1. Grammar Boot Camp
Building Muscle:
Phrases and Clauses
(click mouse to proceed)

2. Your Mission:
 To Study Phrases
 To Study Clauses
 To Exercise your Writing Muscles
This presentation is enhanced with “Question
and Answer” slides. To access, simply click
on the words that are highlighted and
underlined.

3. What is a Phrase?
 A phrase is a group of related words that
does not contain a subject and a verb.
 Common Phrases:
 Prepositional Phrases
 Infinitive Phrases
 Participial Phrases
 Gerund Phrases

4. Prepositional Phrase
 Begins with a preposition (in, on, under,
over, around, of, about, through, etc.)
 Followed by an object and any modifiers
 Functions as an adjective or adverb

5. Examples of Prepositional Phrase
1. The cadets marched through the woods.
 “th
ro
ug
h”
is
the
pre
po
siti
on
 “th

6. Infinitive Phrase
 Begins with an infinitive: “to” + verb
 Followed by an object and any modifiers
 Functions as a noun, adjective or adverb

7. Examples of Infinitive Phrase
1. To exercise every day is a good habit.
 “to exercise” is the infinitive
 “every” is the modifier for the object “day”
 Functions as a noun
2. I was relieved to finish my project.
 “to finish” is the infinitive
 “my” is the modifier for the object “project”
 Functions as an adjective

8. Participial Phrase
 Begins with a participle: verb ending in “-
ed,” “-en,” or “-ing”
 Followed by an object and any modifiers
 Functions as an adjective

9. Examples of Participial Phrase
1. The marine biologist, diving near a reef, saw a
shark.
“diving” is the participle
“near a” are the modifiers for the object “reef”
Functions as an adjective
2. Known for her patience, Mrs. Gilmore was his
favorite teacher.
 “kn
own
” is
the
parti
ciple
 “for

10. Gerund Phrase
 Begins with a gerund: verb ending in “-ing”
 Followed by object and any modifiers
 Functions as a noun

11. Examples of Gerund Phrase
1.Marching in unison builds teamwork.
“marching” is the gerund
“in” is the modifier for the object “unison”
Functions as a noun
2.The student enjoys taking morning classes.
 “ta
kin
g”
is
the
ger
und
 “m

12. What is a Clause?
 A clause is a group of related words that
contains both a subject and a verb.
 Two Types of Clauses:
 Independent Clause
 Dependent Clause

13. Independent Clause
 Contains a subject and a verb
 Makes a complete statement
 Can stand alone

14. Examples of Independent Clause
1. Del Mar is a community college.
 “Del Mar” is the subject
 “is” is the verb
 “a community college” completes the thought
2. The Writing Center offers a variety of services.
 “The Writing Center” is the subject
 “offers” is the verb
 “a variety of services” completes the thought

15. Dependent Clause
 Contains a subject and a verb
 Does not make a complete statement
 Cannot Stand Alone
 Begins with a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun:
after who
although whom
as that relative pronouns
because which
before subordinating conjunctions whose
if
since
until
when

16. Examples of Dependent Clause
1. Because the student prepared for the exam, she
answered all of the questions correctly.
 “because” is the subordinating conjunction
 “the student” is the subject
 “prepared” is the verb
 “for the exam” completes the dependent clause
2. The uniform that I am required to wear is green
and brown.
 “that” is the relative pronoun
 “I” is the subject
 “am” is the verb
 “required to wear” completes the dependent clause

17. Exercise Your Muscles:
Phrases
Identify the type of phrase in the following:
1. Being an excellent cook, Ryan hosted a
dinner party.
2. To be elected president is his objective.
3. The puppy chased the kitten around the
house.
4. Hoisting the sail correctly is a critical
component of yachting.

18. Exercise Your Muscles:
Clauses
Identify the type of clause in the following:
1. I walk my dog every day.
2. Because he is a teacher.
3. As the soccer player scored the winning
goal.
4. Zeke hit his thumb with a hammer.

19. Congratulations!
You have successfully completed Building
Muscle: Phrases and Clauses of Grammar
Boot Camp.

20. Q: What is an Adjective?
A: An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun. It
answers the question how many? what kind?
or which one?
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21. Q: What is an Adverb?
A: An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or
another adverb. Adverbs tell where, when,
why, how, how often, how much, or to what
degree.
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22. Q: What is a Noun?
A: A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.
Examples of Nouns:
person place thing
A teacher living in Corpus Christi wrote a book
idea
about integrity.
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23. Q: What is a Subordinating Conjunction?
A: A subordinating conjunction is a word that links
sentence elements that are not of equal importance.
The following is a list of common subordinating
conjunctions:
after once until
although since when
as that whenever
because though where
before till wherever
if unless while
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24. Q: What is a Relative Pronoun?
A: A relative pronoun is a word that relates the
dependent clause to the independent clause
within a sentence. The following is a list of
relative pronouns:
who whoever what
whatever that whom
whomever whose whichever
which
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