Difference Between Phrase and Clause

A phrase and a clause are both groups of words, but they serve different grammatical purposes and have distinct characteristics.

Phrase:

A phrase is a group of words that functions as a single unit within a sentence.
It does not have a subject and a predicate, which means it does not express a complete thought.

It can be a noun phrase, verb phrase, prepositional phrase, or other types, and it often serves a specific grammatical role within a sentence.

Examples: “in the morning,” “the old man,” “to the store.”

Clause:

A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate (verb) and forms a complete thought.

There are two main types of clauses: independent clauses (can stand alone as complete sentences) and dependent clauses (cannot stand alone and need to be part of a larger sentence).

An independent clause expresses a complete thought, while a dependent clause relies on an independent clause for its meaning.

Examples:

Independent clause: “She went to the store.”
Dependent clause: “When he arrived.”

In summary, a phrase is a group of words without a subject and predicate that functions as a single unit, while a clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate and expresses a complete or incomplete thought.

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