Words in Transition

An absolute phrase is a noun or noun equivalent! followed in most cases by a participial phrase. An absolute phrase modifies a clause or sentence, not just a word as all other types of phrases do.

Joseph received many attractive job offers, his first concert having received rave reviews .

Her truck packed with all her belongings, Phoebe set out for the Yukon.

An appositive is a noun or noun equivalent. An appositive phrase is a noun or noun equivalent, together with any modifier(s), that directly follows (or precedes) another noun or noun equivalent. Unlike an adjective! which modifies a noun or noun equivalent! an appositive phrase identifies or explains. Most appositive phrases contain nonessential or parenthetical information and are! therefore! set off by commas.

The Special Olympics, games for disabled children, celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 1992.

A member of the Group of Seven, A.Y. Jackson painted rugged Canadian landscapes.

When a verb does not function as a verb in a sentence, it is called a verbal. Verbals are usually used in phrases. There are three kinds of verbal phrases: gerund, participial, and infinitive.

A gerund phrase consists of an -ing form of a verb (brewing, flying, joking, studying) with any modifier(s) and/ or object(s). A gerund phrase always functions as a noun in a sentence. It can, therefore, serve as a subject, a predicate noun, a direct object, an indirect object, or an object of a preposition in a sentence.

All this fancy cooking takes time. [S]

Rick’s main recreation is lifting weights. [PN]

I believe in telling the truth. [OP]

A participial phrase consists of a present participle (-ing form of a verb) or past participle t-ed form of a verb) with its auxiliary, modifier(s), object(s), and complement(s). A participial phrase always functions as an adjective in a sentence.

The girl riding the mountain bike is my cousin. [ADJ]

Having finished his work for the day: the carpenter put his tools away and went home. [ADJ]

An infinitive phrase consists of the word to and the base form of the verb (stop, attempt, march, liberate) with its modifier(s) and object(s), if any. An infinitive phrase can function as an adjective! an adverb! or a noun in a sentence.

These are the shoes to wear for golf. [ADJ]

Sam couldn’t wait to eat his ice cream. [ADV]

Kristin and Benny love to rollerblade. [N]

A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition (a word such as to, with, after, on, in, by, or between) and its object, which is always a noun or pronoun. In sentences prepositional phrases usually function as adjectives or adverbs, but in some instances they can function as nouns.

The chapter on photosynthesis is fully illustrated. [ADJ]

Many Canadians go to Florida in the winter. [PN]

After two o’clock would be most convenient for me. [N]

The phrase is the most common word group we use in writing. A phrase, unlike a clause, does not have a subject and a predicate. A phrase is used as a single part of speech; that is, as a noun, a verb, an adjective or an adverb. There are four kinds of phrases: prepositional, verbal (including gerund, participle, and infinitive phrases), appositive, and absolute.