Rules of Grammar: Phrases, Clauses, and Sentences

Phrases

Phrase is a combination of the head word and its dependents. The italicised words in the phrases below are head words in the phrases, while the unmarked parts are the dependents. The head introduces and controls the dependent group. Head words may come from any of the grammatical classes: noun, determiner, verb, auxiliary, adverb, adjective, preposition, complementizer, negation; while dependents are mostly phrases such as noun phrase, verb phrase, negative phrase, adverbial phrase, complementizer phrase, prepositional phrase.

• …in my ears. (prepositional phrase)
• …will be well. (Auxiliary phrase)
• …the joy of fatherhood (Determiner phrase)
• …not in my agenda (Negation Phrase)
• …sleeping on the bed (verb phrase)
• …that you are well. (Complementizer phrase)

Types of Phrase

1. Determiner Phrase:
   Determiner phrases are groups of words headed by a determiner.

   Examples:

   • The road to our home town …
   • An unlikely situation …
   • Many women in the house …

   Functions of the Determiner Phrase:

   • As subjects of verbs:
     • The good old man is here.
     • Many oranges were bought.
   • As objects of the verb:
     • He drew the pictures.
     • She brought a basket of oranges.
   • As objects of prepositions:
     • The food in the black bowl is yours.
     • The food on the table is cold.

2. Noun Phrase:
   Noun Phrases are a combination of a noun (as head) and its qualifiers (as dependents).

   Examples:

   • These two trees may be cut down.
   • The interesting later part of the story was not in the original version.

   Functions of the Noun Phrase:

   • As part of subjects:
     • The man in the house is dark in complexion.
     • The ban on your book has been lifted.
   • As part of objects of the verbs:
     • He loves his wife and children equally.
     • He writes illusionary stories.
   • As part of objects of prepositions:
     • The man we saw in the green house is my uncle.
     • The lion beside the still water is alive.
   • As complements of Determiner Phrases:
     • His dearly beloved mother bought him a car.
     • The joy in my heart is infectious.

3. Adjectival Phrase:
   The adjective phrase is a combination of an adjective (as head) and its modifiers (as dependents).

   Examples:

   • The good old man is here.
   • The genuine later part of the story….

   Functions of Adjective Phrase:

   • Attributive function:
     • The most intelligent boy is in our class.
     • We walked through a long, windy but smooth road.
   • Predicative function:
     • Obi is both good and smart.
     • The man is very old.
   • As dependents of the noun phrase:
     • The happily married woman is my aunt.
     • The long windy road is misleading.
     • The man in your room has left.

4. Verb Phrase:
   It is the combination of the verb and its dependents.

   Examples:

   • The bag contains a lot of items.
   • This man will explain the rules of the game.

   Functions of the Verb Phrase:

   • Forms part of the predicate:
     • I will reduce your burden.
     • I should have explained the problem earlier.
   • As complements of the Auxiliary Phrase:
     • I shouldn’t have planted the seed in your garden.
   • As complements of the infinitive marker:
     • I want to mark your scripts.
     • I was advised to practice regularly.

5. Adverbial Phrase:
   Adverbial phrases combine adverbs and their modifiers. Modifiers of adverbs are adverbs.

   Examples:

   • They run very slowly.

6. Prepositional Phrase:
   It is a group of words headed by a preposition.

   Examples:

   • There is no meat in the soup.
   • We shall seek truth in what he said.
   • He read beyond recommended texts.

   Functions of Prepositional Phrase:

   • Spatial function:
     • The lion is resting beside the tree.
     • The church magazine is on the desk.
   • Temporal function:
     • I will be there by 2:00p.m.
     • He told us to meet him at the appointed time.
   • Adjectival Function:
     • The man in your room has left.
     • The boy behind the act has disappeared.
     • The body of experts has resumed work.

7. Tense Phrase:
   Tense Phrases combine auxiliary verbs and their complements.

   Examples:

   • They might not be able to reach their destination.
   • He will tell us what to do when the time comes.

Clauses

1. Noun Clause:
   Noun clauses occupy the same positions as nouns.

   Examples:

   • That Solomon is wise is not questionable.
   • How he managed the crisis is commendable.

2. Adjectival Clauses:
   Adjectival clauses qualify nouns or noun phrases they appear with in a sentence.

   Examples:

   • The boy whom we drove out is Joy’s nephew.
   • The pen you gave me is good.

3. Adverbial Clauses:
   Adverbial clauses modify verbs, adverbs, and adjectives.

   Examples:

   • The boy follows me wherever I go.
   • I am glad that my brother travelled abroad.

Sentences

1. Simple Sentence:

   • Matthew has read the entire book.
   • I travelled abroad last month.

2. Complex Sentence:

   • If you jump a little, you will be able to pluck a fruit from the tree.
   • I know you have good results.

3. Compound Sentence:

   • You may go home or stay back.
   • I want to study hard but my sight is not good.

4. Compound Complex Sentence:

   • I went to the school to see my uncle but was told he travelled outside the country because of the upcoming festive season.

Sentence Classification by Function

1. Declarative Sentence:

   • Mary is the mother of the two children.

2. Imperative Sentence:

   • Shut the door and leave immediately.

3. Interrogative Sentence:

   • Who is shouting?
   • Are you still reading that book?

4. Exclamation Sentence:

   • What a surprised attack!