Phrases and clauses: pink river dolphin
The Grammar Bit!
Sentences are made from phrases and clauses.
A clause (bold) is a group of words that typically contains a subject (the ‘doer’ of the action) and a verb (the action). e.g. ‘The river dolphins searched for fish.’ When a clause expresses a complete thought like this, it can act as a sentence on its own. This type of clause is called a main clause.
A phrase (underlined) is a small group of words that forms part of a clause. Because it doesn’t contain both a subject and a verb, it cannot act as a sentence on its own. Phrases are often the parts of a sentence that add extra detail to it, making them more descriptive for the reader. e.g. ‘among the roots and submerged branches‘, ‘the extraordinary looking dolphins‘.
Scintillating Sentences
1A) (main clause) The river dolphins searched for fish.
1B) (phrases) among the roots and branches, the extraordinary-looking dolphins
1C) (sentence) Among the roots and branches, the extraordinary-looking dolphins searched for fish.
2A) (main clause) The dolphin scared the fish.
2B) (phrases) with its long beak, in the flooded rainforest, the tiny fish
2C) (sentence) In the flooded rainforest, the dolphin scared the tiny fish with its long beak.
Did you know?
According to one ancient Amazonian legend, pink river dolphins are believed to be shape-shifters, capable of taking human form. They always wear a hat when they do this to hide their blowhole!