase VP. In the following sentence, the VP is in italics and the verb head is in bold:. Jill prepared us a couple of sandwiches. Hurford notes two ways that phrases can appear inside other phrases:. Hurford's examples of nesting a smaller phrase inside a larger one as an integral part of it [the nested phrase is in italics]:. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Without clear and concise sentences, it is difficult to find the information you need. For both students and professionals, clear communication is important.

Whether you are typing an e-mail or writing a report, it is your responsibility to present your thoughts and ideas clearly and precisely. Writing in complete sentences is one way to ensure that you communicate well.

This section covers how to recognize and write basic sentence structures and how to avoid some common writing errors. Clearly written, complete sentences require key information: a subject, a verb and a complete idea.

A sentence needs to make sense on its own. Sometimes, complete sentences are also called independent clauses. A clause is a group of words that may make up a sentence. An independent clause is a group of words that may stand alone as a complete, grammatically correct thought. The following sentences show independent clauses. All complete sentences have at least one independent clause. You can identify an independent clause by reading it on its own and looking for the subject and the verb.

When you read a sentence, you may first look for the subject , or what the sentence is about. The subject usually appears at the beginning of a sentence as a noun or a pronoun.

A noun is a word that identifies a person, place, thing, or idea. A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun. Common pronouns are I , he , she , it , you , they , and we. In the following sentences, the subject is underlined once. In these sentences, the subject is a person: Malik. The pronoun He replaces and refers back to Malik. In the first sentence, the subject is a place: computer lab. In the second sentence, the pronoun It substitutes for computer lab as the subject.

In the first sentence, the subject is a thing: project. In the second sentence, the pronoun It stands in for the project. A sentence may have more than one person, place, or thing as the subject. These subjects are called compound subjects. Compound subjects are useful when you want to discuss several subjects at once.

You will often read a sentence that has more than one noun or pronoun in it. You may encounter a group of words that includes a preposition with a noun or a pronoun. Prepositions connect a noun, pronoun, or verb to another word that describes or modifies that noun, pronoun, or verb.

Common prepositions include in , on , under , near , by , with , and about. A group of words that begin with a preposition is called a prepositional phrase.

A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and modifies or describes a word. It cannot act as the subject of a sentence. The following circled phrases are examples of prepositional phrases.

Once you locate the subject of a sentence, you can move on to the next part of a complete sentence: the verb. A verb is often an action word that shows what the subject is doing. A verb can also link the subject to a describing word. There are three types of verbs that you can use in a sentence: action verbs, linking verbs, or helping verbs. A verb that connects the subject to an action is called an action verb. An action verb answers the question what is the subject doing?

In the following sentences, the words underlined twice are action verbs. A verb can often connect the subject of the sentence to a describing word. This type of verb is called a linking verb because it links the subject to a describing word.

In the following sentences, the words underlined twice are linking verbs. If you have trouble telling the difference between action verbs and linking verbs, remember that an action verb shows that the subject is doing something, whereas a linking verb simply connects the subject to another word that describes or modifies the subject. A few verbs can be used as either action verbs or linking verbs.

Although both sentences use the same verb, the two sentences have completely different meanings. A third type of verb you may use as you write is a helping verb. Helping verbs are verbs that are used with the main verb to describe a mood or tense. Helping verbs are usually a form of be , do , or have. The word can is also used as a helping verb. Whenever you write or edit sentences, keep the subject and verb in mind.

As you write, ask yourself these questions to keep yourself on track:. Subject: Who or what is the sentence about? Verb: Which word shows an action or links the subject to a description? Now that you know what makes a complete sentence—a subject and a verb—you can use other parts of speech to build on this basic structure.

Good writers use a variety of sentence structures to make their work more interesting. This section covers different sentence structures that you can use to make longer, more complex sentences.

Six basic subject-verb patterns can enhance your writing. A sample sentence is provided for each pattern. As you read each sentence, take note of where each part of the sentence falls. Notice that some sentence patterns use action verbs and others use linking verbs. When you write a sentence with a direct object DO , make sure that the DO receives the action of the verb. In this sentence structure, an indirect object explains to whom or to what the action is being done.

The indirect object is a noun or pronoun, and it comes before the direct object in a sentence. The sentences you have encountered so far have been independent clauses. As you look more closely at your past writing assignments, you may notice that some of your sentences are not complete. A sentence that is missing a subject or a verb is called a fragment. A fragment may include a description or may express part of an idea, but it does not express a complete thought.

Fragment: Children helping in the kitchen. Complete sentence: Children helping in the kitchen often make a mess. You can easily fix a fragment by adding the missing subject or verb. In the example, the sentence was missing a verb. Adding often make a mess creates an S-V-N sentence structure. Figure 1. See whether you can identify what is missing in the following fragments.

Fragment: Told her about the broken vase. Complete sentence: I told her about the broken vase. Did you spot a typo?

Grammarly's app will help with: 1 Avoiding spelling errors 2 Correcting grammar errors 3 Finding better words This free browser extension works with webmail, social media, and texting apps as well as online forms and Microsoft Office documents, like Word and Teams. Download the app. We have two books: 1 "Smashing Grammar" Written by the founder of Grammar Monster , "Smashing Grammar" has an A-Z glossary of grammar terms, a punctuation section, and a chapter on easily confused words.

Each entry starts with a simple explanation and some basic examples before giving real-life, entertaining examples. Every entry ends with a summary explaining why the grammar point matters to a writer. If you like Grammar Monster, you'll love this book. Practical rather than academic, this best seller is packed with real-life examples and great quotations from Homer the Greek to Homer the Simpson. It is a light-hearted, easily digestible grammar reference.