* Sentence: A sentence is a complete thought that expresses a statement, question, command, or exclamation. It always contains a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a verb (the action or state of being).
* Example: "The cat sat on the mat." (Subject: cat, Verb: sat)
* Phrase: A phrase is a group of words that function as a single unit within a sentence. It does not contain both a subject and a verb.
* Example: "on the mat" (This is a prepositional phrase, but it lacks a subject and verb)
Key Differences:
* Completeness: Sentences are complete thoughts, while phrases are incomplete.
* Subject and Verb: Sentences must have both a subject and a verb, while phrases can lack one or both.
* Function: Sentences stand alone, while phrases are used as part of a larger sentence structure.
Think of it like this:
* A sentence is like a complete meal.
* A phrase is like an ingredient in that meal.
You can't have a meal without ingredients, but the ingredients alone don't make a meal.