English Grammar: Phrases, Clauses, and Sentence Structure

Prepositional Phrases

• Adjective Phrase: A prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun (answering "what kind" or "which one").
• Adverb Phrase: A prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb (answering "where," "when," "in what manner," or "to what extent").

Appositives

An appositive is a noun or pronoun placed near another noun or pronoun to name or explain it.

Appositive Phrases

An appositive phrase consists of an appositive and its modifiers, placed next to a noun or pronoun to provide more detail.

Participles

A participle is a form of a verb that can act as an adjective (answering "what kind" or "which one").

• Present Participle: Ends in -ing.
• Past Participle: Often ends in -ed (or other irregular forms).

Participle Phrases

A participle phrase consists of a participle and any words that modify or complement it, all acting together as an adjective.

Gerunds

A gerund is a form of a verb that acts as a noun and always ends in -ing.

Functions of Gerunds

• Subject: Writing by the Aztec was often recorded on paper made of cactus.
• Direct Object: On their vacation, the Rezendes discovered canoeing.
• Indirect Object: His performance gives acting a bad reputation.
• Predicate Nominative: One relaxing exercise is swimming.
• Object of a Preposition: The Aztec obtained much of their food fishing.
• Appositive: I have a new hobby, cooking.

Gerund Phrases

A gerund phrase is a gerund with its modifiers or a complement, all acting together as a noun.

Infinitives

An infinitive is a verb form that appears with the word "to" and functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

Functions of Infinitives

• Subject: To decorate requires money.
• Direct Object: Alone and frightened, she wanted to survive.
• Predicate Nominative: The purpose of the picture was to record an idea.
• Object of a Preposition: He had no choice except to relent.
• Appositive: His goal, to travel, was never realized.
• Adjective: The director of the camp is the person to notify.
• Adverb: Cortes plotted to take over the Aztec Empire.

Infinitive Phrases

An infinitive phrase is an infinitive with its modifiers, complements, or subjects, all acting together as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

Adjective Clauses

An adjective clause (or relative clause) is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun or pronoun. It typically begins with a relative pronoun (that, which, who, whom, whose).

Adverb Clauses

An adverb clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb (answering "where," "when," "in what way," "to what extent," "under what condition," or "why").

Noun Clauses

A noun clause is a subordinate clause that functions as a noun within a sentence.

Functions of Noun Clauses

• Subject: Whomever you bring will be welcome.
• Direct Object: The nomads can find whatever water is in the desert.
• Indirect Object: The teacher gave whoever presented an oral report extra credit.
• Predicate Nominative: The big question is whether he will be allowed to play on the team.
• Object of a Preposition: They store their food in plastic or in whatever containers they have.

Relative Pronouns

Common relative pronouns include: who, whom, whose, which, that.

Relative Adverbs

Common relative adverbs include: where, when.

Elliptical Clauses

An elliptical clause is a clause in which the verb or the subject (or both) are understood but not explicitly stated.

Common Prepositions

about, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, but, by, despite, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, onto, out, outside, over, past, since, through, throughout, till, to, toward, under, underneath, until, up, upon, with, within, and without.