Clause and Phrase1

Clauses and Phrases

A CLAUSE is a grammatical structure that contains at least a subject and a complete verb.
A PHRASE does not contain both a subject and a complete verb. Examples:

a. WE ARE STUDYING ENGLISH. (independent clause)
b. I have several friends WHO ARE STUDYING ENGLISH. (subordinate clause)
c. She watches television WHILE SHE STUDIES. (subordinate clause)

e. She studies IN THE EVENING. (phrase)
f. STUDYING EVERY NIGHT, she gets good grades. (phrase, no subject
incomplete verb)
g. AFTER STUDYING, she has a snack. (phrase)

As you can see, there are two kinds of clauses, independent and subordinate. Independent clauses can stand alone as sentences (example a); subordinate clauses cannot stand alone (examples b and c). Subordinate clauses must be combined with an independent clause.