Significance of Phrases in English Grammar

Phrases are crucial parts of English grammar that help to enhance your vocabulary in English and help to polish both your speaking and writing skills in the English Language. It acts as an indicator to understand how well someone has been able to grasp the English Language. Phrases are words that are used in everyday conversations and are usually a part of the native colloquial language. Using these phrases while talking helps the localites understand what you are trying to comprehend, hence giving a texture and new flavour to your language and helping you get deeper within the English Language. One can enhance their concept and vocabulary of phrases by simply undergoing a phrases quiz that reinforces what one already knows about the topic.

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What is meant by a Phrase?

A group of words that come together to form a simpler unit than a sentence with a meaningful grammatical unit within a clause is called a phrase. A phrase does not contain a subject, a predicate or sometimes both. When many different types of phrases come together, then they have the capacity to make a sentence. A phrases quiz always helps to strengthen the understanding of the theoretical concepts that students gather through practical solving of questions.

What are the Different Types of Phrases?

Phrases act like a crucial functional part of sentence construction and help to convey ideas, opinions, and dialogues. These functional parts of sentences have different types to fit into different parts of sentences. The types of phrases are as follows:

1) Noun Phrase

A noun phrase is a single noun or a group of words that are built surrounding a single noun to form a proper phrase. Some examples are as follows:

• Plants need water.

• Want tomatoes in your sandwich?

• Passengers with tickets can come on board.

2) Verb Phrase

A verb phrase is commonly called a verb group as it consists of a main verb along with some modal or auxiliary verbs together to form a phrase. Some examples are as follows:

• I have been studying since 7 AM.

• I will be going to school tomorrow.

3) Adjective Phrase

When a single adjective or a group of words is built together around a single adjective to form a phrase then it is called an adjective phrase. Some of the examples of an adjective phrase are as follows:

• He has clever schemes.

• It was a very big present.

• The children got really bored with the games.

4) Adverb Phrase

When an adverb or group of words is built around an adverb, then it takes the shape of an adverb phrase. Some of the examples of an adverb phrase are as follows:

• He spoke very gently.

• Karen did it as fast as possible.

5) Prepositional Phrase

When a phrase comprises a preposition and an object which is usually a noun phrase right after, then it is called a prepositional phrase. Taking a prepositional phrase quiz helps to build the core concepts of prepositional phrases and also helps with the concept of prepositions in general. Some of the examples are as follows:

• They were talking about the exams.

• The dog sat behind a large blue chair.

• He departed after an unusually large dinner.

How are Phrases Different from Idioms? 

In grammatical terms, a phrase is a group of words forming a unit used to define an expression in its literal sense. While idioms are also a set of words bound together with meanings attached that are different from their literal meaning. This means that phrases can be taken literally while idioms can be taken figuratively when it comes to meanings. The other crucial difference that sets both of them apart is how phrases need to always be a group of words together while an idiom can be a single word also. Quiz on idioms and phrases can help with the further understanding of the difference between the two.

Several idioms come from different sources and can be categorised according to the genre they derive their source. Some examples are as follows:

1) Sports idioms – got to bat for someone, step up to the plate, hit the ground running,

2) Military idioms – bury the hatchet, bite the bullet.

3) Animal idioms – black sheep, a snake in the grass, a dark horse, the ugly duckling.

4) Religious idioms – no rest for the wicked, to the ends of the earth.

How are Phrases Different from Clauses?

All sentences are constructed with clauses and/or phrases. Both phrases and clauses have two or more words that can frame a sentence but both play two distinctly separate roles. A clause always has a subject and a verb in its group of words. While a phrase does not contain a subject or a verb.

Secondly, a sentence can exist as a single clause but usually, a single phrase can never make up a whole sentence. Once you take the different types of phrases and clauses quiz, it will become easier to understand each of the two concepts separately and together as well. The two main types of clauses include:

1) Main Clause or Independent Clause 

The independent clause forms a complete sentence on its own with a complete thought that makes sense by itself. Hence it is also called the main clause as it makes up the main part of the sentence.

For example: I love Nutella brownies 

2) Dependent Clause

dependent clauses are the subordinate clauses that depend on the independent clauses to make sense. This is the clause that causes confusion between phrases and clauses. These clauses also have a subject and a verb but usually don't express a complete thought alone but only in tandem with the independent clause. They are connected with the independent clause using a coordinating conjunction. 

Significance of phrases in Competitive Examinations 

Regardless of the kind of Competitive examination - be it UPSC, SSC CGL, IBPS, RRB NTPC, CHSL, CPO, High Court Examination or even CAT, all of them have a section for English Grammar skills or Verbal Ability where students have to showcase their excellent understanding and usage of the phrases, clauses, and idioms. All of these competitive examinations consist of phrases and idioms apart from other writing ability questions. When you practise the phrases quiz with answers, it not only makes you understand where your understanding is going wrong but also helps to retain newer phrases properly.

Crucial Facts about Phrases

1. Do not try to mug up a lot of phrases together. Go slow and steady and start by reading phrases by putting them in the context of something and retaining the meaning. Then try to apply those phrases in different sentences of your own.

2. Understand the different types of phrases and their usages. See how they are different from each other and have a clear cut understanding of the differences.

3. Ensure that you also understand how phrases are different from idioms and clauses but are often used in tandem together and come as a composite unit during examinations.