A phrase is one or more words that form a meaningful grammatical
unit within a clause. There are five main types of phrase in
English, as below.
Noun Phrase
A noun phrase (NP) can be a single noun or a group of words built
around a single noun, for example:
- Animals need
water.
- Who
ate the last sandwich?
- All passengers with
tickets can board now.
Verb Phrase
A verb phrase (VP, also called a "verb group")
consists of a main verb and its auxiliary verbs (including modals), for
example:
- We have
been working since 9am.
- I will
be going to France next week.
- It may
have been being repaired.
Adjective Phrase
An adjective phrase can be a single adjective or a group of
words built around a single adjective, for example:
- He
has clever ideas.
- It was
a very big meal.
- The
students were really bored with the film.
Adverb Phrase
An adverb phrase can be a single adverb or a group of words
built around a single adverb, for example:
- Please
do it now.
- He
spoke very softly.
- They
did it as fast as possible.
Prepositional Phrase
A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition followed by
its object (usually a noun phrase), for example:
- They
were arguing about money.
- The
window was behind a large brown sofa.
- They
resumed after an unusually large meal.
