Grammar: Groups and phrases

Overview

What is the structure of groups and phrases?

Even though the different types of groups have a similar structure, consisting of a Head word and one or more modifying words, when we look at them in more detail, we see that there are differences.

Noun groups

When we look at noun groups the Head word is usually a noun. And one type of Modifier we often find in noun groups are adjectives being used to modify the noun:

Verb groups

In verb groups the Head word is always a verb. The Head word is always the last word in a verb group, and it is the word that tells us what sort of 'event' is being represented by the verb group. The verbs which belong to this class are sometimes called lexical verbs.

If the verb group consists of more than one word, then these words will always come before the Head word, which they modify. These words belong to the class of auxiliary verbs:

Adverb groups

The Head word of an adverb group is always an adverb. Adverb group can also have other adverbs modifying the Head word:

Prepositional phrases

A prepositional phrase has a very different structure to the structure of groups. Since 'group' means a 'group of words', then any group of more than one word, a noun group, verb group or adverbial group, can be reduced to a single word, the Head word. For example, taking the noun group those four Hong Kong junks, we can see that the noun group can be reduced to just one word junks:

However, a prepositional phrase cannot be reduced to a single word. For example, the prepositional phrase across the harbour, cannot be reduced and still be a prepositional phrase. This is because prepositional phrases do not consist of a Head word and Modifiers.

For this reason prepositional phrases are called 'phrases' and not prepositional groups.

A prepositional phrase is always introduced by a preposition and followed by a noun group. So a prepositional phrase has a group inside it. We can say a prepositional phrase has a noun group embedded in its structure:

The differences in structure between the different types of groups and phrases is all part of the fact that they have different jobs to do in the clauses.

We use noun groups to talk about people and things; we use verb groups to say what is happening; adverb groups to say how, when or where it is happening; and prepositional phrases to say how, when, where or why something is happening.

Note that the terms Head and Modifier are written with a capital to remind us that they are functional terms.

Significance for teaching: developing students' language

Groups and phrases are an important intermediate level between clauses and words.

In traditional grammar, simple sentences or clauses were often treated as being composed simply of words: 'words-in-sentences' model. While this may work for very simple sentence like John runs, it is not of much use in helping student to engage with real language in meaningful contexts.

The fact is that we don't speak in strings of words. The basic unit of language is the clause. When we make meaning we use clauses, and these clauses are composed of noun groups, verb groups, adverbial groups and prepositional phrases.