Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF PHRASES AND SENTENCES

CHAPTER 4: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF PHRASES AND SENTENCES :SYNTAX
- PHRASES IN ENGLISH
- SENTENCES IN ENGLISH
PHRASES IN ENGLISH
PHRASES IN ENGLISH
PHRASES IN ENGLISH
Traditionally, phrases are an extension of the single word parts

of speech named accordingly: noun phrase, verb phrase,
adjectival phrase, adverbial phrase, and prepositional
phrase. The traditional definition of a phrase calls it "a group
of words that does not contain a verb and its subject and is
used as a single part of speech".
Example: She buys The book of the year ( noun phrase)

TYPES OF PHRAES IN ENGLISH
English language consists of 5 types of phrases
- Noun phrase
- Verb phrase
- Adjective phrase
- Adverbial phrase
- Prepositional phrase
NOUN PHRASE IN ENGLISH
A noun phrase(NP) is defined as “a word or group of words in a sentence

that behaves in the same way as a noun, that is, as a subject, an object,
a complement, or as the object of a preposition.”
Functional formula of noun phrase (NP):
(Premodifier) + Head + (Postmodifier)
Examples
1. I love coffee; [Head alone]
2. The pandas died [ Premodifier + Head]
3. She bought printers of good quality [Head+ Postmodifier]
4. It is the decision on national security [Pre modifier + Head + Postmodifier]
VERB//VERBALPHRAES IN ENGLISH
A verb phrase or verbal phrase(VP) consists of a verb, or of a main verb following a modal or
one or more auxiliaries.
Functional formula: (Auxiliary) + Head + (Object/Complement) + (Modifier)
Examples of verb phrases are:
1. The baby walks; Everybody knows [Head alone]
2. The baby is walking; he does not cry [Aux + Head]
3. The president delivered a long speech; He gave me a drink [Head+Object]
4. He is nice; He considers grammar a living thing [Head+Complement]
5. Mr. William works a great deal; He stays up very late [Head + Modifier]
6. Mr. Nam has considered grammar a living thing for a long time [All the above combined]
ADJECTIVE PHRAES IN ENGLISH
An adjective Phrase (AdjP)is a phrase that's headed by an adjective and provides

context, clarity, or details that support that adjective.
Functional formula: (Intensifier) + Head + (Complement)
Examples of typical adjective phrases can be seen below:
1. difficult questions [Head alone]
2. very difficult questions [Intensifier + Head]
3. aware of the matter [Head + Complement]
4. aware that humans are destroying the environment [Head + Complement.]
5. quite aware of the matter [Intensifier + Head + Complement]

ADVERBIAL PHRASES IN ENGLISH
An adverbial phrase//adverb phrase (AP) is a group of words that acts as an
adverb to modify the main clause of a sentence. Adverbial phrases can be made
up of two adverbs. These are typically formed by adding a qualifier or intensifier
(e.g., “incredibly,” “rather,” “very,” “somewhat”) before another adverb.
Functional formula: (Intensifier) + Head
Examples of typical adverb phrases appear below:
1. carefully [Head alone]
2. very carefully [Intensifier + Head]
3. Rather carefully [Intensifier + Head]
4. Somewhat carefully [Intensifier + Head]

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES IN ENGLISH
A prepositional phrase(PP) is a group of words that begins with a preposition and
ends with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase (this noun, pronoun, or noun phrase is
the object of the preposition). Prepositional phrases modify or describe nouns,
pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs.
Functional formula: Head + Object
Examples of typical prepositional phrases can be:
1. The apple is on the table [Head+Object]
2. that book is of good quality [Head+Object]
3. She came back with books [Head+Object]
4. what she said is beyond the blue horizon[Head+Object]
5. He comes from from the center of Bombay[Head+Object]

TYPES OF SENTENCES IN ENGLISH
SENTENCES IN ENGLISH
TYPES OF SENTENCES IN ENGLISH
- SIMPLE SENTENCES
- COMPOUND SENTENCES
- COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCES
- COMPLEX SENTENCES
SIMPLE SENENCES IN ENGLISH
SIMPLE SENTENCES IN ENGLISH
A simple sentence consists of just one independent clause

or a group of words that contains at least one subject and
at least one verb and can stand alone as a complete
sentence with no dependent clauses. There are 8 types of
simple sentence.
SIMPLE SENTENCES IN ENGLISH
• S+V The dancer + is dancing.
• S+V+O The dancer + kissed + her dog.
• S+V+C The dancer + is + sick.
• S+V+A The dancer + lay + on the ground.
• S+V+O+O The dancer + gave + her dog + a bone.
• S+V+O+C The dancer + called + her snake + Honey.
• S+V+O+A The dancer + beat + her cat + yesterday.
• S+V + O + C + A The girl + made + him + happy + regularly.

COMPOUND SENTENCES IN ENGLISH
A compound sentence is a sentence that has at least two independent clauses
joined by a comma, semicolon or conjunction.
Example:
• Joining by conjunction: FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
1. I laughed when she fell in the mud, but then I felt sorry for her.
• Joining comma:
2. Whenever we get coffee, he shows up late, and it’s really starting to

bother me.
• Joining by semicolon:
3. Johnny loves Marie; however, Marie doesn’t love Johnny.

COMPOUND SENTECES WITH CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTION
COMPOUND SENTENCES WITH CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTION
Correlative conjunctions are conjunctions used to illustrate how two words or phrases within a
sentence relate to each other. Correlative conjunctions always come in pairs. Though they
can illustrate a correlation between the two words or phrases, they don't necessarily have to.
The most common correlative conjunction pairs include:
• either/or. I’d like to either go to a museum or walk through the park.
• neither/nor. Neither Joaquin nor Elise came to the party.
• such/that. Ty is such a fan of the show that he has seen every episode ten times.
• whether/or. I don’t know whether to pack a lunch or buy one there.
• not only/but also. The recession led to not only widespread unemployment but also lower wages.
• both/and. He owns both a car and an e-bike.
• as many/as. There are as many teachers as there are students.
• no sooner/than. No sooner had we sat down to eat than the doorbell rang.
COMPLEX SENTENCE IN ENGLISH
COMPLEX SENTENCES IN ENGLISH
A complex sentence is made up of a main (independent) clause and a
subordinate (dependent) clause connected to each other with a subordinating
conjunction. Subordinating conjunctions are common in academic writing, and
they are extremely useful for indicating sophisticated connections between ideas.
There are 3 types of subordinate clauses: adjective, adverbial, nominal/noun
clause.
Example
1. The man who stands next to the red car is my doctor ( adjective clause)
2. They saw many cars when they walked along the street (adverbial clause
3. We believe what we saw yesterday (nominal/noun clause)

COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCES IN ENGLISH
COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCES IN ENGLISH
Compound-complex sentences are sentences that

combine two or more independent clauses and at least
one dependent clause. They allow for the expression of
complex relationships and a variety of ideas within a single
sentence.
Example
1. She went to the party, and he stayed at home, but they both had a
great time."
2. I studied for the test, but I still failed because I didn't understand the
material.
3. Although she was tired, she stayed up late to finish her project.
4. He went to the store because he needed to buy some groceries.
5. Though Mitchell prefers watching romantic films, he rented the latest spy
thriller, and he enjoyed it very much.
6. Laura forgot her friend's birthday, so she sent her a card when she finally
remembered.
END OF CHAPTER 4

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CHAPTER 4

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF PHRASES AND SENTENCES

Traditionally, phrases are an extension of the single word parts

Example: She buys The book of the year ( noun phrase)

A noun phrase(NP) is defined as “a word or group of words in a sentence

Functional formula: (Auxiliary) + Head + (Object/Complement) + (Modifier)

Examples of verb phrases are:

1. The baby walks; Everybody knows [Head alone]

2. The baby is walking; he does not cry [Aux + Head]

3. The president delivered a long speech; He gave me a drink [Head+Object]

4. He is nice; He considers grammar a living thing [Head+Complement]

An adjective Phrase (AdjP)is a phrase that's headed by an adjective and provides

Functional formula: (Intensifier) + Head + (Complement)

Examples of typical adjective phrases can be seen below:

1. difficult questions [Head alone]

2. very difficult questions [Intensifier + Head]

3. aware of the matter [Head + Complement]

4. aware that humans are destroying the environment [Head + Complement.]

5. quite aware of the matter [Intensifier + Head + Complement]

Functional formula: (Intensifier) + Head

Examples of typical adverb phrases appear below:

1. carefully [Head alone]

2. very carefully [Intensifier + Head]

3. Rather carefully [Intensifier + Head]

4. Somewhat carefully [Intensifier + Head]

Functional formula: Head + Object

Examples of typical prepositional phrases can be:

1. The apple is on the table [Head+Object]

2. that book is of good quality [Head+Object]

3. She came back with books [Head+Object]

4. what she said is beyond the blue horizon[Head+Object]

5. He comes from from the center of Bombay[Head+Object]

TYPES OF SENTENCES IN ENGLISH

A simple sentence consists of just one independent clause

• S+V The dancer + is dancing.

• S+V+O The dancer + kissed + her dog.

• S+V+C The dancer + is + sick.

• S+V+A The dancer + lay + on the ground.

• S+V+O+O The dancer + gave + her dog + a bone.

• S+V+O+C The dancer + called + her snake + Honey.

• S+V+O+A The dancer + beat + her cat + yesterday.

• S+V + O + C + A The girl + made + him + happy + regularly.

2. Whenever we get coffee, he shows up late, and it’s really starting to

3. Johnny loves Marie; however, Marie doesn’t love Johnny.

• neither/nor. Neither Joaquin nor Elise came to the party.

• whether/or. I don’t know whether to pack a lunch or buy one there.

• both/and. He owns both a car and an e-bike.

• as many/as. There are as many teachers as there are students.

3. We believe what we saw yesterday (nominal/noun clause)

Compound-complex sentences are sentences that

4. He went to the store because he needed to buy some groceries.

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