Purpose
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to identify prepositional, participial, infinitive, and gerund phrases and understand how each functions in a sentence.Lesson Explanation
A phrase, unlike a clause (previous lesson), lacks either a subject or a full predicate — it is a group of related words functioning as a single unit within a sentence. Prepositional phrases begin with a preposition (Part 1, Lesson 5) and end with its object: “in the morning,” “under the bridge.” They typically function as adjectives or adverbs, adding description or context. Participial phrases begin with a present participle (“-ing” form) or past participle (usually “-ed” form) acting as an adjective, describing a noun: “Running down the street, she waved at me.” (describes “she”) A genuinely important, frequent error occurs when a participial phrase’s implied subject doesn’t match the noun it’s placed next to — this “dangling modifier” problem is covered in full in Part 4, Lesson 3. Infinitive phrases begin with “to” plus the base form of a verb (“to run,” “to decide”) and can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb: “To win the race was her only goal.” (functions as a noun, the subject of the sentence) Gerund phrases begin with the “-ing” form of a verb functioning as a noun, not an adjective — genuinely easy to confuse with a participial phrase, since both can look identical in form: “Running every morning keeps her healthy.” (Here “Running every morning” is the subject — a noun function — making it a gerund phrase, not a participial phrase, even though “running” looks the same as in the participial example above.)Practice Questions
1. What does a phrase lack, unlike a clause?
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Either a subject or a full predicate.2. What does a prepositional phrase begin with?
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A preposition.3. What typically ends a prepositional phrase?
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Its object (a noun or pronoun).4. What kind of word begins a participial phrase?
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A present participle (“-ing”) or past participle, acting as an adjective.5. What later lesson covers the “dangling modifier” problem tied to participial phrases?
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Part 4, Lesson 3.6. What does an infinitive phrase begin with?
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“To” plus the base form of a verb.7. In “To win the race was her only goal,” what function does the infinitive phrase serve?
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A noun (the subject of the sentence).8. What form does a gerund phrase begin with?
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The “-ing” form of a verb, functioning as a noun.9. How is a gerund phrase different from a participial phrase, even though both can use “-ing” words?
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A gerund phrase functions as a noun; a participial phrase functions as an adjective.10. In “Running every morning keeps her healthy,” is “Running every morning” a gerund phrase or a participial phrase?
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A gerund phrase, since it functions as the subject (a noun).11. Write an example of a prepositional phrase.
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In the morning, or under the bridge (or similar).12. Can a phrase, by itself, express a complete thought the way an independent clause can?