Phrase, Clause & Sentence

You must have come across these three terms while attempting SC questions but are you aware how the three are related?

A Phrase is a group of words, which makes sense, but not complete sense. It's a group of related words without a Subject or a Verb or both.

Examples (the words in italics are Phrases):

• I am reading a book.
• John is an actor of high caliber.
• Kevin has a black Siamese cat.
• The fire in the theater was not very severe.

A Clause is a group of words that contains both a Subject and an Object (to know more about 'Subjects' & 'Objects', click here), but may not be able to stand on its own. The most basic kind of sentence consists of a single clause; more complicated sentences may contain multiple clauses, including clauses contained within clauses.

Examples (the words in italics are Clauses):

• The dinner, which he made for us, was delicious.
• I can't believe that the cat ran out of the door.
• The girl is nice

Types of Clauses

1. If a clause can make complete sense on its own, it's called an Independent Clause. It does not need to be joined to any other clause because it contains all the information necessary to make a complete sentence.
   
   
   Examples:
   
   
   - The food is hot.
   - The street is wet.
   - She reads very fast.
   
   
   
   
2. Dependent Clauses cannot stand up on their own and depend on some other clause to make sense.
   
   Examples:
   
   - The student is going
   - The boy in the room
   - The book I am reading

To Sum it Up

1. Phrases are groups of words that do not contain a Subject or a Verb or both
   
   
2. Clauses are groups of words that contain both a Subject as well as a Verb
   
   
3. Independent Clauses are complete sentences and can make sense on their own.
   
   
4. Dependent Clauses are not complete sentences and need to be connected to other clauses to make sense.
   
   
5. Phrases make up a Clause and Clauses make up a Sentence.