The difference between clauses and phrases.

Clauses
1. Clauses is a group of words 2. Clauses have both a subject and a predicate. 3 Clauses can be independent. Independent clauses are full sentences. 4. Clauses can be dependent . Dependant Clauses are not full sentences.

Phrases
1. Phrases is a group of words 2. Phrases do not have a subject or predicate.

Examples: Excellent idea Great job Wonderful idea

Examples:

The girl is nice She went very fast We wash the car.

Types of phrases A phrase is a group of words without both a subject and predicate. Phrases combine words into a larger unit that can function as a sentence element. For example, a phrase can include adjectives, nouns, prepositions and adverbs; as a single unit, however, it functions as one big adjective modifying a noun (or noun phrase). Phrases may be classified by the type of head taken by them:

Prepositional phrase (PP) with a preposition as head (e.g. in love, over the rainbow). Noun phrase (NP) with a noun as head (e.g. the black cat, a cat on the mat) Verb phrase (VP) with a verb as head (e.g. eat cheese, jump up and down)

1.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition, a noun or pronoun that serves as the object of the preposition, and, more often than not, an adjective or two that modifies the object. Ernest Hemingway apparently fell in love with the rhythms of his prepositional phrases at the beginning of his short story "Hills Like White Elephants": The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white. On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun. Close against the side of the station there was the warm shadow of the building and a curtain, made of strings of bamboo beads, hung across the open door into the bar, to keep out flies. The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building. It was very hot and the express from Barcelona would come in forty minutes. It stopped at this junction for two minutes and went on to Madrid. Prepositional phrases start with a preposition (such as in, at, by, for, to, over, etc.), have a noun or pronoun object of the preposition, and may also have other modifiers. Prepositional phrases function as adjectives, adverbs, or nouns. The announcement for the play arrived after it was over. (As adjective) For you to pass your test is the reason for having a tutor. (As noun; in this case, the subject) She gave the information to me. (As indirect object) Parts of Prepositional Phrases A prepositional phrase consist of two parts, namely a preposition and an object of preposition. Preposition is the word that introduces the object of a prepositional phrase and the noun or pronoun that precedes the preposition is referred as the object of preposition. Here's the example that will make your concept clear - Behind the door. In this sentence, behind is the preposition, and the door, is the noun that acts as object of preposition.

List of Prepositional Phrases Prepositional phrases can be made of single words, two words or three words. The list is indeed long. The most important aspect of a prepositional phrase is, correct placement. A grammatically correct sentence conveying the desired meaning can be structured by choosing the right preposition and its appropriate use. Single Word Prepositions

abroad about absent above across after against along alongside amidst around among amongst aside astride as at athwart atop before behind barring below beneath besides before beneath beside between betwixt beyond by but concerning circa down despite during excluding except

including into like minus mid next near notwithstanding of off on opposite onto outside out over pace per plus past pro qua regarding round since save than throughout through than till to times towards toward unlike under underneath up until

failing following for from given in inside

via versus vice with within worth without

Double Word Prepositions

along with ahead of according to as of as per aside from as regards because of close to due to except for far from far away inside of next to near to on to out from owing to out of outside of pursuant to prior to regard of regardless of subsequent to thanks to that of

Triple Word Prepositions

as well as as far as by means of

in addition to in accordance with in case of in front of in lieu of in point of in place of on behalf of on account of on top of with respect to with regard to

Functions of Prepositions Prepositions as Adjectives When prepositions function as adjectives, they play the role of modifying the nouns. For example: Look at the girl with golden hair. In this sentence, the preposition, with, placed just before the adjective, golden, functions to modify the noun, hair. Prepositions as Adverbs When prepositional phrases function as adverbs, they modify the verbs. For example: The tiger runs after the rabbit. In this sentence, the preposition, after, modifies the verb, runs. Prepositions as Verbs When prepositions act as a verb, it gives an idiomatic expression to the sentence. It is a combination of verb and preposition that makes a new verb having a distinct meaning. The preposition in a prepositional verb is preceded by a noun or pronoun. Thus, a prepositional verb is always transitive. In case of such phrases, the object is also placed after the prepositional verb. For example: Ariel has cared for her sister. In this sentence, cared for is the prepositional verb, and sister is the noun. Few other examples of prepositional verbs are: believe in, send for, rely on, look at, care about, care for etc. Prepositions as Nominals There are some words that function as noun, but they are not actually nouns. Such words are called nominals in English grammar. They function as nominals when they are placed before prepositional phrases. Prepositional phrases often play an important role when they are used in conjunction with a verb. For example: The school is next to the park. In this sentence, next to is the preposition, that acts as nominal. While this sentence, The melodrama is before the last scene, shows that the preposition, before, is a conjunction with the verb.

2.

Noun Phrases

A noun phrase consists of a pronoun or noun with any associated modifiers, including adjectives, adjective phrases, adjective clauses, and other nouns in the possessive case. The modifiers that accompany a noun can take any number of forms and combination of forms: adjectives, of course ("the goodlooking and brilliant professor"); a participial phrase ("the road following the edge of the frozen lake"); an infinitive phrase ("the first man to walk on the moon"); a modifying clause ("the presentation that he had made the day before"); and prepositional phrases ("the building next to the lodge, over by the highway"). [See below for definitions of participial, infinitive, and prepositional phrases.] Usually, a noun phrase will be all of a piece, all the words that compose it being contiguous with the noun itself. It is possible, however, for a noun phrase to be broken, to become what we call discontinuous.
Noun Phrases are groups of words that can function as subjects or objects in sentences. They may take on various forms: Water is important for survival. (Single words) Mr. Jones spoke to Dr. James. (Proper names) The boy ate an apple. (Nouns and articles) My friend works with her father. (Nouns and possessives) The young girl wore a long, white dress. (Nouns and adjectives) Some of the kids ate all of the cake. (Nouns and quantifiers) The man with the gun frightened the people in the bank. (Nouns and prep. phrases) The woman who lives there is my aunt. (Nouns and relative clauses) The dogs sleeping on the deck should be left alone. (Nouns and phrases) Whoever wrote this is in trouble. (Noun clauses) Pronouns and similar words can also function as subjects and objects: He gave the money to us. Someone left this. Give me one of each.

Like a noun, a noun phrase can act as a subject, as the object of a verb or verbal, as a subject or object complement, or as the object of a preposition, as in the following examples: subject Small children often insist that they can do it by themselves. object of a verb To read quickly and accurately is Eugene's goal. object of a preposition The arctic explorers were caught unawares by the spring breakup. subject complement Frankenstein is the name of the scientist not the monster. object complement I consider Loki my favorite cat.

Noun Phrase - The crazy old lady in the park feeds the pigeons every day. A noun phrase consists of a noun and all of its modifiers, which can include other phrases (like the prepositional phrase in the park). More examples.

Appositive Phrase Bob, my best friend, works here or My best friend Bob works here. An appositive (single word, phrase, or clause) renames another noun, not technically modifying it. See this page from the Armchair Grammarian for everything you ever wanted to know about appositives. o Gerund Phrase - I love baking cakes. A gerund phrase is just a noun phrase with a gerund as its head. o Infinitive Phrase I love to bake cakes. An infinitive phrase is a noun phrase with an infinitive as its head. Unlike the other noun phrases, however, an infinitive phrase can also function as an adjective or an adverb.
o

Noun phrases normally consist of a head noun, which is optionally modified ("premodified" if the modifier is placed before the noun; "postmodified" if the modifier is placed after the noun). Possible modifiers include:

determiners: articles (the, a), demonstratives (this, that), numerals (two, five, etc.), possessives (my, their, etc.), and quantifiers (some, many, etc.). In English, determiners are usually placed before the noun; adjectives (the red ball); or complements, in the form of a prepositional phrase (such as: the student of physics), or a That-clause (the claim that the earth is round); modifiers; pre-modifiers if placed before the noun and usually either as nouns (the university student) or adjectives (the beautiful lady), or post-modifiers if placed after the noun. A postmodifier may be either a prepositional phrase (the man with long hair) or a relative clause (the house where I live). The difference between modifiers and complements is that complements complete the meaning of the noun; complements are necessary, whereas modifiers are optional because they just give additional information about the noun.

The Ten Functions of Nouns in English Grammar

Nouns including pronouns and noun phrases perform ten main grammatical functions within sentences in the English language. Both native speakers and ESL students must learn the ten functions to fully and correctly use nouns and noun phrases in spoken and written English. The ten functions of nouns and noun phrases are:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Subject Predicate nominative Direct object Object complement Indirect object Prepositional complement Noun phrase modifier Possessive modifier Appositive Adverbial

Nouns are traditionally defined as "persons, places, things, and ideas." Noun phrases are defined as phrases that consist of a noun or pronoun and any number of modifiers including adjectives (tiny, purple, loud), possessive

adjectives (my, your, his), adverbs (very, extremely, unusually), determiners (the, a, an), and prepositional phrases.
Nouns as Subjects

The first grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the subject of clauses. A clause is defined as consisting of a subject and predicate. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as subjects:

The baby cried. Dogs and cats make excellent pets. I will have extensively studied English grammar. Nouns as Predicate Nominatives

The second grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the predicate nominative. Predicate nominatives are defined as nouns and noun phrases that follow a copular or linking verb such as be and become and refer back to the subject. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as predicate nominatives:

My grandfather is a farmer. Our favorite pets are dogs. The woman whom you are looking for is she.

Nouns as Direct Objects The third grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the direct object. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as direct objects:

The children ate all the cookies. My professor recommended an extremely captivating book. The woman has always hated mice. Nouns as Object Complements

The fourth grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the object complement. Object complements are defined as nouns, pronouns, noun phrases, adjectives, and adjective phrases that directly follow and modify the direct object. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as object complements:

We consider our puppy our baby. My aunt calls my uncle sweetheart. America recently elected Barack Obama president.

Nouns as Indirect Objects The fifth grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the indirect object. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as indirect objects:

My husband bought me flowers. The child drew his mother a picture. The salesman sold the companynew computers. Nouns as Prepositional Complements

The sixth grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the prepositional complement. Prepositional complements are defined as the word or phrase that functions as the object of a preposition. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as prepositional complements:

My husband bought flowers for me. The students studied during their spring break. Because of the lengthy delay, we missed our flight.

Nouns as Noun Phrase Modifiers The seventh grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the noun phrase modifier. Noun phrase modifiers are defined as words and phrases that describe a noun or noun phrase. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as noun phrase modifiers:

The child actor won an award. The carpenter fixed the broken table leg. We reserved twenty hotel rooms. Nouns as Possessive Modifiers

The eighth grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the possessive modifier. Possessive modifiers consist of a noun or noun phrase and the possessive clitic (apostrophe s or s apostrophe) and describe another noun or noun phrase. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as possessive modifiers:

My brother's apartment is small. The food I spilled is the dog's. The librarians' report was informative. Nouns as Appositives

The ninth grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the appositive. Appositives are defined as nouns and noun phrases that modify or explain another noun or noun phrase. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as appositives:

My grandfather the farmer bought more farm land. The teacher, my uncle, assigns a lot of homework. The musician Stevie Nicks is a singer in Fleetwood Mac. Nouns as Adverbials

The tenth grammatical function that nouns and noun phrases can perform is the adverbial. Adverbials are defined as words, phrases, and clauses that modify an entire clause by providing information such as time, place, manner, condition, reason, or purpose. For example, the following italicized nouns and noun phrases function as adverbials:

Today the children woke up early. Yesterday the children slept in late. We decided to go home.

3. Verb Phrases
Verb phrases are easy to recognize. They consist of a verb and all the related helping words. Verb phrases function as single-word verbs, to express action or to link subject and complement. I have been asking for a raise for ten years. (Verb phrases may consist of adjacent words) Despite being an actor, he has never actually succeeded in learning many lines. (Verb phrases may have other words that interrupt them) I've just been working on this, and the problem is in the cable. (Verb phrases may contain a contraction)
Verb phrases are groups of words that express action or state of being. They take on various forms. The men live in the dormitory. He stayed at the Hi Hat Hotel. I am learning many new things. She has been there before. They have been working here five years. I could use some assistance. The trip was approved by the professor. Do you want some more pie? Other words can be added to enhance verb phrases: The mayor works here. Neil is not a candidate. They live in the suburbs. She'll leave whenever she wants. Don't talk while eating. (Single verbs) (Past tense verbs) (Progressive verbs) (Perfect verbs) (Perfect progressive verbs) (Verbs and modals) (Passive verbs) (Verbs in questions) (adverbs) (negatives) (prepositional phrases) (adverbial clauses) (phrases)

A verb phrase consists of a verb, its direct and/or indirect objects, and any adverb, adverb phrases, or adverb clauses which happen to modify it. The predicate of a clause or sentence is always a verb phrase: Corinne is trying to decide whether she wants to go to medical school or to go to law school. He did not have all the ingredients the recipe called for; therefore, he decided to make something else. After she had learned to drive, Alice felt more independent. We will meet at the library at 3:30 p.m.

Review of Phrases:
How long is a phrase? A phrase can be two words long: big dog Sometimes you will even see a single word referred to as a phrase. Or a phrase can be much longer: that lovely old pub by the bridge over the river Phrases within phrases

The phrases whose heads are by and over are prepositional phrases and will be explained below.

The diagram is useful in revealing the way in which the larger phrase is built out of smaller parts, each of which helps to expand a word which is before or after it:
river the river over the river the bridge over the river by the bridge over the river that lovely old pub by the bridge over the river Noun phrases A noun phrase has a noun as its head. The modifiers may be: determiners possessives He carried the bags She brought Mary's bags

adjectives prepositional phrases clauses

The heavy bags are downstairs The bridge over the river The pub we went to

A noun phrase does the work of a noun in a sentence. It can be: the subject: the object: the complement: possessive the object of a preposition The red balloon soared upwards. I read that book about dinosaurs She wants to be a doctor. my best friends father looked over the fence

Most sentences contain several noun phrases, which often determine the overall length and complexity of the whole sentence. This is why its important to be able to focus attention on the noun phrases in a text, in order to discuss their structures and how they are used.
Adjectival and adverbial phrases

Adjectival phrases have an adjective as their head. o e.g. good at ..., very tall Adverbial phrases have an adverb as their head. o e.g. very quickly

Adjectival phrases

Adjectival phrases either

expand noun phrases or complete the verb (act as the complement)

For example: They are really enthusiastic. They are keen on football. The adjective enthusiastic is modified by the adverb really to form the adjectival phrase. It is the complement of the verb are. The adjective keen combines with the prepositional phrase, on football. The head of the phrase is keen, and the phrase describes

the keen-ness, so its an adjectival phrase. the unusually tall boy The adjective tall is modified by the adverb unusually to form the adjectival phrase. It expands the noun phrase the boy.

At KS3 one main area of development with adjective phrases is likely to concern the use of prepositions and linking words (e.g. different from, conscious of, accustomed to, sufficiently big to).
Adverbial phrases Like single adverbs, they modify verbs, adjectives or adverbs. For example: He opened it extremely easily. extremely easily modifies opened I'll do it quite soon. I ran so fast. quite soon so fast modifies modifies modifies modifies do ran kind quickly

He was quite unexpectedly kind. quite unexpectedly He came very surprisingly quickly. very surprisingly

Prepositional phrases Prepositional phrases have a preposition as their head: at lunchtime behind the fridge for an interview from eating too much in the drawer Heads and objects in prepositional phrases The preposition is usually followed by a noun or noun phrase - lunchtime, the fridge, etc. This is called its object, because the preposition + object combination is rather like a verb + object (e.g. forgot lunchtime, opened the fridge). Why don't we treat the preposition as a modifier of the object? Because the preposition doesn't modify the object's meaning - for example, behind doesn't turn the fridge into a particular kind of fridge. In fact, the preposition sets up the meaning for the whole phrase, and the object makes it more precise. For example, behind picks out some place, and defines it in relation to something else - the fridge, Mary, the Houses of Parliament, depending on what the object may be. This is why we treat the preposition as the phrase's head. Adjectival and adverbial uses of prepostional phrases

Think about the functions of the two preposition phrases in this sentence: The boy from the shop is waiting at the corner

from the shop :The head of this prepositional phrase is the preposition from. The function of the phrase is adjectival - it does the work of an adjective by describing the noun boy. It modifies the noun, answering the question: which boy? at the corner :The head of this prepositional phrase is the preposition at. The function of the phrase is adverbial - it does the work of an adverb by modifying the verb waiting. It answers the question: where is he waiting?

Adverbial prepositional phrases, like adverbs, modify verbs, adjectives, adverbs or prepositions, and answer the same range of questions as adverbs:
How? in a hurry, with enthusiasm When? after the party, at midnight Where? at the station, near London Why? for my sake, because of the cold

Adjectival prepositional phrases, like adjectives, modify nouns: for example, they tell you which boy:
The boy in a hurry is waiting over there. The boy at the station told me. The boy from London lives here. The boy with red hair is called Ginger. The boy behind the shed is smoking. As some of these examples show, the same phrase can be adjectival or adverbial, depending on its function in the sentence.