What is the difference between sentences clauses and phrases

Unlike phrases, a clause can sometimes act as a sentence — this type of clause is called an independent clause. While the independent clause could be used by itself as a complete sentence, the subordinate clause could not.

A complete sentence has a subject and predicate, and can often be composed of more than one clause. As long as it has a subject and a predicate, a group of words can form a sentence, no matter how short. More complex sentences can combine multiple clauses or phrases to add additional information about what is described. While clauses, phrases and sentences might seem very similar at first, on closer look you can start to see how they function very differently.

Try reading different materials, and spotting the phrases, clauses and complete sentences in a piece of text. Then try to write your own examples of them! Current timeTotal duration Google Classroom Facebook Twitter. Video transcript - [Voiceover] Hello, grammarians. Hello Rosie. Phrases and clauses are both groups of words but they each do different things.

So let's break that down. So, Rosie, if you'd please, what is a phrase? So none of these things can be sentences, but they all, like you said, act like parts of speech. Okay, meanwhile a clause is a group of words that can be a sentence? For example, the wizard who cast a spell. Right, that can't be its own sentence, but it's got a lot going on. So this is a group of words.

And we've got the falcon here, that's a noun phrase, that's behaving like a part of speech. So I know that this definitely has a phrase in it, but is it just a phrase on its own? I guess I would have to say no, because it's got this verb, soared, and this adverb, majectically. So, the falcon soared majestically, I would have to say this is a clause. Notify me of new comments via email.

What about a dependent clause? Since it is not a complete thought, and it can't stand alone, is the fact that it contains a subject and a verb make it a clause instead of a phrase? Like Reply Report 1 6 months ago. Like Reply Report 5 months ago. Mearie Jean Amba Faustino. Like Reply Report 1 1 year ago. Amit Kumar Prajapati.

Like Reply Report 2 1 year ago. Abdul Rauf. Linda Ikechukwu. Dickens MP. Ebuka Elvis. Nii Addy. This is the best explanation and of course I totally understood it.

Gaurav Victory. Chioma Orakwe. Tubby La - rwandaise. Nacho Vera. Surinder Kumar. Dupe Onabanjo. Like Reply Report 1 year ago. Oyoga Paul. Maxamed Abdirisaq Cali. Hafeez Fateh. Yomna Mahdi. Joseph Owusu. Your explanation about clauses and phrases is crystal clear. Thanks a million! Like Reply Report 3 2 years ago.