Phrases and clauses | Syntax | Khan Academy

Khan Academy

23 Aug 201605:56

Summary

TLDRThis educational script explores the distinction between phrases and clauses in English grammar. A phrase, like 'my best friend' or 'for 20 days,' is a group of words functioning as a single part of speech but lacking both a subject and verb, hence not forming a complete sentence. In contrast, a clause contains a subject and a verb, such as 'the wizard cast a spell,' which can be independent (a full sentence) or dependent (requiring another clause). Examples like 'the falcon soared majestically' and 'while my guitar gently weeps' illustrate clauses, with the former being independent and the latter dependent. The script promises to delve deeper into the nuances of dependent and independent clauses in a future session.

Takeaways

🎵 The Schoolhouse Rock song 'Conjunction Junction' is used as an analogy to introduce phrases and clauses.
🔑 A phrase is a group of words that acts like a single part of speech but cannot be a complete sentence as it lacks both a subject and a verb.
🌰 Examples of phrases include 'my best friend' (noun phrase), 'with the blue shirt' (prepositional phrase), and 'for 20 days' (adverbial phrase).
📚 A clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and a verb, distinguishing it from a phrase.
🤔 Clauses can be independent (able to stand alone as a sentence) or dependent (cannot stand alone).
🧙‍♂️ An example of a dependent clause is 'the wizard who cast a spell', which cannot be a sentence on its own.
🧙‍♂️ An example of an independent clause is 'The wizard cast a spell', which is also a complete sentence.
🦅 The phrase 'The falcon soared majestically' contains a noun phrase and verb, making it an independent clause.
🎸 The line 'While my guitar gently weeps' from a George Harrison song is a dependent clause because it starts with a subordinating conjunction.
🥪 'The best ham sandwich in Oklahoma' is a phrase because it lacks a verb and is a subject.
🌊 'Under the ocean blue' is a phrase as it contains a subject and a preposition but no verb, indicating no action.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the conversation in the script?
-The main topic of the conversation is the difference between a phrase and a clause in English grammar.
What is a phrase according to the script?
-A phrase is a group of words that acts like a single part of speech but is not a full sentence because it does not have both a subject and a verb.
Can a phrase be a sentence?
-No, a phrase cannot be a sentence because it lacks both a subject and a verb.
What are some examples of phrases mentioned in the script?
-Examples of phrases include 'My best friend' (a noun phrase), 'with the blue shirt' (an adjective phrase), and 'for 20 days' (an adverbial phrase).
What is a clause?
-A clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and a verb, and it can potentially be a sentence.
What is the difference between a phrase and a clause?
-The main difference is that a clause has a subject and a verb, while a phrase does not. Clauses can be either dependent (cannot stand alone as a sentence) or independent (can stand alone as a sentence).
What is an independent clause?
-An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a complete sentence.
What is a dependent clause?
-A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a complete sentence; it usually begins with a subordinating conjunction.
How does the script illustrate the difference between phrases and clauses?
-The script uses examples like 'The falcon soared majestically' (an independent clause) and 'while my guitar gently weeps' (a dependent clause) to illustrate the difference.
What is the difference between a noun phrase and an adjective phrase?
-A noun phrase acts like a noun and may include determiners, adjectives, and nouns, while an adjective phrase modifies a noun and consists of an adjective and potentially other words that describe the noun.
How does the script explain the phrase 'the best ham sandwich in Oklahoma'?
-The script explains that 'the best ham sandwich in Oklahoma' is a phrase because it lacks a verb and consists of a subject ('sandwich') with modifiers ('the best' and 'in Oklahoma').
What is the role of a subordinating conjunction in a clause?
-A subordinating conjunction connects a dependent clause to an independent clause, making the dependent clause unable to stand alone as a complete sentence.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Understanding Phrases and Clauses

This paragraph introduces the concepts of phrases and clauses, drawing a comparison to the Schoolhouse Rock song 'Conjunction Junction'. It explains that both phrases and clauses are groups of words, but they serve different functions. A phrase is a group of words that acts like a single part of speech but cannot be a complete sentence because it lacks both a subject and a verb. Examples given include a noun phrase 'My best friend', an adjective phrase 'with the blue shirt', and an adverbial phrase 'for 20 days'. In contrast, a clause has both a subject and a verb, and can either be independent (able to stand alone as a sentence) or dependent (requiring another clause to complete its meaning). The paragraph provides examples to illustrate the difference, such as 'The falcon soared majestically' being an independent clause, and 'the best ham sandwich in Oklahoma' being a phrase because it lacks a verb.

05:01

🔍 Distinguishing Clauses from Phrases

The second paragraph continues the discussion on phrases and clauses, emphasizing the importance of identifying whether a group of words has a subject and a verb to determine if it's a clause. It clarifies that while a clause must contain a subject and a verb, it doesn't necessarily have to be a complete sentence. The paragraph provides examples to illustrate the concepts, such as 'while my guitar gently weeps' being a dependent clause because it starts with a subordinating conjunction 'while', and cannot stand alone as a sentence. It contrasts this with 'the falcon soared majestically', which is an independent clause and can be a complete sentence. The paragraph also revisits the phrases mentioned earlier, such as 'the best ham sandwich in Oklahoma' and 'under the ocean blue', confirming they are phrases because they lack a verb. The discussion sets the stage for a deeper exploration of the differences between dependent and independent clauses in a subsequent session.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Conjunction

A conjunction is a part of speech that connects words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. In the context of the video, 'Conjunction Junction' is a song that introduces the concept of conjunctions and their function in language. The song is used as a reference point to start the discussion about phrases and clauses.

💡Phrase

A phrase is a group of words that work together to convey meaning but do not contain both a subject and a verb, and therefore cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. In the video, phrases are described as acting like a single part of speech, such as a noun phrase 'my best friend' or an adverbial phrase 'for 20 days'.

💡Clause

A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb. Unlike phrases, clauses can sometimes function as complete sentences. The video distinguishes between dependent clauses, which cannot stand alone ('the wizard who cast a spell'), and independent clauses, which can ('the wizard cast a spell').

💡Subject

The subject of a clause is the noun or pronoun about which the clause is making a statement. It is one of the essential components of a clause, as emphasized in the video when explaining the difference between phrases and clauses. For example, 'the wizard' in 'the wizard cast a spell' is the subject.

💡Verb

A verb is a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being. It is another crucial element of a clause. The video script mentions verbs like 'cast' and 'weeps' to illustrate how they pair with subjects to form clauses.

💡Dependent Clause

A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence; it relies on an independent clause to complete its meaning. The video uses 'while my guitar gently weeps' as an example, where 'while' is a subordinating conjunction that makes it dependent on another clause to form a complete thought.

💡Independent Clause

An independent clause contains a subject and a verb and can express a complete thought, functioning as a sentence on its own. The video gives 'the falcon soared majestically' as an example of an independent clause.

💡Noun Phrase

A noun phrase consists of a noun and its modifiers, functioning as a single unit within a sentence. The video mentions 'my best friend' as an example of a noun phrase, which acts as a single part of speech within the phrase.

💡Adjective Phrase

An adjective phrase contains words that describe or modify a noun. In the script, 'with the blue shirt' is an example of an adjective phrase, where 'blue' is modifying 'shirt'.

💡Adverbial Phrase

An adverbial phrase modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb by expressing how, when, where, or to what extent. The video uses 'for 20 days' as an example, where 'for 20 days' modifies the verb by indicating the duration.

💡Prepositional Phrase

A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun, acting as an adjective or adverb in a sentence. The video script includes 'under the ocean blue' as an example, where 'under' is the preposition and 'the ocean blue' is the object of the preposition.

Highlights

The Schoolhouse Rock song 'Conjunction Junction' is used to introduce phrases and clauses.

A phrase is a group of words that acts like a single part of speech but is not a full sentence.

Phrases do not have both a subject and a verb.

Examples of phrases include 'My best friend', 'with the blue shirt', and 'for 20 days'.

A clause is a group of words that can have both a subject and a verb.

Clauses can be either dependent or independent.

A dependent clause cannot stand on its own as a sentence.

An independent clause can be its own sentence.

The difference between phrases and clauses is that clauses always have a subject and a verb.

The example 'The falcon soared majestically' is a clause because it has a subject and a verb.

The phrase 'The best ham sandwich in Oklahoma' is not a clause because it lacks a verb.

The phrase 'under the ocean blue' lacks a verb, making it a phrase and not a clause.

Phrases act like parts of speech, such as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.

Clauses are groups of words that contain both a subject and a verb, making them potentially complete sentences.

The song 'While my guitar gently weeps' by George Harrison is used to illustrate a dependent clause.

The presence of a subordinating conjunction like 'while' indicates a dependent clause.

The difference between dependent and independent clauses will be explored in a future discussion.