Phrases-F5


 * Week 4 Grammar**

II. Phrases 1. What is a phrase? A. Definition: Two or more words in sequence that form a syntactic unit that is less than a complete sentence. B. Examples: a. A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle. b. Any time, anywhere, acid indigestion can catch you out. c. As slippery as an eel. d. Big fish eat little fish. e. Bigger fish to fry.

2. What is a gerund phrase? A. Definition: A phrase that has a gerund and any modifiers related to gerund. B. Examples: a. Children love flipping through the channels quickly. b. Beating eggs are good for hand aerobics. c. Since James was young, biking has been his all-time favorite hobby. d. Reporting the news was exciting. e. The marketing ideas used by Microsoft is very efficient. C. What is the difference between a gerund phrase and a present participle phrase? i. Explanation: A gerund is a form of a verb but not a verb it is a noun./ The present participle is a form of a verb but not a verb, it is an adjective. ii. Examples: a. (Gerund)- He was a very deserving person for his efforts. b. (Present Participle)- The golfing instructor yelled at the boy for missing the putt. c. (Gerund)- He avoided finishing his homework for the first time in his life d. (Present Participle)- Jacob has been skiing all day. e. (Gerund)- I hate looking after my little brother. f. (Present Participle)- Jane heard someone walking.

3. What is an infinitive phrase? A. Definition: An infinitive phrase will begin with an infinitive [to + simple form of the verb] and include objects and/or modifiers. Here are some examples B. Examples: a. To smash a spider b. To kick the ball past the dazed goalie c. To lick the grease from his shiny fingers despite the disapproving glances of his girlfriend Gloria d. To finish her shift without spilling another pizza into a customer's lap e. to win the approval of her mother C. How do you punctuate an infinitive phrase? i. Explanation: When an infinitive phrase introduces a main clause, separate the two sentence components with a comma. When an infinitive phrase breaks the flow of a main clause, use a comma both before and after the interrupter. When an infinitive phrase concludes a main clause, you need no punctuation to connect the two sentence components. ii. Examples: a. To avoid burning another bag of popcorn, Brendan pressed his nose against the microwave door, sniffing suspiciously every five seconds.

b. Those Nike basketball shoes, to be perfectly honest, do not complement the suit you are planning to wear to the interview.

c. Janice and her friends went to the mall to flirt with the cute guys who hang out at the food court.

4. What is a participial phrase?

A. Definition: A participial phrase is a participle, a verb used as an adjective, and the object of the participle and any words modified by or complementing it that follow the participle.

B. Examples:

a. The organ grinder stood next to the //**dancing** monkey// as the crowd walked by them disinterestedly.

b. The bull rider held on to the //**bucking** bronco// for dear life.

c. The //**cornered** convict// then decided to take one of passengers hostage in a desperate attempt to obtain his own freedom.

d. The scientist //**nominated** for the Nobel Prize// in physics hates math with a passion.

e. Jeffery, a devout lover of chocolate, purchased two boxes of the sweet substance from the //*smiling* schoolgirl// when she appeared upon his doorstep later that day.

C. How do you use a participial phrase as an introductory modifier?

i. Explanation: You may use a participial phrase as an introductory modifier the same way that you set off other introductory elements, with commas.

ii. Examples:

a. //**Dancing** through the evening//, the college students took no notice of the time as the hours past by.

b. //**Working** through the night//, the tired author was finally able to complete writing the last novel of his latest mystery series.

c. //**Eating** food the way that he did//, it came as a surprise to no one when John was diagnosed with E. coli.

D. How do you use a participial phrase as a parenthetical element?

i. Explanation: You may use a participle phrase the same way you use any other parenthetical element, through the placement of commas on either side of the participial phrase.

ii. Examples:

a. The stone steps, //**having** been worn down// by generations of use, were becoming a hazard to pedestrians using them.

b. The lake, //**frozen** over by the winters chill//, is now used to play ice hockey on by the local children.

c. The fallen log, //**obstructing** both lanes of the street//, was immediately removed by the cities orders. http://grammar.uoregon.edu/phrases/participialP.html