Definition:
Any small group of words within a sentence or a clause. See also:
- Head
- Absolute Phrase
- Adjective Phrase
- Adverb Phrase
- Catchphrase
- Noun Phrase
- Participial Phrase
- Phrasal Verb
- Prepositional Phrase
- Signal Phrase
Etymology:
From the Greek, "explain, tell"Examples and Observations:
- Absolute Phrase
"Still he came on, shoulders hunched, face twisted, wringing his hands, looking more like an old woman at a wake than an infantry combat soldier."
(James Jones, The Thin Red Line) - Adjective Phrase
"It is always the best policy to speak the truth--unless, of course, you are an exceptionally good liar."
(Jerome K. Jerome) - Adverb Phrase
"Movements born in hatred very quickly take on the characteristics of the thing they oppose."
(J. S. Habgood) - Gerund Phrase
"Failing the exam was a major disappointment to him, to me and to Eva."
(Judith Hubback, From Dawn to Dusk) - Noun Phrase
"Buy a big bright green pleasure machine!"
(Paul Simon) - Participial Phrase
"He moved ahead more quickly now, dragging his heels a little in the fine dust."
(John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath) - Prepositional Phrase
"I could dance with you until the cows come home. On second thought I'd rather dance with the cows until you come home."
(Groucho Marx) - Verb Phrase
"I got kicked out of ballet class because I pulled a groin muscle. It wasn't mine."
(Rita Rudner) - "Noun phrases and prepositional phrases can have particularly complex structure in written texts, with several layers of phrase embedding. In fact, the complexity of phrases is a very striking measure for comparing the complexity of syntax in different registers of English. The simplest structures occur in conversation and the complexity increases through fiction and newspaper writing, with academic writing showing the greatest complexity of phrase structure."
(D. Biber et al., Longman Student Grammar, 2005)
Pronunciation: FRAZ
