1. He was a young man of great promise.

premodifier
2. In a low voice, he narrated the tale of his adventures. Object complement
3. He's keen on her. Subject complement
4. He was quite interested in her. Subject complement
5. He was very happy. Subject complement
6. He is fond of her. Subject complement
7. She is extremely beautiful. Subject complement
8. I am quite interested in her. Subject complement
9. I don't like very spicy food. premodifier
10. The noise was annoyingly loud. Subject complement
11. The overly enthusiastic new employee finished the job. premodifier

An adverbial phrase is a group of words that have the same impact as an adverb. They modify a
verb, adjective, adverb, clause or an entire sentence. Adverbial phrases can make
a sentence more interesting and exciting. They tell us how, when, where, why and how long.

He travels (how much?) a great deal. adverbial noun phrase

He will sing (how) like a bird. adverbial noun phrase

He came (why) to get revenge. adverbial verb phrase

A stranger arrived (when) this morning. adverbial noun phrase

He is exceptionally bright. how much(modifies an adjective)

He teaches daily.  He is teaching us now. when (modifies a verb)
He writes too slowly. He speaks extremely fast. He does pretty well. how (modifies an adverb)
He arrives exactly on time. He came right over to my desk.  How much  (modifies a prepositional phrases)
We shared our work fairly evenly how (modifies an adverb)

We shared our work fairly evenly.  ( Adv + Adv)

Identify the adverb phrase and their functions

1. He spoke freely. 
2. He is very smart. 
3. He teaches quite creatively. 
4. He stopped exactly on time. 
5. Suddenly, everyone started clapping. 
 6. Frankly, I don't understand the problem.

Answers
1. Adverb phrase – in a palatial home
2. Adverb phrase – on the moon
3. Adverb phrase – into her room
4. Adverb phrase – for a while
5. Adverb phrase – with great skill
6. Adverb phrase – towards the north
7. Adverb phrase – with a loud noise
8. Adverb phrase – over the sea
9. Adverb phrase – beside the heap of corn
10. Adverb phrase – in his ear
11. Adverb phrase – all his might
12. Adverb phrase – at the top of his voice
13. Adverb phrase – at any cost
14. Adverb phrase – under the bridge
15. Adverb phrase – without pausing to consider

He spoke freely. (modifies a verb)

He is very smart. (modifies an adjective)

He teaches quite creatively. (modifies an adverb)

He stopped exactly on time. (modifies a preposition phrase)

Suddenly, everyone started clapping. (modifies a clause)

Frankly, I don't understand the problem. (modifies a clause)

Noun phrase
 1. Singing in the bath relaxes me.
2. I know the back streets.
3. She was the devil in disguise.
4. It relaxes me.
5. I know them.
6. She was him.
7. This man has a nice smile, but he's got iron teeth.
8. I never learned from a man who agreed with me
9. The baby cried.
10. Dogs and cats make excellent pets.
11. I will have extensively studied English grammar.
12. My grandfather is a farmer.
13. Our favorite pets are dogs with short hair.
14. The woman whom you are looking for is she.
15. The children ate all the cookies.
16. My professor recommended an extremely captivating book.
17. The woman has always hated mice and rats.
18. We consider our puppy our baby.
19. My aunt calls my uncle sweetheart.
20. America recently elected Barack Obama president.
21. My husband bought me flowers.
22. The child gave his mother a flower.
23. My husband bought flowers for me.
24. The students studied during their spring break.
25. Because of the lengthy delay, we missed our flight.
26. The child actor won an award.
27. The carpenter fixed the broken table leg.
28. We reserved twenty hotel rooms.

Noun phrase
 1. Singing in the bath relaxes me.
2. I know the back streets.
3. She was the devil in disguise.
4. It relaxes me.
5. I know them.
6. She was him.
7. This man has a nice smile, but he's got iron teeth.
8. I never learned from a man who agreed with me
9. The baby cried.
10. Dogs and cats make excellent pets.
11. I will have extensively studied English grammar.
12. My grandfather is a farmer.
13. Our favorite pets are dogs with short hair.
14. The woman whom you are looking for is she.
15. The children ate all the cookies.
16. My professor recommended an extremely captivating book.
17. The woman has always hated mice and rats.
18. We consider our puppy our baby.
19. My aunt calls my uncle sweetheart.
20. America recently elected Barack Obama president.
21. My husband bought me flowers.
22. The child gave his mother a flower.
23. My husband bought flowers for me.
24. The students studied during their spring break.
25. Because of the lengthy delay, we missed our flight.
26. The child actor won an award.
27. The carpenter fixed the broken table leg.
28. We reserved twenty hotel rooms.
29. My grandfather, the farmer, bought more farm land.
30. Today the children woke up early.
31. Yesterday the children slept in late.
32. We decided to go home.
 33.

 Singing in the bath relaxes me.

(Here, the noun phrase is the subject of the verb "relaxes.")
 I know the back streets.
(Here, the noun phrase is the direct object of the verb "know.")
 She was the devil in disguise.
(Here, the noun phrase is a subject complement following the linking verb "was.")
As most nouns feature in noun phrases, let's look quickly at the definition for "phrase":
1. This man has a nice smile, but he's got iron teeth.
i. "pronoun test": He has one, but he's got them.)

2. I never learned from a man who agreed with me

i. Here's the "pronoun test": I never learned from him.)

Prepositional phrases = prep+modifier e.g., the man with a long hair (

Remember that a preposition is a word that expresses a relationship between a noun or a pronoun
and another word in the sentence. The noun or pronoun is called the object of the preposition, and it
can be related to another noun or pronoun in the sentence, or to a verb. The preposition, its object,
and any modifiers make up the prepositional phrase.

Prepositional phrases as ADJECTIVES: adjectival

When a prepositional phrase is functioning as an adjective phrase, it is giving us additional
information about a noun or pronoun in the sentence. It is telling us which one, what kind, or how
many.
1) Find the object of the preposition (the noun or pronoun that follows the preposition).
2) Ask yourself which other word in the sentence is related to this noun or pronoun by the preposition.
3) What part of speech is that other word in the sentence? If the other word is a noun or pronoun,
then the prepositional phrase is an adjective phrase.
Examples of The Adjective Phrase:
Examples of prepositional phrases functioning as adjective phrases with explanations:
The woman on the boat is my aunt Carol.
The object of this prepositional phrase is "boat". The preposition "on" is telling us the relationship
between the boat and the "woman". Woman is a noun, so this is an adjective phrase.
The announcement during class interrupted my work on the math test.
The object of this prepositional phrase is "class". The preposition "during" is
telling us the relationship between the class and the announcement. Announcement is a
noun, so this is an adjective phrase.

Prepositional Phrases That Modify Verbs adverbial

Adverbs modify verbs by explaining when, where, how, and to what extent something is occurring. In
these examples, notice how the prepositional phrases perform adverbial functions by modifying the
verbs runs, stalled and won.

 The coyote runs after the rabbit. when

 The car stalled despite the tune-up. how
 The team won without the starting quarterback. how

To find the person who stole the last cookie, look behind you.
Harry drank his Butterbeer with fervor.
In the first sentence, behind you answers the question “Look where?” In the second, with
fervor answers the question “Drank how?”

The book is on the counter. (tells location of the book)

In the morning, I have to go to school. (tells when you will go)
Examples of Functioning as a Noun:
A prepositional phrase functioning as a noun is very rare, but you need to recognize it when it does
happen. A prepositional phrase functioning as a noun will usually be the subject of a sentence, and
less often as a predicate noun renaming the subject. Be careful! Sometimes prepositional phrases do
follow be verbs, but often, they are telling you where something is, so they are functioning as
adverbs.
subject
1) On a boat is where I want to be.
2) After the party will be too late for us to go to the movies.
3) Beyond the backyard is marshland.
4) Under the couch is an abyss where toys are lost.

Subject complement
His opinion is of little interest to me. (NP as sub complement)
The student is between an A and a B. As a noun phrase (subject compl)

direct object
You must organize under the bed. NP as direct object
I cleaned under the bed.

Object cplement
 Students declare the best time of year during the summer.

 The reviewer named the most organized classrooms in the English building.
 The Provost named the cleanest restrooms in the education building.

Indirect object
 The maid gave inside the refrigerator a thorough scrubbing.
 Have you given under the bed a good cleaning?

Practice
1. Please wash the dishes in the sink. (gives relationship between dishes and sink)
2. The girl in the red shirt is my little sister. (gives relationship between girl and shirt)
3. The show after this one is my favorite! (gives relationship between show and one)
4. I want the doll on that shelf. (gives relationship between doll and shelf)
5. Over the rainbow sounds like a nice place. As a noun phrase (subject)
6. The time I will be happy is after the party. As a noun phrase (subject compl)
7. Where I want to be is on a boat. As a noun phrase (subject compl)
8. During the play is not the time to go to the restroom. As a noun phrase (subject)
9. During the game is when I noticed the ant bite. As a noun phrase (subject)
10. We considered the information of little importance. (NP as object complement)
11. Are the shoes under the chair yours? (gives relationship between shoes and chair)
12. The house across the street is mine. (gives relationship between house and street)
13. He found the work boring and beneath his dignity. (NP as object complement)
14. At the park is a fun place to play. As a noun phrase (subject)
15. Your work is of great value. (NP as sub complement)
16. The park is next to the hospital. As a noun phrase (subject compl)
17. The fight scene is before the second act. As a noun phrase (subject compl)
18. The farmer will be giving beyond his fields some consideration. (indirect object
19. To find the person who stole the last cookie, look behind you. (answers the question “Look
where)
20. Harry drank his juice with fervor. answers the question “Drank how
21. The book is on the counter. (tells where adverbial
22. Her sister is painting along the ceiling. NP as direct object
23. My grandfather scrubbed behind the freezer. NP as direct object
24. I will decorate on top of the roof. NP as direct object
25. The superhero behind the sofa belongs to Sam. (gives relationship between superhero and
Sam)
26. I think the light over the table has stopped working. (gives relationship between light and table)
27. In the morning, I have to go to school. (tells when you will go)
28. After breakfast, we are going swimming. adverb
29. Put your dishes in the sink. adverb
30. The carpet in our house is brown. adjective

1. Please wash the dishes in the sink.

2. The girl in the red shirt is my little sister.
3. The show after this one is my favorite!
 4. I want the doll on that shelf.
5. Over the rainbow sounds like a nice place.
6. The time I will be happy is after the party.
7. Where I want to be is on a boat. As a noun phrase
8. During the play is not the time to go to the restroom.
9. During the game is when I noticed the ant bite.
10. We considered the information of little importance.
11. Are the shoes under the chair yours?
12. The house across the street is mine.
13. He found the work boring and beneath his dignity.
14. At the park is a fun place to play.
15. Your work is of great value.
16. The park is next to the hospital.
17. The fight scene is before the second act.
18. The farmer will be giving beyond his fields some consideration.
19. To find the person who stole the last cookie, look behind you.
20. Harry drank his juice with fervor.
21. The book is on the counter.
22. Her sister is painting along the ceiling.
23. My grandfather scrubbed behind the freezer.
24. I will decorate on top of the roof.
25. The superhero behind the sofa belongs to Sam.
26. I think the light over the table has stopped working.
27. In the morning, I have to go to school.
28. After breakfast, we are going swimming.
29. Put your dishes in the sink.
30. The carpet in our house is brown.

 He is angry about his pay decrease.

 The student is bored with the coursework.
 My dog is terrified of thunderstorms.
  Her husband is keen on buying a new car.

INFINTIVE

1. To dance beneath the stars with her is Jared’s only goal.

2. Collum likes to meditate after a stressful day.
3. The only way to find the treasure chest is to meet with the fairy prince. (modifying the noun “way”)
4. Her favorite blanket to cozy in for the night is purple with blue paisleys. (modifying the noun
“blanket”)
5. Darius is running 5 miles a day to train for the Boston marathon. (modifying the verb “running”)
6. His least-favorite power tool to make home improvements is the handsaw. (modifying the noun
“power tool”)
7. Marie walked to breathe in some fresh air.
8. To travel all across Italy is Lucretia’s New Year resolution. (subject)
9. To finish a new book is the only reason Kyle would stay up all night. (subject)
10. A good habit to have is to go for a walk in the evening. (object)
11. Katherine wants to maintain a healthy lifestyle. (object)
12. The best book to help you understand fairy tales is titled Once Upon a Time. (modifying the noun
“book”)

Infinitive phrase

Practice :
13. To dance beneath the stars with her is Jared’s only goal. SUBJ
14. Collum likes to meditate after a stressful day. SUBJ COMPLE
15. The only way to find the treasure chest is to meet with the fairy prince. ADJEC
16. Her favorite blanket to cozy in for the night is purple with blue paisleys. ADJE
17. Darius is running 5 miles a day to train for the Boston marathon. ADVERB
18. His least-favorite power tool to make home improvements is the handsaw. ADJE
19. Marie walked to breathe in some fresh air. OBJ
20. To travel all across Italy is Lucretia’s New Year resolution. SUBJ
21. To finish a new book is the only reason Kyle would stay up all night. () SUBJ
22. A good habit to have is to go for a walk in the evening. () SUBJ COMP
23. Katherine wants to maintain a healthy lifestyle. ()
24. The best book to help you understand fairy tales is titled Once Upon a Time. ADJE

Identify the infinitive phrase by underlining it and then give its function in the
sentence.
1. To be objective in my decision is hard.
2. Does Joan have enough change to make a phone call?
3. Always try to proofread your paper before you turn it in.
4. Ellen is able to swim six lengths of the pool.
5. The Harlow twins came to play with my little brother.
6. Would you like to warn me if anyone comes?
7. I was happy to give you a ride home.
8. To move to a larger house would be unwise for us now.
9. Megan is trying to practice the piano an hour a day.
10. To be a doctor is Ann's ambition.
11. To win the presidency is Senator Brown's ambition.
12. Did you have time to feed the kitten?
14. The mayor decided to call a press conference.
15. Dick always tries to do his best.
16. Sarah tried to paint the ceiling of her room.
17. The lecturer was asked to speak for half an hour.
18. Our plan is to go to Tennessee in October.
19. To play tennis every day is Jim's ambition for the summer.
20. The rugby team was ready to start.
True or false? An infinitive phrase is the
infinitive form of a verb plus any
complements and modifiers.
A: True
B: False
Q2
Q1 Most infinitives are preceeded by:
A: a
B: the
C: to B: The first step in forgiveness is the
Q3 willingness to forgive those who have
Select the one with an infinitive phrase: wronged us.
A: He is trying to avoid the weather. Q11
B: To infinity and beyond! What part of speech is the bolded
Q4 infintive phrase?
Choose the correct version.
The first step in forgiveness is the
A bare infinitive always follows an willingness to forgive those who have
adjective / a modal verb. wronged us.
A: Noun
Q5 B: Adjective
Select the one with an infinitive phrase C: Adverb
functioning as a noun: Q12
A: I need to drink something soon. What part of speech is the bolded
B: I need a drink to cool me down. infintive phrase?
Q6
Select the one with an infinitive phrase To invent an airplane is nothing.
functioning as a noun: A: Noun
A: To have a big dream requires the B: Adjective
same effort as having a small dream. C: Adverb
B: Let him show you the best way to Q13
paint the door. What part of speech is the bolded
Q7 infintive phrase?
Select the one with an infinitive phrase
functioning as an adjective: The officer returned to help the
A: To invent an airplane is nothing. inspectors.
B: I need a book to read on holiday. A: Noun
Q8 B: Adjective
Select the one with an infinitive phrase C: Adverb
functioning as an adverb:
A: I want to build the roof.
B: He went to build the roof.
Q9
Select the one with an infinitive phrase
that is a subject complement:
A: Nobody wants to hear long speeches.
B: Our aim is to help the clients help
themselves.
Q10
Select the one with an infinitive phrase
functioning as an adverb:
A: He opened the box to reveal a huge
bullfrog.

Adverb vs adjective phrases

1. The illustrations in this book are beautiful.

 2. Ben’s mouth opened in a huge yawn.
3. Sara’s collection of antique dolls has become quite valuable.
4. No one in the room understood the question
5. The birthday presents were wrapped with care.
Infinitive phrase

1 I love to fish.  (noun)

2 The boy to return the book is Josphat. (adjective)
3 I don’t like her. What don’t you like? (Object)
4 I need a helper to assist me with house chores. Describes the helper
5 To qualify to be a teacher, you need a good recommendation. Why do you need a good
recommendation?
6 I left school early to welcome my younger sister. Why did you leave early?
7 I wish I had a lover to keep me company. Describes the lover.
8 He needs to do well in his final test. What does he need? (Object)
9 My objective is to succeed. What is your objective? (Subject)
10 Her role was to guide me in designing the software. What was her role? (Object)

1 I love to fish. 
2 The boy to return the book is Josphat. 
3 I don’t like her.
4 I need a helper to assist me with house chores. 
5 To qualify to be a teacher, you need a good recommendation. 
6 I left school early to welcome my younger sister. 
7 I wish I had a lover to keep me company. 
8 He needs to do well in his final test.
9 My objective is to succeed.
10 Her role was to guide me in designing the software.

An absolute phrase combines a noun and

a participle. Modifiers and/or objects may be present to complete the
thought.

An absolute phrase modifies the whole clause:

Participle phrases always function as adjectives, describing a

nearby noun or pronoun.
Gerunds function as nouns. Thus, gerunds will be subjects, subject
complements, direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of
prepositions.

1. Her voice floating over the crowd, Maria awed everyone with her natural singing ability.
2. Peering over the top of his glasses, her tutor shook his head.
3. Her fur matted and her legs shaking, the lost puppy finally found her way home.
4. Cracked from top to bottom, the mirror was now ruined.
5. Sam could be heard all the way down the hall, his loud laughter carrying across the school.
6. Look at the panther climbing the tree.
7. Sebastian reached across for the pipe, signalling his agreement with the chief's proposal.
8. Marshall held onto the ball, his fingers squeezing it tightly.
9. Legs quivering , our old dog Gizmo dreamed of chasing
squirrels.
10. Her arms folded across her chest , Professor Hill warned
the class about the penalties of plagiarism.
11. The family devoured Aunt Lenora's carrot cake, their
fingers scraping the leftover frosting from the plates .
12. Their fingers scraping the leftover frosting from the
plates lets us imagine this one family and the degree of their hunger.

13. The horse  trotting up to the fence  hopes that you

have an apple or carrot.

14. Trotting up to the fence modifies the noun horse.

15. The water drained slowly in the pipe clogged with

dog hair.

16. Clogged with dog hair modifies the noun pipe.

17. Eaten by mosquitoes , we wished that we had made

hotel, not campsite, reservations.
18.
 19. Since Francisco was five years old, swimming  has
been his passion.

20. Swimming = subject of the linking verb has been.

21. Francisco's first love is swimming .

22. Swimming = subject complement of the linking verb is.

23. Francisco enjoys swimming  more than spending time

with his girlfriend Diana.

24. Swimming = direct object of the action verb enjoys.

25. Francisco gives swimming  all his energy and time.

26. Swimming = indirect object of the action verb gives.

27. When Francisco wore dive fins to class, everyone

knew that he was devoted to swimming .

28. Swimming = object of the preposition to.

29.

Examples of Absolute Phrase:

Practice:
1. Her voice floating over the crowd, Maria awed everyone with her natural singing ability.
2. Sam could be heard all the way down the hall, his loud laughter carrying across the school.
3. Her fur matted and her legs shaking, the lost puppy finally found her way home.

Practice
 1. Her voice floating over the crowd, Maria awed everyone with her natural singing
ability.
2. Peering over the top of his glasses, her tutor shook his head.
3. Her fur matted and her legs shaking, the lost puppy finally found her way home.
4. Cracked from top to bottom, the mirror was now ruined.
5. The water drained slowly in the pipe clogged with dog hair.
6. Sam could be heard all the way down the hall, his loud laughter carrying across
the school.
7. Look at the panther climbing the tree.
8. Sebastian reached across for the pipe, signalling his agreement with the chief's
proposal.
9. Marshall held onto the ball, his fingers squeezing it tightly.
10. The horse trotting up to the fence hopes that you have an apple or carrot.
11. Legs quivering, our old dog Gizmo dreamed of chasing squirrels.
12. Her arms folded across her chest, Professor Hill warned the class about the
penalties of plagiarism.
13. Eaten by mosquitoes, we wished that we had made hotel, not campsite,
reservations.
14. The family devoured Aunt Lenora's carrot cake, their fingers scraping the leftover
frosting from the plates.
15. Their fingers scraping the leftover frosting from the plates lets us imagine this one
family and the degree of their hunger.
16. Since Francisco was five years old, swimming has been his passion.
17. Francisco's first love is swimming.
18. Francisco enjoys swimming more than spending time with his girlfriend Diana.

Noun clause

Noun Clause
A noun clause is a dependent clause that acts as a noun or noun phrase. Noun clauses begin
with words such as how, that, what, whatever, when, where, whether, which, whichever, who,
whoever, whom, whomever, and why. Noun clauses have the same functions that a noun or noun
phrase has.

Answers

1. I wondered what he was doing there. (Here the noun clause acts as the object of the verb
wondered.)

2. He replied that he would come. (Here the noun clause acts as the object of the verb replied.)

3. She asked if I could help her. (Here the noun clause acts as the object of the verb asked.)

4. That honesty is the best policy is a well-known fact. (Here the noun clause acts as the subject of
the verb is.)

5. I expected that I would get the first prize. (Here the noun clause acts as the object of the verb
expected.)

6. Do you know why he is late? (Here the noun clause acts as the object of the verb know.)

7. I don’t know what he wants. (Here the noun clause acts as the object of the verb know.)

8. Pay careful attention to what I am going to say. (Here the noun clause acts as the object of the
preposition to.)

9. That she should forget me so quickly hurts me. (Here the noun clause acts as the subject of the
verb hurts.)

10. That you should behave like this is strange. (Here the noun clause acts as the subject of the
verb is.)

Practice
Identify the noun clauses in the following sentences.

1. I wondered what he was doing there.

2. He replied that he would come.

 3. She asked if I could help her.

4. That honesty is the best policy is a well-known fact.

5. I expected that I would get the first prize.

6. Do you know why he is late?

7. I don’t know what he wants.

8. Pay careful attention to what I am going to say.

9. That she should forget me so quickly hurts me.

10. That you should behave like this is strange.

Adverb Clauses

Score: Reset
Definition:
 
An adverb clause is a dependent clause that describes a verb, an adjective, or an
adverb. An adverb clause tells when, where, how, why, to what extent, or under
what conditions something happened.
We will not have school today because it snowed last night.
Until it stops raining, we will stay inside.
When your father gets here, we will go.
An adverb clause begins with a subordinating conjunction.
Some common (but not all) subordinating conjunctions

Being able to spot a subordinating conjunction will help you recognize an adverb clause. Below are
some examples, which are grouped by what type of adverb question they answer:

 When: after, when, until, soon, before, once, while, as soon as, whenever, by the time
 How: if, whether or not, provided, in case, unless, even if, in the event
 Why: because, as, since, so, in order that, now that, inasmuch as
 Where: wherever, where

We will not have school today because it snowed last night.

Until it stops raining, we will stay inside.
When your father gets here, we will go.
Commas with adverb clauses - When an adverb clause is at the beginning of the sentence, it
is an introductory clause and needs a comma separating it from the independent clause. If the
adverb clause comes after the independent clause, the conjunction is enough to hold the two
clauses together.
We will not have school today because it snowed last night.
Because it snowed last night, we will not have school today.
Locating adverb clauses - Adverb clauses modifying verbs can move around the sentence.
I missed the bus because my alarm didn't go off. Because my alarm didn't go off, I
missed the bus. (The dependent clause because my alarm didn't go off modifies the
verb missed. The dependent clause is adverbial because it tells why you missed the bus.)
Whenever it rains, my little sister loves to jump in the puddles. My little sister loves to jump
in the puddles whenever it rains. (The dependent clause whenever it rains modifies the
verb loves. The dependent clause is adverbial because it tells when your little sister jumps in
the puddles.)
Adverb clauses modifying adjectives or adverbs must come after the word modified.
Playing football is dangerous if you don't have the right equipment.
We walked to class quickly as if we were going to be late.
Elliptical adverb clauses have missing words that are understood.
When finished this building will be the tallest in the city.
When [it is] finished this building will be the tallest in the city.

This is a simple sentence.