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What is a Phrase?

A phrase is a group of related words within a sentence. This group of words does not include the subject and the object.

A phrase is an important part of a sentence because it completes the structure of the sentence. However, since the phrase does include the subject and the object, it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because it (as a lone part) does not give a complete meaning or sense.

It mostly consists of a preposition, an article or a noun, e.g., on a table, at the door, in a box, on the roof.

Examples:

  • The cat is sleeping on the table.
  • She was standing on the roof.
  • He is drawing a map on the wall.
  • She is waiting at the door.
  • He wrote something on a paper.
  • Keep your passport in a cupboard.
  • There are four balls in the box.
  • The kid sat beside her mother.
  • Students were looking at the whiteboard.
  • The dog is barking at a stranger.
  • The girl, in the brown shirt, won the competition.
  • The students, in the hall, were making a noise.

A phrase generally completes the structure and meaning of a sentence. It does so by acting as a noun, an adjective or an adverb in a sentence. Therefore, a phrase can also be defined as a group of related words (excluding the subject and the object) which acts as a noun, an adjective or an adverb in a sentence.

Read the following examples:

  • She bought a beautiful clock.     (as a noun: object).
  • One of my friends has gone to America.  (as a noun: subject).
  • The girl in the white shirt won a prize. (as an adjective modifying the noun: girl).
  • He gave me a cup full of tea.    (as an adjective modifying the noun: cup).
  • She came back in a while.     (as an adverb modifying the verb: come).
  • He welcomed the guests in a nice way. (as an adverb modifying the verb: welcome).

Depending on its function within a sentence, the phrases are divided into various types such as noun phrase, verb phrase, adjective phrase, adverb phrase, appositive phrase, indefinite phrase and gerund phrase. Click here to read the types of phrases.