Phrases and Clauses

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What is a phrase?

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A phrase is a group of words that does not contain a subject-verb pair and does not express a complete thought.

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What is a clause?

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A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. It can express a complete thought (independent clause) or not (dependent clause).

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What is an independent clause?

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An independent clause is a clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence because it expresses a complete thought.

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What is a dependent clause?

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A dependent clause is a clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because it does not express a complete thought.

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Example of a phrase:

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"the much-awaited game of the season" is a phrase because it does not have a subject-verb pair.

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Example of a clause:

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"because the family was well prepared" is a clause because it has a subject and a verb.

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How can you identify a phrase?

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A phrase can be identified by the absence of a subject-verb pair and it does not express a complete thought.

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How can you identify a clause?

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A clause can be identified by the presence of a subject and a verb, and it may express a complete thought.

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What is the difference between a phrase and a clause?

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The main difference is that a clause has both a subject and a verb, while a phrase does not.

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What is an example of an independent clause?

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"She loves to read books." is an independent clause because it expresses a complete thought.