What is a Phrase? Definition, samples of English Phrases

What are phrases? A phrase may be a group (or pairing) of words in English. A phrase is often short or long, but it doesn't include the subject-verb pairing necessary to form a clause.

Some samples of phrases include:

after the meal (prepositional phrase)
the nice neighbor (noun phrase)
were expecting the movie (verb phrase)
None of those examples contains a topic doing an action (subject-verb). Therefore, each example is simply a gaggle of words called a phrase.

A phrase will always be quite one word.
A phrase is any group of words that doesn't contain a topic completing an action.

When a gaggle of words contains a topic doing an action (subject-verb), it becomes a clause.

Phrases are often added to sentences to form them more complex.

Concepts can begin with one word and become a sentence.

Example:


meal (word)
after the meal (phrase)
that mom prepared (clause)
After the meal that mom prepared I felt full. (sentence)
After the meal that mom prepared, I felt full because I ate an excessive amount of . (complex sentence)


After the meal that mom prepared I felt full, but my brother was still hungry. (compound sentence)
More Phrase Examples
Before we enter differing types of grammatical phrases, let’s check out a couple of more samples of phrases.

In the air (prepositional phrase)
Beside the bed (prepositional phrase)
Along the road (prepositional phrase)
To live and breathe (infinitive phrase)
Looking stunning (participle phrase)
As you'll see, English phrases are often almost any combination of words goodbye as they are doing not contain a subject-verb pairing.

Different Types of Phrase
What is a noun phrase? Noun phrases contain a noun and its modifiers.

the nice neighbor
a soft, comfortable bed
Ways of explaining or clarifying
RELATED WORDS
after all PHRASE
used when giving a reason to elucidate what you've got just said

as ADVERB
used for giving the rationale for something

as a matter of fact PHRASE
used once you are getting to afflict or correct what has just been said

as if PHRASE
used once you are describing something and you imagine an evidence for it that you simply know isn't the important one

as much as anything PHRASE
used for saying that something is one among the most reasons for a situation, feeling, etc

at bottom PHRASE
used when explaining the essential cause or nature of something

because CONJUNCTION
MAINLY SPOKEN used for introducing facts that specify why you think that something is true

being... PHRASE
used for giving evidence of something

besides ADVERB
used once you are adding another stronger reason to support what you're saying

by extension PHRASE
used for explaining that a specific person or thing is suffering from something only because they're connected to what you've got just mentioned

can’t begin to imagine/understand/explain etc PHRASE
used for emphasizing that something is extremely difficult to imagine, understand, etc

due to unforeseen circumstances PHRASE
used in official statements for explaining that something unexpected went on which will prevent an occasion or situation from continuing normally

explain VERB
used once you want someone to know and forgive you

for example PHRASE
used when mentioning something that shows the sort of thing that you simply are talking about and helps to elucidate what you mean

for instance PHRASE
for example

for one reason or another PHRASE
used for saying that there's quite one reason for something

for one thing PHRASE
used when mentioning one reason for something as an example, when there are several reasons

for one thing...(for another thing) PHRASE
used for giving a reason for something

for reasons of economy/safety/security etc PHRASE
used for showing why a specific thing is completed

for want of a far better word/phrase/term PHRASE
used for saying that you simply cannot consider a more exact way of describing or explaining what you mean

i.e. ABBREVIATION
used once you are explaining exactly what you mean by something

I mean (to say) PHRASE
used for adding a comment or explaining what you've got just said

inasmuch as CONJUNCTION
FORMAL used for adding a comment that explains or makes clearer what you've got just said

inasmuch as CONJUNCTION
FORMAL used for adding a comment that limits what you've got just said

in case PHRASE
used for explaining why you're doing something

in other words PHRASE
used for introducing differently of claiming or explaining something, especially a more simple way

in that PHRASE
used for introducing evidence of what you've got just said, showing in what way it's true

in the first place PHRASE
used for stating the foremost basic reason for something

in the interest(s) of something PHRASE
in order to preserve, develop, or achieve something

I tell a lie PHRASE
used once you realize that something you've got just said isn't correct

it’s just that... PHRASE
used once you are explaining your reaction to something

it’s not that...it’s just that PHRASE
used once you are explaining why you're doing something

judging by/from something PHRASE
used for giving the rationale why you think that something is true

look at verb
SPOKEN used for giving an example that proves that what you're saying is true

mansplain VERB
SHOWING DISAPPROVAL when a person mansplains something, he explains it to someone, usually a lady, during a way that shows he believes he knows more about it than she does simply because he's a person

nay INTERJECTION
an old word used for correcting yourself once you consider a far better way of expressing something

no rhyme or reason PHRASE
used for emphasizing that there's no reason or explanation for something

on this/that account PHRASE
used when giving the rationale for something

precisely ADVERB
used for adding emphasis to a reason or explanation

pure and straightforward PHRASE
used for saying that there's no additional explanation for something

the rest is history PHRASE
used when explaining how something happened, to mention that you simply have reached the part of the story that everybody knows

since ADVERB
used when explaining why someone does something or why a situation exists

someone can only do something PHRASE
used for saying that you simply can only consider one explanation for something

so to talk PHRASE
used for showing that you simply have expressed something in an unusual way

that ADVERB
used when explaining why someone feels sad, angry, happy, etc

that is to mention PHRASE
used for explaining something that you simply have just said during a more exact way

that is (to say) PHRASE
used when explaining more clearly what you've got just said

that is (to say) PHRASE
used once you are getting to correct something that you simply have just said

thereby hangs a tale PHRASE
FORMAL used for saying that there's a story connected with the very fact that you simply have just mentioned

therein lies something PHRASE
FORMAL used for explaining the effect of a situation that you simply have just described