English Grammar - Phrases

Question 1

What is a head word in a phrase?

Answer 1

The word that the phrase cannot live without

Question 2

What is an adverbial? Provide an example

Answer 2

• Modifies a verb, adjective or adverb
• Tells us; how, when, where, why and how long
• “With a smiling face, he accepted the reward” = HOW
• “Clare found her football behind the shed” = WHERE

Question 3

What is a verb phrase? Provide an example

Answer 3

• An action + linking verb (i.e must, will, is, has)

- “She CAN SMELL the pizza”

Question 4

What is a noun phrase? Provide an example

Answer 4

• Contains a determiner + noun

- “I jumped aboard THE BRIGHT RED BUS”

Question 5

What is an adjectival phrase? Provide an example

Answer 5

• Describes a noun/pronoun
• “An OVERTLY SENSITIVE heart”
• “I’m a FAIRLY INTELLIGENT person”

Question 6

What is a prepositional phrase? Provide an example

Answer 6

• Preposition + object ( + modifier )
• “The witch sat ON HER BROOM”
• “A town NEAR LONDON”

Question 7

What’s the similarity between an adverbial and a prepositional phrase?

Answer 7

• A lot of the time, a prepositional phrase can be an adverbial phrase, BUT NOT ALWAYS!!