As a native English speaker, you use phrases in your writing and speech without even realizing it. The key to distinguishing a phrase from a clause is that phrases lack a subject and verb.
Independent clauses contain a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a sentence. On the other hand, dependent clauses (also known as subordinate clauses) always depend on another independent clause for meaning.
What is a Phrase?
A phrase is a group of words that behaves like a part of speech, but it does not contain a verb. This means that a phrase cannot be a complete sentence on its own. Instead, phrases strengthen the subjects and objects of a sentence to make it more meaningful. They may be noun phrases, adverbial phrases, or other types of phrases.
Children learn about phrases in school and are often asked to identify them as they read and write. They are one of the building blocks of English grammar and can help students understand how to structure sentences.
A noun phrase includes a noun and the words that describe it, such as the black dog or the big furry cat. A gerund phrase begins with a gerund and any modifiers. An infinitive phrase begins with the infinitive form of a verb and any modifiers. A participle phrase includes the present or past participle and any modifiers.
What is a Clause?
A clause in grammar is a group of words that includes both a subject and a verb. It is the smallest grammatical unit that can express a complete thought. A clause can be independent, which means that it can stand on its own, or dependent, which means that it needs other parts of a sentence to make sense.
An independent clause functions like a regular sentence, and it looks much like one. It can include a noun or a verb, but it must have a subject and a predicate. Dependent clauses are more complicated because they can include words such as because, although, as, before, since, if, when, or even though. It is important to pay attention to these words, as they indicate that a dependent clause will follow. Then, you will have to identify the independent clause that the dependent clause is attached to. This is a bit of a tricky task. Practice will help.
What is a Phrase with a Clause?
Unlike clauses, phrases come in wider variety. They can also be more flexibly squeezed in almost any part of a sentence than clauses.
A phrase is a group of words in a sentence that does not contain both a subject and a verb. It doesn’t express a complete thought.
If a phrase contains a finite verb, it is a clause. If it contains a non-finite verb, it is a clause beginning with a subordinating conjunction such as because, although, since, when, and so on.
A dependent clause is a group of words in a clause that cannot stand on its own but can be combined with an independent clause to make a sentence. A dependent clause usually starts with a subordinating conjunction such a because, although, although, if, when, and so on. A dependent clause that is transformed into a phrase becomes more roomy and expressive. The examples below show this transformation process. A weak phrase such as ten sleepy sheep has been transformed into a phrase with a clause that tells more about what these slumbering critters are doing.
What is a Clause with a Phrase?
If you’re a writer, understanding the differences between phrases and clauses can help your writing make sense. A phrase is any combination of words that doesn’t have a subject and predicate but still behaves like a part of speech. It could be a noun phrase (my brother Stu, troops of soliders), an adjective phrase (in a different shade of blue) or an adverbial phrase (“with elegance and tact”).
A clause has a subject and a verb — the part of the sentence that can stand on its own. It can be short or long, simple or complex.
But when you add words like “although,” “even though” or “even if” to an independent clause, it becomes dependent and can’t be a sentence on its own. These are called subordinating conjunctions.