Prepositional PhrasesMost prepositional phrases are used as modifiers - either as an adjective or as an adverb.
A prepositional phrase which - like an adjective- modifies a noun or a pronoun is called an ADJECTIVE PHRASE.
An adjective phrase does the work of an adjective.
Example:
The corner house; because CORNER modifies HOUSE, it is an adjective. The adjective comes BEFORE the noun or pronoun it modifies.
The house on the corner; because the prepositional phrase ON THE CORNER also modifies a noun, it is an ADJECTIVE PHRASE. The Adjective phrase comes after the noun or pronoun it modifies.
Adjective phrases - just like adjectives- are often used after linking verbs as subject complements.
Example: The lilacs are in full bloom. The adjective phrase IN FULL BLOOM is used as subject complement.
Examples:In the following sentences, the Adjective-Phrases are colored
blue.
• The Police arrested a man
of criminal nature.
• The Police arrested a criminal man.
• He a man
without a friend.
• He is friendless man.
• He led a life
devoid of blame.
• He led a blameless life.
• From this village came a man
of great fame.
• From this village came a famous man.
• It is
of no use.
• It is useless.
• He is an author
of great versatilility.
• He is a versatile author.
•
The tops of the mountains were covered with snows.
• The mountainous tops were covered with snows.
• I admit that he is a
man of sense.
• I admit that he is a sensible man.
• He carried a sword
stained with blood.
• He carried a bloody sword.
• He walked through the street
covered with mud.
• He walked through the muddy street.
Exercises:
http://www.quia.com/quiz/268697.htmlA prepositional phrase can also be used as an adverb.
Example:
He spoke with pride.
Because the phrase with pride modifies how the action is carried out - the verb spoke, it is an adverb phrase
.
Like the adverbs they resemble, adverb phrases answer the questions: WHEN, WHERE, HOW, WHY, TO WHAT EXTENT, and UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS about verbs, adjectives or other adverbs.
Examples:| Type | Adverb phrase | Example |
|---|
| Manner | with a hammer | The carpenter hit the nail with a hammer. |
| Place | next door | The woman who lives next door is a doctor. |
| Time | before the holidays | We must finish our project before the holidays. |
| Frequency | every month | Jodie buys two CDs every month. |
| Purpose | for his mother | Jack bought the flowers for his mother. |
Exercises:
http://www.quia.com/quiz/268698.htmlParticipial Phrasesarticipial phrases are short phrases that appear at the beginning of a sentence or the end of the sentence. These participial phrases should always be set off from the main clause with a comma. The action that is occurring in these participial phrases should relate back to the subject. That is, the subject of the sentence should be doing the action. If this is not the case, the result is a dangling modifier.
There are two basic types of participial phrases.
1. There is the present participial phrase [which usually employs an "-ing" form of a verb (like the gerund) within it.]
[Beginning] Looking at the recent issue of Cosmo, the man who always sits in the back of the bus began to hum to himself a song from a strip tease act.
[End] Dogs lick themselves all over, thinking they are superior to men.
Usage: This form is usually used when the action within the participial phrase is still ongoing.
2. There is the past participial phrase [which usually employs an "-ed" form of a verb (similar to the participle) within it.]
[Beginning] Attached to a mother that only a son could love, Jerry, the newborn, suckling pig, felt a profound attraction to ugliness come over him.
[End] The lonely caddy became flustered, scared that his affections for the old man's daughter would be noticed.
Usage: This form is usually used when the action within the participial phrase is completed.
exercises:
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/writerschoice/gp/hslessons/grade9/lesson18/exercises.shtml
Gerund and Infinitive Phrases:
A gerund is a verbal that ends in -ing and functions as a noun. The term verbal indicates that a gerund, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and therefore expresses action or a state of being. However, since a gerund functions as a noun, it occupies some positions in a sentence that a noun ordinarily would, for example: subject, direct object, subject complement, and object of preposition.
Gerund as subject:
- Traveling might satisfy your desire for new experiences. (Traveling is the gerund.)
- The study abroad program might satisfy your desire for new experiences. (The gerund has been removed.)
Gerund as direct object:
- They do not appreciate my singing. (The gerund is singing.)
- They do not appreciate my assistance. (The gerund has been removed)
Gerund as subject complement:
- My cat's favorite activity is sleeping. (The gerund is sleeping.)
- My cat's favorite food is salmon. (The gerund has been removed.)
Gerund as object of preposition:
- The police arrested him for speeding. (The gerund is speeding.)
- The police arrested him for criminal activity. (The gerund has been removed.)
A gerund phrase is a group of words consisting of a gerund and the modifier(s) and/or (pro)noun(s) or noun phrase(s) that function as the direct object(s), indirect object(s), or complement(s) of the action or state expressed in the gerund, such as:
The gerund phrase functions as the subject of the sentence.
Finding a needle in a haystack would be easier than what we're trying to do.
Finding (gerund)
a needle (direct object of action expressed in gerund)
in a haystack (prepositional phrase as adverb)
The gerund phrase functions as the direct object of the verb appreciate.
I hope that you appreciate my offering you this opportunity.
my (possessive pronoun adjective form, modifying the gerund)
offering (gerund)
you (indirect object of action expressed in gerund)
this opportunity (direct object of action expressed in gerund)
The gerund phrase functions as the subject complement.
Tom's favorite tactic has been jabbering away to his constituents.
jabbering away to (gerund)
his constituents (direct object of action expressed in gerund)
The gerund phrase functions as the object of the preposition for.
You might get in trouble for faking an illness to avoid work.
faking (gerund)
an illness (direct object of action expressed in gerund)
to avoid work (infinitive phrase as adverb)
The gerund phrase functions as the subject of the sentence.
Being the boss made Jeff feel uneasy.
Being (gerund)
the boss (subject complement for Jeff, via state of being expressed in gerund)
An infinitive is a verbal consisting of the word to plus a verb (in its simplest "stem" form) and functioning as a noun, adjective, or adverb. The term verbal indicates that an infinitive, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and therefore expresses action or a state of being. However, the infinitive may function as a subject, direct object, subject complement, adjective, or adverb in a sentence. Although an infinitive is easy to locate because of the to + verb form, deciding what function it has in a sentence can sometimes be confusing.
- To wait seemed foolish when decisive action was required. (subject)
- Everyone wanted to go. (direct object)
- His ambition is to fly. (subject complement)
- He lacked the strength to resist. (adjective)
- We must study to learn. (adverb)
Be sure not to confuse an infinitive—a verbal consisting of to plus a verb—with a prepositional phrase beginning with to, which consists of to plus a noun or pronoun and any modifiers.
- Infinitives: to fly, to draw, to become, to enter, to stand, to catch, to belong
- Prepositional Phrases: to him, to the committee, to my house, to the mountains, to us, to this address
An Infinitive Phrase is a group of words consisting of an infinitive and the modifier(s) and/or (pro)noun(s) or noun phrase(s) that function as the actor(s), direct object(s), indirect object(s), or complement(s) of the action or state expressed in the infinitive, such as:
We intended to leave early.
The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of the verb intended.
to leave (infinitive)
early (adverb)
I have a paper to write before class.
The infinitive phrase functions as an adjective modifying paper.
to write (infinitive)
before class (prepositional phrase as adverb)
Phil agreed to give me a ride.
The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of the verb agreed.
to give (infinitive)
me (indirect object of action expressed in infinitive)
a ride (direct object of action expressed in infinitive)
They asked me to bring some food.
The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of the verb asked.
me (actor or "subject" of infinitive phrase)
to bring (infinitive)
some food (direct object of action expressed in infinitive)
Everyone wanted Carol to be the captain of the team.
The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of the verb wanted.
Carol (actor or "subject" of infinitive phrase)
to be (infinitive)
the captain (subject complement for Carol, via state of being expressed in infinitive)
of the team (prepositional phrase as adjective)
exercises:
http://www.grammaruntied.com/phrases/phrasepractice
.htmlhttp://www.grammaruntied.com/phrases/phrasequiz1/Iquizphrase.htmlAppositive PhrasesA
word,
phrase or
clause that means the same thing as (i.e., synonym) or further explains another noun (pronoun).
- Non-restrictive appositives are not essential to the meaning of the sentence.
- Restrictive appositives are essential to the meaning of the sentence.
NON-RESTRICTIVE:
- Her husband, Fritz, is a nice guy.
- We assume she has only one husband. Thus, commas are used.
- The firm chose Mary, vice president of public affairs, as its chief executive officer.
- Because we have identified the person by name, her title is additional information. It can be set off by commas. In other words, we could take it out and the meaning would not change.
- The Grand Canyon, one of our nation's most popular tourist attractions, is breathtaking to behold.
- Because we have identified the place by name, the rest is additional information. It can be set off by commas. In other words, we could take it out and the meaning would not change.
- Neil Armstrong, the first man who walked on the moon, is a native of Ohio.
- Because we have identified the person by name, the additional information is not restricted to the sentence. It can be set off by commas. In other words, we could take it out and the meaning would not change.
RESTRICTIVE:
- Evan's friend John cheated on the test.
- EVAN has more than one friend; therefore, no commas are used to set off JOHN. We need the name to know which friend we're talking about.
- We students are happy with good grades.
- STUDENTS identify who WE [subj.] are. If we remove it, WE does not have the same meaning.
- She waited patiently for the famous author Stephen King.
- STEPHEN KING identifies which famous author. There is no comma after AUTHOR because there are many famous author.
exercises:
http://www.grammaruntied.com/phrases/phrasequiz2/Iquizphrase2.htmlTHE CLAUSEAdjective Clauses
Here is a brief review of adjective clauses and relative pronouns.
An adjective clause is used to describe a noun:
A relative pronoun is usually used to introduce an adjective clause:
The main relative pronouns are:
| Pronoun | Use | Example |
| Who | used for humans in subject position | Hans, who is an architect, lives in Berlin. |
| Whom | used for humans in object position | Marike, whom Hans knows well, is an interior decorator. |
| Which | used for things and animals in subject or object position | Marike has a dog which follows her everywhere. |
| That | used for humans, animals and things, in subject or object position (but see below) | Marike is decorating a house that Hans designed. |
There are two main kinds of adjective clause:
1. Non-restrictive clauses
Non-defining clauses give extra information about the noun, but they are not essential:
The desk in the corner, which is covered in books, is mine.
Explanation: We don't need this information in order to understand the sentence. “The desk in the corner is mine” is a good sentence on its own — we still know which desk is referred to. Note that non-defining clauses are usually separated by commas, and “that” is not usually used in this kind of context.
2. Restrictive clauses
Defining clauses give essential information about the noun:
The package that arrived this morning is on the desk.
Explanation: We need this information in order to understand the sentence. Without the relative clause, we don't know which package is being referred to. Note that “that” is often used in defining relative clauses, and they are not separated by commas.
exercises:
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/adj1.htm
Adverb Clauses
An adverb may be a single word such as quickly, here or yesterday (see the page Adverbs), or a phrase such as the day before yesterday or to see my mother (see the page Adverb Phrases). However, adverbs can also be clauses, containing a subject and a full verb. This page will explain the basic types of adverb clauses (sometimes called "adverbial clauses") and how to recognize them.
Adverbs, adverb phrases, and adverb clauses
Look at these sentences:
I saw the movie yesterday.
I saw the movie on Friday.
I saw the movie before I left for Calgary.
In the first sentence, “yesterday” is a one-word adverb, “on Friday” is an adverb phrase, and “before I left for Calgary” is an adverb clause. All of them answer the question “When?”, but the adverb clause has a subject (“I”) and a full verb (“left”). It is introduced by “before”, so it is a dependent clause. This means that it cannot stand alone: “Before I left for Calgary” would not be a full sentence. It needs a main clause (“I saw the movie”). An adverb clause, then, is a dependent clause that does the same job as an adverb or an adverb phrase.
Types of adverb clause
There are many types of adverb clauses. Here are some examples of the most common types:
| Type | Question answered | Example |
| Place | Where? | Wherever there are computers, there is Microsoft software. |
| Time | When? | After the fruit is harvested, it is sold at the market. |
| Cause | Why? (What caused this?) | I didn't call her because I'm shy. |
| Purpose | Why? (What was the reason for doing this?) | She took a computer course so that she could get a better job. |
| Concession | Why is this unexpected? | Although Jay has a Master's degree, he works as a store clerk. |
| Condition | Under what conditions? | If you save your money, you will be able to go to college. |
As you can see from the examples above, most adverb clauses can be recognized because they are introduced by a particular word or phrase (such as "when" and "so that"). These words and phrases are called subordinating conjunctions, and there are many of them, including these:
after, before, until, while, because, since, as, so that, in order that, if, unless, whether, though, although, even though, where
exercises:
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/advcls1.htm
Noun Clauses
A noun clause does the work of a noun in a sentence or phrase. It is a group of words containing a subject and a finite verb of its own. Some Rules: noun clauses usually begin with words like how, why, what, where, when, who, that, which, whose, whether, etc. Also words like whoever, whenever, whatever and wherever
There are therefore just three basic types of noun clauses:
those that start with a question word such as where, how, who, when and why
those that start with whether, whatever etc or if
those that start with that.
Examples of the noun clause:
Exercises:
http://www.grammar-quizzes.com/nounclausequiz.html 
Subject-Verb Agreement (cgi)
In a village of Musashi Province, there lived two woodcutters: Mosaku and Minokichi. At the time of which I am speaking, Mosaku was an old man; and Minokichi, his apprentice, was a lad of eighteen years. Every day they went together to a forest situated about five miles from their village. On the way to that forest there is a wide river to cross; and there is a ferryboat. Several times a bridge was built where the ferry is; but the bridge was each time carried away by a flood. No common bridge can resist the current there when the river rises. 