Phrases And Clauses | ESL Worksheet
A phrase is a group of words that makes some sense, but not complete sense. Phrases usually begin with a preposition, an ing form or a to-infinitive.
A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. Clauses make complete sense.
Worksheet 1
State whether the underlined part is a phrase or clause.
1. Professional football teams compete for the best college players.
2. The heavyweight champion is fighting an unknown competitor.
3. Doctors studied thousands of case histories to prove the relationship between smoking and cancer.
4. The tenants complained that there was not enough hot water.
5. Please concentrate on the lesson.
6. I concede that your request is reasonable.
7. The remark was a concrete example of his rudeness.
8. She was upset because she had failed her test.
9. You never allow me to finish a sentence.
10. I don’t know how she makes a living.
Answers
1. Professional football teams compete for the best college players. (Phrase)
2. The heavyweight champion is fighting an unknown competitor. (Clause)
3. Doctors studied thousands of case histories to prove the relationship between smoking and cancer. (Phrase)
4. The tenants complained that there was not enough hot water. (Clause)
5. Please concentrate on the lesson. (Phrase)
6. I concede that your request is reasonable. (Clause)
7. The remark was a concrete example of his rudeness. (Phrase)
8. She was upset because she had failed her test. (Clause)
9. You never allow me to finish a sentence. (Phrase)
10. I don’t know how she makes a living. (Clause)
Worksheet 2
State whether the underlined group of words is a clause or phrase.
1. The police are looking for a bald man in his forties.
2. How you are going to solve the problem is your business.
3. It took me a long time to solve the problem.
4. When are you going to return my laptop?
5. If you secure good marks, you can go to a prestigious university.
6. He sat there smiling as if he had won the World Cup.
7. Don’t disturb him while he is working.
8. Would you mind waiting for an hour?
9. There is cloud over the city.
10. He is not the kind of person you can count on.
11. I have been waiting for several hours.
12. It was more difficult than I thought.
13. I don’t want to listen to your advice.
14. She doesn’t have to be rude to him.
15. It took me an hour to prepare the meal.
16. She refused to let me in.
17. She may not be the right person for the job.
18. Would it be all right if I brought a friend along?
19. You have never bought anything for me.
20. It is time you did something about that.
Answers
1. phrase; 2. clause; 3. clause; 4. clause; 5. clause; 6. clause; 7. clause; 8. phrase; 9. clause; 10. clause; 11. clause; 12. clause; 13. clause; 14. phrase; 15. clause; 16. phrase; 17. phrase; 18. clause; 19. phrase; 20. clause
Worksheet 3
1. The photographer was given credit in the program.
2. Who is credited with the invention of the telephone?
3. Thomas Jefferson was one of the creators of the US Constitution.
4. The witch put a curse on the princess.
5. He gave the report a glance and tossed it away.
6. He arrived with his usual promptness.
7. Water consumption decreased during the summer.
8. It is not advisable to buy property now.
9. The woman always acts with dignity.
10. Our newspaper won’t accept any deceptive ads.
11. I don’t think that the movie is good enough for the children.
12. The statue has very fine detail.
Answers
1. clause, 2. phrase, 3. phrase, 4. clause, 5. clause, 6. clause, 7. clause, 8. phrase, 9. phrase, 10. phrase, 11. phrase, 12. phrase
