What is a phrase?

Question

Im stuck with this on school. Also can someone tell me what is a noun phrase too. (Give me some samples too please=)

Answer 1

Phrase
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Wiktionary, the free dictionary.For other uses, see Phrase (disambiguation).
In grammar, a phrase (Greek φράση, sentence, expression, see also strophe) is a group of words that functions as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence.

For example the house at the end of the street (example 1) is a phrase. It acts like a noun. It contains the phrase at the end of the street (example 2), which acts like an adjective. Example 2 could be replaced by white, to make the phrase the white house. Examples 1 and 2 contain the phrase the end of the street (example 3) which acts like a noun. It could be replaced by the cross-roads to give the house at the cross-roads.

Most phrases have a head or central word which defines the type of phrase. In English the head is often the first word of the phrase. Some phrases, however, can be headless. For example, the rich is a noun phrase composed of a determiner and an adjective, but no noun.

Phrases may be classified by the type of head they take

Prepositional phrase (PP) with a preposition as head (e.g. in love, over the rainbow). Languages that use postpositions instead have postpositional phrases. The two types are sometimes commonly referred to as adpositional phrases.
Noun phrase (NP) with a noun as head (e.g. the black cat, a cat on the mat)
Verb phrase (VP) with a verb as head (e.g. eat cheese, jump up and down)
Adjectival phrase with an adjective as head (e.g. full of toys)
Adverbial phrase with adverb as head (e.g. very carefully)
Contents [show]
1 Formal definition
2 Complexity
3 Semiotic approaches to the concept of "phrase"
4 See also
5 External links



[edit] Formal definition
A phrase is a syntactic structure which has syntactic properties derived from its head.


[edit] Complexity
A complex phrase consists of several words, whereas a simple phrase consists of only one word. This terminology is especially often used with verb phrases:

simple past and present are simple verb, which require just one verb
complex verb have one or two aspects added, hence require additional two or three words
"Complex", which is phrase-level, is often confused with "compound", which is word-level. However, there are certain phenomena that formally seem to be phrases but semantically are more like compounds, like "women's magazines", which has the form of a possessive noun phrase, but which refers (just like a compound) to one specific lexeme (i.e. a magazine for women and not some magazine owned by a woman).


[edit] Semiotic approaches to the concept of "phrase"
In more semiotic approaches to language, such as the more cognitivist versions of construction grammar, a phrasal structure is not only a certain formal combination of word types whose features are inherited from the head. Here each phrasal structure also expresses some type of conceptual content, be it specific or abstract.

For example prepositional phrases express a figure-ground relation in which the prepositional complement is the ground, the preposition itself specifies the relation, and the precedent element is the figure.

Thus, in semiotic approaches to phrasal structure, a phrase not only has a specific formal configuration, but is also characterized by a recognizable (abstract or specific) semantic content.

See phrase structure rules, syntax, grammar.

Answer 2

A phrase is a fragment of a sentence that starts with a preposition. For example, "of the year" or "in the closet." They are missing a subject and a verb.

Answer 3

Open up a can of worms - what an image that conjures up. One cliched expression i don't love is "out with the old, in with the recent." It by some skill provides the impact there is a few thing incorrect with the old and the recent is more beneficial efficient. yet another one i do not extremely consider is "in trouble-free words the sturdy live to inform the tale." it isn't the case. "lack of expertise is bliss" - no, lack of expertise is lack of understanding. I comprehend what's meant, notwithstanding it nonetheless grates. ***Edit: I forgot some that were suggested, somewhat Goldfish's "beat a lifeless horse" (not in any respect) and "beat around the bush" (why?) and "all's honest in love and conflict" (i don't think of so). ***Edit 2: fable Rocks, I consider "imagine outdoors the field" and how you position it become fairly humorous (thanks for the chortle). You and Goldfish are so precise about "you won't be able to have your cake and devour it, too." What, certainly, is the point? Is there all and diverse everywhere who needs somewhat of cake as ornament? :) How about "precise lower back at you?" i realized how a lot I dislike it, expressive because it truly is, even as i become about to operate it in a unmarried of my edits on yet another question. real Confessions: i gained't like a number of them, yet i'm in charge of using all of them a similar. ***lower back: Oh, arabesque, "turn your frown the different way up" is so patronizing by some skill. Uh, oh, Angel in the Snow, i have used both heavily and no offense - yet you're precise. you're also precise that once someone says "it isn't any longer you, it is me" it in additional than a number of circumstances skill the option. solid question. there are such extremely some words off-limits now, i'd not in any respect write lower back. ?

Answer 4

a phrase is a group of words
not a full sentence

Answer 5

part of a question. a noun is a person, place or thing.

Answer 6

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/phrfunc.html