Korean Job Discussion Forums

Badmojo · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 9:12 pm Post subject: Clause vs phrase

For people with better grammar books or grammar knowledge than me, here's one for you. What's the difference between a clause and a phrase?

Thank you.

Wangja · Joined: 17 May 2004 Location: Seoul, Yongsan

Badmojo · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 9:43 pm Post subject: Re: Clause vs phrase

Sliver · Joined: 04 May 2003 Location: The third dimension

Sorry but linguistically Wangja is not correct.

Look here for exact definitions.

Clause

http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAClause.htm

Phrase

http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAPhrase.htm

Good luck Cool

Wangja · Joined: 17 May 2004 Location: Seoul, Yongsan

Grotto · Joined: 21 Mar 2004

Clause is the name of the guy who comes down your chimney at xmas.

Phrase is what you get when a Korean compliments you Wink

seirogan · Joined: 19 Jan 2003

A clause has a subject and verb and a phrase is lacking either a subject or verb.

The man is sitting on the sofa. (cluase)

The man WHO IS SITTING ON THE SOFA is my brother. (adjective clause....describes the man and has a subject and a verb)

The man SITTING ON THE SOFA is my brother. (adjective phrase describing the man...there is no subject)

The man has been sitting on the sofa SINCE I CAME HOME. (adverbial clause...has a subject and verb)

The man has been sitting on the sofa SINCE COMING HOME. (adverbial phrase)

Clauses can be independent and occur by itself or dependent and must be attached to and independent clause.

Although I have eatien, I am still hungry.

However, now I am confused. (The man sitting on the sofa is my brother.) "Sitting on the sofa" is a gerund phrase and gerunds function as nouns. But doesn't "sitting on the sofa" describe the man and is therefore functioning as an adjective?

denverdeath · Joined: 21 May 2005 Location: Boo-sahn

Try this website, too. Usually it's pretty useful...

http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/

Clauses:

http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/clauses.htm

clause n. Grammar. A group of words containing a subject and a predicate and forming part of a compound or complex sentence.

Phrases:

http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/phrases.htm

phrase n. Grammar. Two or more words in sequence that form a syntactic unit that is less than a complete sentence.

denverdeath · Joined: 21 May 2005 Location: Boo-sahn

seirogan,

I ain't no wiz, but I think you're looking at a phrase, not a gerund, in your example. At least that's what the site said...

http://cctc.commnet.edu/grammar/verbs.htm#gerunds

Gerund: a verb form, ending in -ing, which acts as a noun. Running in the park after dark can be dangerous. Gerunds are frequently accompanied by other associated words making up a gerund phrase ("running in the park after dark").

Because gerunds and gerund phrases are nouns, they can be used in any way that a noun can be used:

as subject: Being king can be dangerous for your health.
as object of the verb: He didn't particularly like being king.
as object of a preposition: He wrote a book about being king.

If we changed your example to, "Sitting on the sofa is a wonderful way to pass the time," then it would be a gerund, I think.

Badmojo · Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:42 am Post subject:

I gave my student Wangja's explanation and that's good enough for me.

Why do some students insist on knowing the most insignificant grammar distinction when they can't adequately speak in the past or the future?

As far as I'm concerned, a phrase is something on Wheel Of Fortune.

A clause? Hey, I'll go with Grotto on that one.