For some people it is tricky to differentiate what makes a phrase and a clause different. Others have simply forgotten what the difference is. Whichever group you belong to, this class will help.
A phrase is a group of words that form a meaningful unit within a clause. A phrase can also be described as a group of words that express a concept and is used as a unit within a sentence. There are different types of phrases such as noun phrase, verb phrase, gerund phrase but that is not the focus for today.
Examples of phrases are:
• A vase of roses
• The lost car
• Before the general elections
A clause on the other hand is a group of words containing a subject and a predicate. A clause may form part of a sentence or it may be a complete sentence in itself. There are also different types of clauses such as the independent clause, dependent clause and relative clause.
Here are a few examples of clauses.
• The President isn’t feeling well today.
• The General despises people of low character.
Can you identify which of these is a clause or phrase? You can leave your answers in the comment section. Good luck!
• They are singing
• In the morning
• I run daily
• I got to school on time
• Because she was so kind to everyone.