Phrases-E5

II. Phrases

1. What is a //phrase//?
A. Phrase-Two or more words in sequence that form a syntactic unit that is less than a complete sentence.

B. Examples:

a. **Before the the first test**, don't forget to study the formulas.

b. **After the devastation of the hurricane**, nothing was left behind.

c. I finished my homework **after the teacher's lecture**.

d. **Because of her glittering smile**, I fell in love with her.

e. **Between ignorance and intelligence**, I would rather choose intelligence.

2. What is a //gerund phrase//?
A. Gerund Phrase-A gerund phrase acts as a noun includes a present participle (a verb form ending in -ing) plus any complements and modifiers.

B. Examples:

a. **Flying above the lake** at this time of night seems a little dangerous.

b. Bill decided **scrambling over the pile** of debris was not safe.

c. The student gathered signatures for **increasing the hours** of the library.

d. Ethan avoided **doing his homework** because the Ducks were playing the Cougars.

e. Andrew continues his crusade to prevent the university from **limiting free speech**.

C. What is the difference between a //gerund phrase// and a //present participle phrase//?
i. Explanation: The difference is that a gerund phrase will always function as a noun while a present participle phrase has the job of modifying another word in the sentence.

ii. Examples:

a. //Gerund//: **//Jamming too much clothing into a washing machine//** will result in disaster.

b. //Present Participle//: **Jamming too much clothing into the washing machine,** Aamir saved $1.25 but had to tolerate the curious stares of other laundry patrons as his machine bucked and rumbled with the heavy load.

c. //Gerund//: Bernard hates **buttering toast with a fork.**

d. //Presemt Participle//: //**Buttering toast with a fork**//**, Bernard vowed that he would finally wash the week's worth of dirty dishes piled in the sink.**

e. //Gerund//: My dog's most annoying habit is **hogging the middle of the bed****.**

f. //Present Participle//: Last night I had to sleep on the couch because I found Floyd, my dog, //**hogging the middle of the bed**//**.**

3. What is an //infinitive phrase//?
A. infinitive phrase-An infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive (to plus a verb) followed by any complements or modifiers.

B. Examples:

a. The seemingly simple decision **to appoint a Democrat** caused controversy.

b. The respondents believe their neighbors are willing **to vote for a woman**.

c. The corps has been trying **to recast itself** in a more ecosensitive light.

d. Now Congress has to decide whether it wants **to continue to be part** of the problem, or if it wants to be part of the solution.

e. Even in New York, fans did not manage **to buy the hype**.

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. Participial phrase-a group of words containing a participle that acts as an adjective.

B. Examples:

a. The car **sliding out of control** toward building is going to hit the window.

b. Alex fell down the **broken staircase**.

c. **Running down the street**, Alicia tripped and fell.

d. **Penned in by other runners**, Steve was unable to make a break for the finish line.

e. Cameron spotted his brother **throwing rocks** at the passing cars.

C. How do you use a //participial phrase// as an //introductory modifier//?
i. Explanation: The participial phrase is placed in the beginning of a sentence and is given a comma after it.

ii. Examples:

a. **Running down the street**, Alicia tripped and fell.

b. **Penned in by other runners**, Steve was unable to make a break for the finish line.

c. **Caught by the guards**, the agent had to think quickly.

D. How do you use a //participial phrase// as a //parenthetical element//?
i. Explanation: The participial phrase is used as an element to interrupt the progression of a sentence to give an important piece of information. It is separated by commas, dashes, or parenthesese.

ii. Examples:

a. George Mallard**, running for his car,** checked his surroundings for opposing villains.

b. George ate the cake**, melting quickly,** voraciously.

c. The stones**, burning with heat,** were thrown at the wall.

examples and definitions taken from: http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/infinitivephrase.htm

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/gram_clauses_n_phrases.html

http://grammar.uoregon.edu/phrases/gerundP.html

http://www.grammartips.homestead.com/interrupters.html