Phrases Examples

phrase is a group of words that work together to make meaning, but it is not a complete sentence. In other words, it does not have both a subject and a verb.

Phrases are units of meaning that can be put together to make up sentences.

There are several different kinds of phrases in the English language. Some of the more common ones are described below.

Noun phrase-a group of words made up of a noun and all its modifiers

Verb phrase-a group of words made up of a verb, any helping verbs, and any modifiers

Prepositional phrase-a group of words that begins with a preposition and helps to explain the relationship between two things. Prepositional phrases can function as adverbs (adverb phrase), adjectives (adjective phrase), and sometimes as a noun.

Examples of phrases:

the brown hat

blowing away

in the wind

Example of phrases put together in a sentence:

The brown hat was blowing away in the wind.

Examples of noun phrases:

the brown hat

my English teacher

the grocery store

Examples of verb phrases:

ran quickly

has been raining

stopped

Examples of prepositional phrases:

on the boat

above the stove

around the corner