Phrase

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.