Clauses
* Definition: A clause is a group of words that contains a subject (who or what is doing the action) and a verb (the action itself).
* Types:
* Independent Clause: A complete thought that can stand alone as a sentence. Example: "The dog barked loudly."
* Dependent Clause: A group of words that contains a subject and verb, but it doesn't express a complete thought. It needs an independent clause to be a complete sentence. Example: "Because the dog was hungry."
* Key Features:
* Always has a subject and a verb.
* Can express a complete thought (independent) or an incomplete thought (dependent).
Phrases
* Definition: A phrase is a group of words that does *not* contain both a subject and a verb.
* Types:
* Prepositional Phrase: Begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun. Example: "under the table"
* Participial Phrase: Starts with a participle (a verb form acting as an adjective). Example: "Walking down the street"
* Gerund Phrase: Starts with a gerund (a verb form ending in "-ing" that acts like a noun). Example: "Reading a book"
* Infinitive Phrase: Starts with "to" and a verb. Example: "To run a marathon"
* Key Features:
* Lacks a subject or a verb (or both).
* Adds detail or information to a sentence but doesn't express a complete thought.
In Summary
Think of it like this:
* Clauses are like sentences – they have a subject and a verb and can convey a complete thought.
* Phrases are like parts of sentences – they can't stand alone and usually serve as modifiers or descriptors.
Examples:
* Clause: "The cat sat on the mat" (independent clause)
* Phrase: "On the mat" (prepositional phrase)
Let me know if you'd like more examples or have any other questions!