When we want to craft the perfect sentence, phrases and clauses are two of our most important tools. But what are these exactly?
In this article, we will define what phrases and clauses are, explain how they are different from each other, and provide examples of how we typically use both of them to build sentences.
Phrases and clauses are both used to build sentences. A phrase is a group of words acting as a unit that does not include a subject and a predicate. A clause is a group of words acting as a unit that does have both a subject and a predicate. A phrase can never stand by itself as a complete sentence while a clause might be able to.
In grammar, a phrase is a group of words that act together as a single unit but don’t contain the things needed to form a sentence: a subject and a predicate. Phrases may contain nouns and verbs, but they cannot function by themselves as complete sentences. If used alone, a phrase would be a sentence fragment and not a sentence. For example, the phrase shiny gold watches is clearly not a complete sentence as it doesn’t have a predicate.
There are several kinds of phrases in English that each serve different grammatical functions. Some examples of different kinds of phrases include:
Different kinds of phrases are often used to make more complex sentences.
Unlike a phrase, a clause does have both a subject and a predicate, and a clause may be able to stand alone as a complete sentence. For example, the clause Mice eat cheese has both a subject (mice) and a predicate (eat) and would be grammatically correct as a standalone sentence.
There are two major types of clauses: independent clauses and dependent clauses. An independent clause can stand by itself as a complete sentence while a dependent clause cannot. Typically, a dependent clause begins with a connecting word, such as a conjunction or a pronoun, that connects it to the rest of the sentence. For example:
We often use both independent and dependent clauses to form complex sentences. For example:
Like phrases, we often use clauses to form longer, complex sentences.
How do you tell the difference between a clause and a phrase? It is actually pretty simple. A clause includes both a subject and a predicate. A phrase is missing a subject and a predicate. So, if you can’t find a subject or a predicate in a group of words, you are dealing with a phrase and not a clause. For example, ten sleepy sheep is a group of words but does not include a verb, which means it doesn’t have a predicate. Without a predicate, this group of words must be a phrase.
Let’s look at some more examples that show this big difference in clauses and phrases:
the children laughed
by talking about their favorite recipes
as we ate lunch
Phrases and clauses are ingredients that we use to make complete sentences.
A sentence is a collection of words that include a subject and a predicate and can be used to express a complete thought. For example, Birds fly is a sentence.
A phrase is a group of words that doesn’t have a subject and a predicate. A phrase cannot stand alone and does not express a complete thought. For example, was working yesterday is a (verb) phrase. Phrases are typically used to build a sentence, modify parts of a sentence, or to provide more information.
A clause is a collection of words that includes a subject and a predicate. A clause may or may not be able to stand alone as a complete sentence. For example, the independent clause green is my favorite color can function as a complete sentence whereas the dependent clause because green is my favorite color cannot.
Technically, there is no real difference between a sentence and an independent clause. We simply use the term independent clause to describe a part of a complex sentence that includes multiple groups of words that have both subjects and predicates. A set of words that reads Cats meow could be either a sentence or an independent clause depending on how we use it. For example:
