A clause is a stand-alone statement in English that includes a subject and a verb that shows tense and agreement. A phrase is a reduced form where the subject is usually dropped and the verb is shortened to a participle form. Phrases can be tough for English language learners to understand because they're not so easy to recognize. Let's take a closer look at a common type: adverb phrases.
Clause Vs. Phrase
Students should be aware of the difference between adverb clauses and adverb phrases. Remind learners that a clause is a complete sentence with a subject and verb (and possibly an object), while a phrase isn't a complete sentence.
| Example | Note |
|---|---|
| I learned a lot while I was studying. | Adverb clause: subject I, verb was studying |
| I learned a lot while studying. | Adverb phrase: no subject, incomplete verb studying |
Phrase Rules
How do we reduce an adverb clause to a phrase in English? Follow these simple rules:
| # | Part of Speech | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subject | Drop the subject of the adverb clause. | — |
| 2 | One-part verb | Change a simple present or past verb into the present participle (-ing) form. | leave leaving, danced dancing |
| 3 | Two-part verbs with be | Drop the be auxiliary verb and leave the second form. | was walking walking |
| 4 | Two-part verbs with have | Drop the have auxiliary verb and change the second form into the present participle. | had graduated graduating (or, less commonly, having graduated) |
Phrase Examples
| Adverb Clause | Adverb Phrase |
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Phrase Notes
Note #1
An adverb phrase is dependent (meaning it cannot stand alone), and it can come before or after the independent (main) clause. If it comes before the main clause, use a comma.
- While traveling through Europe, I met many people.
- I met many people while traveling through Europe.
Note #2
Adverb phrases are only possible with the same subject. If the subject of the independent clause and the subject of the adverb clause are different, the adverb clause cannot be reduced to an adverb phrase. This is a common error called a dangling participle phrase.
- While she was soaking in the bath, she felt very relaxed. (adverb clause)
- While soaking in the bath, she felt very relaxed. (adverb phrase)
- While she was soaking in the bath, her kids made dinner. (adverb clause)
- While soaking in the bath, her kids made dinner. (incorrect adverb phrase—the dropped subject she and the subject her kids are different)
Note #3
While can sometimes be omitted from an adverb phrase, but only when the phrase is at the beginning of a sentence and only if the phrase is more than one word.
- While traveling through Europe, I met many people.
- Traveling through Europe, I met many people.
- While traveling, I met may people.
- Traveling, I met many people. (incorrect because the adverb phrase only has one word)
- I met many people traveling through Europe (incorrect—this is an adjective phrase reduced from the adjective clause people who were traveling through Europe)
