Many English learners struggle to tell the difference between a phrase and a clause. The common advice is to look for a finite verb (a verb that agrees with the subject in number and person), but what if you want more ways to identify them?
Today’s NRTC English explains simple tricks to help you confidently differentiate phrases from clauses, even without focusing only on verbs.
1. Check if it expresses a complete thought
A clause contains a subject and a verb and often expresses a complete idea. A phrase, on the other hand, does not have both a subject and a verb together, so it cannot stand as a full idea.
Clause: Because she was tired (This has a subject “she” and a verb “was tired,” but it’s a dependent clause because it does not form a complete sentence.)
Phrase: Because of her tiredness (This lacks a verb, so it is just a phrase.)
2. Look for the subject-verb pair
A clause always has both a subject and a verb, even if it is a dependent clause(noun clause, relative/adjectival clause, and adverbial clause) that cannot stand alone. A phrase, however, does not have a full subject-verb pair.
- Clause: After we ate dinner (we = subject, ate = verb)
- Phrase: After dinner (no subject-verb pair)
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3. Test if it can stand alone
An independent clause can stand as a sentence, while a phrase cannot because it lacks either a subject or a verb.
- Clause: She left the party early. (Complete sentence)
- Phrase: Leaving the party early (Not a complete sentence because there is no subject performing the action.)
4. Identify the main idea vs. additional information
A phrase gives extra information but cannot serve as the main idea, while a clause can.
Phrase: Because of passing the test, she was happy. (The first part is a phrase—it lacks a subject-verb pair.)
Clause: She was happy because she passed the test. (Main idea: “She was happy.” The second part is a dependent clause.)
5. Look for prepositions
Most prepositional phrases (phrases starting with prepositions like in, on, at, by, under, after, before) do not have a subject-verb pair, making them phrases rather than clauses.
Phrase: Under the bridge (No verb)
Clause: She hid under the bridge (Has a subject “she” and a verb “hid”)
