Complete Exam Guide Subject-wise practice platform
English Literature Quiz

Clauses and Phrases in English Grammar

The difference between a phrase and a clause is the single most useful idea in English sentence grammar, because almost every question on sentence structure depends on it. A phrase is a group of related words that lacks a subject-and-verb pair and so cannot stand on its own; a clause contains a subject and a finite verb and may or may not stand on its own. These notes define both, work through every common type of phrase and every type of clause, show how clauses combine to form simple, compound, complex and compound-complex sentences, and set out the errors examiners test most often. A 20-question practice set follows.

The Core Distinction

A phrase is a small group of words that works together as a single unit but has no subject doing a finite verb. In the morning, very tired, running down the street and to finish the race are all phrases. Remove one from a sentence and what remains can still stand; the phrase only adds detail.

A clause always has a subject and a finite verb. She sang is a clause; because she sang is also a clause. The test is simple: find a subject paired with a verb that shows tense, and you have a clause; if there is no such pair, you have a phrase.

  • Phrase: no subject-verb pair, cannot express a complete thought on its own.
  • Clause: has a subject and a finite verb.
  • A finite verb shows tense and agrees with its subject (walks, walked, is walking). A non-finite verb form (to walk, walking, walked as a participle) does not by itself make a clause.
  • Every sentence must contain at least one clause. A sentence may contain many phrases but needs no phrase at all.
  • Quick check: the group of words the fastest runner in the school has no verb, so it is a phrase; the group the runner won has a subject and verb, so it is a clause.

Types of Phrases

Phrases are named after the word that heads them or the job they do. Learn to spot the head word and the function, because questions usually ask you to identify one or the other.

  • Noun phrase: a noun and the words that modify it, acting as a noun. The tall boy in the blue shirt smiled. It can be subject, object or complement.
  • Verb phrase: the main verb together with its auxiliaries. She has been working all day.
  • Adjective phrase: a group of words doing the work of an adjective. The girl with the long hair is my sister. Here with the long hair describes girl.
  • Adverb phrase: a group doing the work of an adverb, telling how, when, where or why. He spoke in a gentle voice. She will arrive in the evening.
  • Prepositional phrase: a preposition plus its object, on the table, under the bridge, after the storm. It usually functions as an adjective or an adverb.
  • Gerund phrase: an -ing form used as a noun, together with its objects and modifiers. Swimming in the sea is refreshing. The gerund phrase is the subject here.
  • Participial phrase: a present or past participle used as an adjective. Broken by the fall, the vase could not be repaired. Running quickly, the boy caught the bus.
  • Infinitive phrase: to plus a base verb, with its objects and modifiers. She wants to become a doctor. It can act as noun, adjective or adverb.
  • Appositive phrase: a noun phrase that renames the noun beside it. My friend, a talented painter, won the prize.

Types of Clauses

There are two great divisions. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate, clause has a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone; it leans on a main clause. Subordinate clauses are then classed by the job they do: noun, adjective or adverb.

  • Independent (main) clause: The sun set. It can be a sentence by itself.
  • Dependent (subordinate) clause: when the sun set. It has a subject and verb but cannot stand alone, because when leaves the thought unfinished.
  • Noun clause: a subordinate clause doing the work of a noun. What she said surprised everyone. I do not know where he lives. It can be subject, object or complement, and often begins with that, what, whether, why, how, who.
  • Adjective (relative) clause: describes a noun and usually begins with a relative pronoun, who, whom, whose, which or that. The book that you lent me is excellent. The man who called is my uncle.
  • Adverb clause: does the work of an adverb, telling when, where, why, how, to what extent or under what condition, and begins with a subordinating conjunction. She left because she was tired. We will play if it stops raining. He ran as fast as he could.
  • A relative clause is defining (restrictive) when it identifies which one, and takes no commas: The students who studied passed. It is non-defining (non-restrictive) when it merely adds information, and takes commas: My brother, who lives in Delhi, is a doctor.

How Clauses Build Sentences

The four sentence types are defined entirely by how many independent and dependent clauses they contain. This is a standard examination question, so learn the four patterns exactly.

  • Simple sentence: one independent clause and no dependent clause. The children played in the park. It may still contain phrases.
  • Compound sentence: two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet), by a semicolon, or by a conjunctive adverb. She wanted to go, but it was raining.
  • Complex sentence: one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Although it was raining, she went out. The dependent clause is although it was raining.
  • Compound-complex sentence: two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. When the bell rang, the students left and the teacher locked the door.
  • The seven coordinating conjunctions are remembered by the word FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. They join equals.
  • Common subordinating conjunctions introduce adverb clauses: because, although, since, unless, until, while, when, if, as, before, after, though.

Common Errors and Exam Points

Most sentence-structure questions test one of a small set of faults. Learn to recognise each by name.

  • Sentence fragment: a phrase or a dependent clause punctuated as if it were a full sentence. Because he was late. is a fragment; it needs a main clause: He missed the bus because he was late.
  • Run-on sentence: two independent clauses joined with no conjunction or punctuation. She sang he danced. is a run-on.
  • Comma splice: two independent clauses joined by only a comma. It was late, we went home. Fix with a full stop, a semicolon, or a coordinating conjunction.
  • Misplaced or dangling participle: a participial phrase that seems to modify the wrong noun. Walking to school, the rain soaked me wrongly suggests the rain was walking; correct to Walking to school, I was soaked by the rain.
  • That against which: in defining relative clauses use that (no commas); in non-defining clauses use which (with commas).
  • Who against whom: who is the subject form (the man who called), whom is the object form (the man whom I called).
  • To identify a clause type in an exam, first find the subject and finite verb, then ask what job the whole clause does in the sentence: name a thing (noun clause), describe a noun (adjective clause), or modify the verb (adverb clause).

Key Terms

Finite verb
A verb that shows tense and agrees with a subject, such as writes, wrote or is writing. A clause must contain one; a phrase does not. Infinitives (to write) and participles (writing, written) are non-finite.
Subordinate clause
A clause that has a subject and a finite verb but cannot stand alone because a subordinating word leaves the thought incomplete, such as because he was tired. It functions inside a sentence as a noun, adjective or adverb.
Relative clause
An adjective clause that describes a noun and begins with a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, which, that). Defining relative clauses take no commas; non-defining ones are set off by commas.
Comma splice
The error of joining two independent clauses with only a comma, as in It was late, we went home. It is corrected with a full stop, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.

Practice Quiz — 20 Questions

correct out of 20

  1. The essential difference between a phrase and a clause is that a clause:

    • A.Is always longer
    • B.Contains a subject and a finite verb
    • C.Always begins with a capital letter
    • D.Cannot contain a preposition
    B. Contains a subject and a finite verb — A clause has a subject paired with a finite verb; a phrase does not.

  2. Identify the type of the underlined group: The boy WITH THE RED CAP is my cousin.

    • A.Noun clause
    • B.Adjective (prepositional) phrase
    • C.Adverb clause
    • D.Independent clause
    B. Adjective (prepositional) phrase — With the red cap has no subject-verb pair and describes the noun boy, so it is an adjectival prepositional phrase.

  3. Which of the following is a clause?

    • A.Running down the road
    • B.In the early morning
    • C.Because she was afraid
    • D.A very old house
    C. Because she was afraid — Because she was afraid has the subject she and the finite verb was; the others are phrases.

  4. Swimming is good exercise. The word Swimming here is a:

    • A.Participle
    • B.Gerund
    • C.Infinitive
    • D.Finite verb
    B. Gerund — An -ing form used as a noun is a gerund; here it is the subject of the sentence.

  5. In She wants to learn French, the group to learn French is a:

    • A.Gerund phrase
    • B.Infinitive phrase
    • C.Participial phrase
    • D.Noun clause
    B. Infinitive phrase — To plus a base verb with its object is an infinitive phrase, here acting as the object of wants.

  6. What kind of clause is underlined: I know THAT HE IS HONEST.

    • A.Adjective clause
    • B.Adverb clause
    • C.Noun clause
    • D.Main clause
    C. Noun clause — That he is honest is the object of know, so it does the work of a noun.

  7. What kind of clause is underlined: The house THAT JACK BUILT still stands.

    • A.Noun clause
    • B.Adjective (relative) clause
    • C.Adverb clause
    • D.Independent clause
    B. Adjective (relative) clause — That Jack built describes the noun house, so it is an adjective, or relative, clause.

  8. What kind of clause is underlined: We stayed indoors BECAUSE IT WAS RAINING.

    • A.Noun clause
    • B.Adjective clause
    • C.Adverb clause of reason
    • D.Compound clause
    C. Adverb clause of reason — It tells why we stayed indoors and begins with because, so it is an adverb clause of reason.

  9. A sentence with one independent clause and no dependent clause is called:

    • A.Simple
    • B.Compound
    • C.Complex
    • D.Compound-complex
    A. Simple — One independent clause alone makes a simple sentence, however many phrases it contains.

  10. She was tired, but she finished the work. This sentence is:

    • A.Simple
    • B.Compound
    • C.Complex
    • D.Compound-complex
    B. Compound — Two independent clauses joined by the coordinating conjunction but make a compound sentence.

  11. Although he was ill, he attended the meeting. This sentence is:

    • A.Simple
    • B.Compound
    • C.Complex
    • D.Compound-complex
    C. Complex — One dependent clause (although he was ill) plus one independent clause makes a complex sentence.

  12. The word FANBOYS is a memory aid for the:

    • A.Subordinating conjunctions
    • B.Coordinating conjunctions
    • C.Relative pronouns
    • D.Types of phrase
    B. Coordinating conjunctions — FANBOYS stands for for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so, the seven coordinating conjunctions.

  13. Which sentence contains a comma splice?

    • A.It was late, so we went home.
    • B.It was late; we went home.
    • C.It was late, we went home.
    • D.Because it was late, we went home.
    C. It was late, we went home. — Two independent clauses joined by only a comma is a comma splice.

  14. Because the road was flooded. This is an example of a:

    • A.Complete sentence
    • B.Sentence fragment
    • C.Compound sentence
    • D.Run-on sentence
    B. Sentence fragment — It is a dependent clause standing alone with no main clause, which makes it a fragment.

  15. In My uncle, a retired teacher, lives nearby, the group a retired teacher is:

    • A.A noun clause
    • B.An appositive phrase
    • C.An adverb phrase
    • D.A relative clause
    B. An appositive phrase — It is a noun phrase that renames my uncle, which makes it an appositive phrase.

  16. Choose the correct relative pronoun: The scientist ____ discovered the vaccine was honoured.

    • A.which
    • B.whom
    • C.who
    • D.whose
    C. who — The pronoun is the subject of discovered and refers to a person, so who is correct.

  17. Which sentence uses a non-defining relative clause correctly?

    • A.My car which is red needs repair.
    • B.My car, which is red, needs repair.
    • C.My car, that is red, needs repair.
    • D.My car that is red, needs repair.
    B. My car, which is red, needs repair. — A non-defining clause adds extra information, is set off by commas, and uses which, not that.

  18. Broken into pieces, the toy lay on the floor. The underlined group is a:

    • A.Gerund phrase
    • B.Participial phrase
    • C.Infinitive phrase
    • D.Noun clause
    B. Participial phrase — Broken is a past participle describing the toy, so Broken into pieces is a participial phrase.

  19. When the bell rang, the students left and the teacher smiled. This sentence is:

    • A.Simple
    • B.Compound
    • C.Complex
    • D.Compound-complex
    D. Compound-complex — It has two independent clauses (the students left, the teacher smiled) plus one dependent clause (when the bell rang).

  20. A verb phrase consists of:

    • A.A noun and its modifiers
    • B.A main verb together with its auxiliaries
    • C.A preposition and its object
    • D.A subject and a predicate
    B. A main verb together with its auxiliaries — A verb phrase is the main verb plus any helping verbs, for example has been working.

References