Thursday, December 14, 2017

PHRASES

A group of words may take the place of a part of speech

 The Father of Water is the Mississippi.

  A girl with blue eyes stood at the window.

  You are looking well.

  The Father of Waters is used as a noun, since it names something.

  With blue eyes takes the place of an adjective (blue-eyed), and   modifies girl.

  At the window indicates, as an adverb might, where the girl stood, and modifies stood.

  Are looking could be replaced by the verb look.

A group of connected words, not containing a subject and a predicate, is called a phrase.

A phrase is often equivalent to a part of speech.

1. A phrase used as a noun is called a noun-phrase.

2. A phrase used as a verb is called a verb-phrase.

3. A phrase used as an adjective is called an adjective phrase.

4. A phrase used as an adverb is called an adverbial phrase.

  In the examples in The Father of Waters is a noun-phrase; with blue eyes, an adjective phrase; at the window, an adverbial phrase; are looking, a verb-phrase.

Many adjective and adverbial phrases consist of a preposition and its object, with or without other words.

  Your umbrella is in the corner.

  He has a heart of oak.

  A cup with a broken handle stood on the shelf.

  My house of cards fell to the floor in a heap.

Adjective or adverbial phrases consisting of a preposition and its object, with or without other words, may be called prepositional phrases.

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