What is Apposition?

Apposition is a word or group of words which adds extra information to a noun or pronoun. The appositive does not change the meaning of the sentence in case it is removed from the sentence. Look at the pair of examples (The first one of the pair has no appositive.). 

• You should study hard. 
• You students should study hard. ('student' is an appositive.)

• Thida is very smart. ('student' is an appositive.)
• Thida, our team leader, is very smart. ('our team leader' is an appositive.)

Be careful!

• You are students should study hard. 

It is a wrong sentence because you have two main verbs in this sentence. Instead, you can make it an adjective clause.

•  You who are students should study hard.

Appositives and Appositive Phrases

An appositive is a noun or pronoun placed beside another noun or pronoun to identify or describe it. It always appears after the word it explains or identifies. The appositive is always a noun or a pronoun, and the word it explains is also a noun or pronoun. Look at the examples,

  •  You students should study hard.
  •  Our teacher, Mr. Stone, is very strict.

An appositive phrase consists of the appositive and its modifiers.

Appositive phrase = Modifier(s) + Appositive

Appositive phrase is usually placed after the noun which it modifies. However, is sometimes placed at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis. Look at these examples,

  •  My friend, a university teacher, won a scholarship to study abroad.
  •  English, my favorite subject, is not difficult to study.
  •  Angkor Wat, an ancient temple in Cambodia, is very famous.
  •  He is going to visit Siem Reap, an old capital city of Cambodia during the Angkorian time.
  •  Tom Teav, a Khmer love tragedy, has been studied and rewritten in English.
  •  Our class monitor, Mona will make a presentation today.


Note: COMMAS

The appositive is essential if the noun is too general without it; in this case, do not place commas around the appositive.

  •  Your friend Samnang is genius.
  •  We Cambodian should work harder in a more efficient way.

If the sentence would be clear and complete without the appositive, then commas are necessary; place one before and one after the appositive.

  •  Samdech Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, is going to win another election.
  •  Wat Phnom, the symbol of Phnom Penh, is a man-made hill.

Participles and Participle Phrases

Participle is a verbal which is formed by adding -ing or -ed to the verb. Participle is used as adjectives in sentences. Present participle is formed by adding –ing to the verb; past participle is formed by adding -ed to the verb. Look at the examples,

  •  The film was boring.
  •  I am reading an interesting book.
  •  The audience was bored.
  •  The teacher was talking to a frustrated student.

If you need to details of when to use -ing or -ed adjectives, click here.


Participle phrase is a group of related words that begins with a participle and ends with its modifiers.

Participle phrase = Participle + Modifiers

Participle is used as adjective in sentences. It doesn’t tell the action, but modifies noun or pronoun (same as adjective). Look at the examples,

  •  The newspaper publishing the tycoon's story has been sued.
  •  Do you know the man running this shop? 
  •  The students coming from countryside find it hard to live in city.
  •  He was disappointed with the news.
  •  I've finally found the key lost yesterday.
  •  She bought the book written by Robert Kiyosaki.

Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases

Infinitive is a verbal (verb form usually preceded by to) that is used as a noun, adjective or adverb. For examples,

  •  To think helps us understand things better. ("To think" is used as noun subject.)
  •  I want to read. ("to read" is used as noun object.)
  •  It is the time to study. ("to study" is used as adjective modifying noun "time".)
  •  It is easy to blame. ("to blame" is used as adverb modifying adjective "easy".)
  •  We come to study. ("to blame" is used as adverb modifying verb "come".)


Infinitive phrase is a group of words that begins with an infinitive (to + verb) and ends with its object or modifiers.

Infinitive phrase = Infinitive + Object / Complement

Infinitive phrase is used as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

As noun

  •  To exercise everyday is a good habit. (Subject)
  •  To be a millionaire is my dream. (Subject)
  •  We've planned to buy a house. (Direct object)
  •  I expect to finish my project. (Direct object)
  •  He has no choice except to leave the company. (Object of preposition)
  •  The woman was about to leave the shop. (Object of preposition)
  •  His goal is to become a sale consultant. (Subject complement)
  •  His hobby is to run early in the morning.(Subject complement)
  •  I saw a man run out of the shop. (Object complement)
  •  She feels the rain fall on her face. (Object complement)
  •  His proposal, to merge the two companies, was rejected. (Appositive)
  •  His habits, to tell jokes, will hurt him. (Appositive)

As adjective

  •  She will reserve time to answer your questions. (Modifying noun)
  •  The company has got the license to import its products. (Modifying noun)
  •  Find someone to design our company website. (Modifying pronoun)
  •  Something to do at this moment is researching. (Modifying pronoun)

As adverb

  •  A student comes to see his teacher. (Modifying verb)
  •  The teachers met to discuss the course development plan. (Modifying verb)
  •  We are glad to meet all of you. (Modifying adjective)
  •  She is not confident to deal with the problem. (Modifying adjective)
  •  He came too late to join the meeting. (Modifying adverb)
  •  The company responded too slowly to please its angry customers. (Modifying adverb)
  •  To tell in advance, I will not accept late submission. (Modifying whole sentence)
  •  To be honest, you have performed quite well. (Modifying whole sentence)

Gerunds and Gerund Phrases

Gerund   is a verbal that is formed by adding -ing to a verb. Gerund is used as a noun or adverb. Look at the examples,

  •  Reading may broaden your thinking. ("Reading" is used as noun, subject.)
  •  My favorite hobby is sleeping. ("Sleeping" is used as noun, subject complement.)
  •  I thanked him for helping. ("Helping" is used as noun, object of preposition.)
  •  He goes skiing every winter. ("Skiing" is used as an adverb telling place.)


Gerund phrase is a group of related words that begins with a gerund and ends with its object or modifiers.

Gerund phrase = Gerund + Object /Modifiers

Gerund phrase is used as noun or adverb.

AS NOUN

  •  Driving a car needs concentration. (Subject)
  •  Staying updated with technology is a key to success in job. (Subject)
  •  Thida has finished painting his room. (Direct object)
  •  My nephew loves playing computer games. (Direct object)
  •  She gives studying English her best effort. (Indirect object)
  •  Some people give playing chess their attention. (Indirect object)
  •  I am tired of waiting for him. (Object of preposition)
  •  The man has been accused of stealing the money. (Object of preposition)
  •  Success is not only earning a lot of money. (Subject complement)
  •  Our dream is owning a small shop.(Subject complement)
  •  Her favorite exercise, swimming in the pool, makes her body strong.  (Appositive)
  •  His tough job, dealing with difficult customers, makes him tired. (Appositive)

AS ADVERB

  •  He usually goes camping in summer. (Adverb)
  •  Who did you go dancing with? (Adverb)

Prepositional Phrases

Prepositional phrase is a group of words which begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or noun phrase. The noun or noun phrase that follows the preposition is called object of preposition.

Prepositional phrase = Preposition + Noun / Noun phrase

Look at the examples below:

  •  At school
  •  Near the shop
  •  With his brother
  •  On the table


FUNCTIONS OF PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

Prepositional phrase can functions either as adjective or adverb.

[1]  Functioning as adjective

When it functions as adjective, it modifies noun or pronoun. Look at the examples,

  •  Do you know the man with red T-shirt?
  •  The expense on daily living tends to increase.
  •  He took several courses in personal development.
  •  The courses will put him on the path of success.

[2] Functioning as adverb

When it functions as adverb, it modifies verb, adjective, or adverb. Look at the examples below,

Modifying verb

  •  They are waiting outside the shop.
  •  A baby bird has fallen out of the nest.
  •  No one was born with all needed skills without training.
  •  He is behaving in a strange way.

Modifying adjective 

  •  He is afraid of dog.
  •  Some customers are not satisfied with our services.
  •  Thida is interested in career growth.
  •  They are crazy about football.

Modifying adverb

  •  He works late during high tourist season.
  •  She quickly moved away from the dog.

Adverb Phrases

Adverb phrase is a group of related words that includes an adverb as its head and its modifiers.

Adverb phrase = Modifier(s) + Adverb(s)

In sentences, adverb phrase takes the role of an adverb modifying a verb, or the whole sentence.

Modifying verb

   •  The man runs very fast.
   •  The rice transplanter works extremely well.
   •  The situations change so quickly these days.
   •  We hardly ever go the cinema.

Modifying the whole sentence

   •  Very honestly, I am tired.
   •  Fortunately enough, we managed to get at the meeting on time.
   •  Her parents disagreed. Even so, she chose to study abroad.
   •  He could accept our proposal. Then again, he refused.

Adjective Phrases

Adjective phrase is a group of related words that contains adjectives and their modifiers.

Adjective phrase = Modifier(s) + Adjective(s)

In sentences, adjective phrase takes the role of an adjective modifying a noun or pronoun.

Modifying noun

   •  Her story was absolutely unbelievable.
   •  Thida was genius and hard-working.
   •  He runs a lucrative business.
   •  A long and lonely evening finally passed.

Modifying pronoun

   •  He is very smart.
   •  We are satisfied with our performance this year.
   •  Can you find someone more skillful?
   •  Her boyfriend made her so disappointed.
   •  The film was the most interesting one.

Besides the form above, the prepositional phrase and participle phrase are also adjectives. Click each link to learn more.

Verb Phrases

Verb phrase is a group of words that shows action or state of being. It normally contains auxiliary verb(s) and a main verb. Thus,

Verb phrase = Auxiliary verb(s) + Main verb

Look at the examples; the verb phrases are in italic.

With two or more main verbs

  •  They sing and dance.
  •  She uploaded, tagged, and shared her photo.

With auxiliary verb "be"

  •  They are spraying pesticides.
  •  The email is sent by my colleague.
  •  I was watching TV at midnight last night.
  •  The road was built by a Chinese company.

With auxiliary verb "do"

  •  Do you like tea?
  •  I don't see it important.
  •  Did he go to the party yesterday?
  •  He did insist on borrowing the money.

With auxiliary verb "have"

  •  She has not finished her homework yet.
  •  We have discussed some worse scenario of our project.
  •  They had made a million before coming here.
  •  He had not read the lessons when his teacher asked him.

With modal auxiliary verb

  •  Everyone should not be too greedy.
  •  What will you do with this vegetables?
  •  He must make an apology.
  •  They will be traveling this time next year.

Noun Phrases

Noun phrase is a group of words that has a noun as a head (or ends with a noun) preceded by all of its modifiers. In short, we can say:

Noun phrase = Modifier(s) + Noun

The modifiers can be modifying adjectives, modifying adverbs, determiners (articles, quantifiers, or possessives), or complements (prepositional phrase functioning as adjective).  Look at the examples below:

  • man (noun)
  • a man (noun phrase; the modifiers are in italic.)
  • a rich man (noun phrase; the modifiers are in italic.)
  • a very rich man (noun phrase; the modifiers are in italic.)
  • a very rich and clever man (noun phrase; the modifiers are in italic.)

  • house (noun)
  • his house (noun phrase; the modifiers are in italic.)
  • his beautiful house (noun phrase; the modifiers are in italic.)
  • his beautiful and expensive house (noun phrase; the modifiers are in italic.)
  • his very beautiful and expensive house (noun phrase; the modifiers are in italic.)

FUNCTIONS OF NOUN PHRASE

The same as noun, a noun phrase can function as subject, objects, complements, and appositives.

[1] Functioning as subject

  •  An experienced salesman is presenting his product.
  •  The high-end products suits his customers need.

[2] Functioning as direct object

  •  He is writing a long love story.
  •  They bought an expensive phone.

[3] Functioning as indirect object

  •  I've owed him some money.
  •  Can you do me a favor?

[4] Functioning as object of preposition

  •  I have known the man with black T-shirt.
  •  She left her shoes beside the pool.

[5] Functioning as subject complement

  •  They are hard-working employee.
  •  Angkor Wat is a marvelous building.

[6] Functioning as object complement

  •  We consider him a genius man.
  •  He appointed Thida his personal assistant.

[7] Functioning as appositive

  •  You young people should be involved in some social work.
  •  Kolab, the GM's secretary, is taking the meeting minute.
  •  I have talked to Robert, a business consultant.

What Is Phrase?

Phrase is a small group of related words standing together as a single unit. This unit functions in the same way as a single word in a sentence.

Look at the examples below.

• The man has bought a very expensive car.

Explanation:
- "The man" is a noun phrase functioning as subject.
- "has bought" is a verb phrase containing main verb and auxiliary verb.
- "a very expensive car" is a noun phrase functioning as object.

• The exam was very long and difficult.

Explanation:
- "The exam" is a noun phrase functioning as subject.
- "very long and difficult" is an adjective functioning as subject complement.

• You university students should be involved in more research.

Explanation:
- "university students" is a appositive phrase adding more information to subject "You".
- "should be" is a verb phrase.
- "in more research" is a prepositional phrase functioning as adverb.

• She is working very hard.

Explanation:
- "is working" is a verb phrase.
- "very hard" is an adverb phrase.

• He is studying in the library.

Explanation:
- "is studying" is a verb phrase.
- "in the library" is a prepositional phrase functioning as adverb.

• The woman with blonde hair is an actress.

Explanation:
- "The woman" is a noun phrase functioning as subject.
- "with blonde hair" is a prepositional phrase functioning as adjective.
- "an actress" is a noun phrase functioning as subject complement.

• He decided to run a small business.

Explanation:
- "to run a small business" is an infinitive phrase functioning as object.

• My teacher suggested finishing the assignment.

Explanation:
- "My teacher" is a noun phrase functioning as subject.
- "finishing the assignment" is a gerund phrase functioning as object.

• The book written by Woods was interesting.

Explanation:
-  "The book" is a noun phrase functioning as subject.
-  "written by Woods" is a participle phrase functioning as adjective.

• We have realized the problems affecting our business.

Explanation:
- "have realized" is a verb phrase.
- "the problems" is a noun phrase functioning as object.
- "affecting our business" is a participle phrase functioning as adjective.

TYPES OF PHRASES

Phrases are classified according to either their forms or functions. They common types of phrases are: noun phrase, appositive phrase, verb phrase, adjective phrase,  adverb phrase, prepositional phrase, gerund phrase,  infinitive phrase, and participle phrase.

Phrases

A phrase is a group of related words that is used in the same as single part of speech. A phrase, which is different from CLAUSE, not contain a verb and its subject.
 
For examples,

• She bought a new house. ["a new house" is a noun phrase used in the same way as noun "house".]
• They are staying at an expensive hotel. ["at an expensive hotel" is a prepositional phrase used in the same way as an adverb telling "where?".]
• The book on the table is mine. ["on the table" is a prepositional phrase used in the same way as an adjective telling "which one?".]
• ANZ Royal, a leading bank in Cambodia, is to open new branches next year. ["a leading bank in Cambodia" is a a positive phrase.]

គួរចងចាំៈ Phrase ដែល​មាន​ន័យថាឃ្លា ឬ​កន្សោម ជាក្រុម​នៃពាក្យ​ដែល​មាន​ទំនាក់​ទំនង​គ្នា  និង​មាន​​​តួនាទី​​ដូចគ្នា​ទៅ​នឹង​ពាក្យ​រាយ​នៃ​ថ្នាក់​ពាក្យ​និមួយៗ ពោល ជា​ទូទៅ គឺវា​ដើរ​តួនាទី​ជា នាម គុណ​នាម កិរិយាស័ព្ទ កិរិយាស័ព្ទ​វិសេស ជាដើម។ វាខុសពី Clause (ល្បះ) ត្រង់វាគ្មាន​ប្រធាន ឬ​កិរិយា​ស័ព្ទ។


Types of phrases

In common, the main types of phrases are: noun phrases, prepositional phrases, verbal phrases, and appositive phrases.


 1. Noun phrase 

A noun phrase is a group of words that comprises a noun and any associated modifiers. A noun phrase is a group of words used as noun.

For examples, 

• Angkor Wat is the main tourist destination. 
• A group of teachers are discussing a new curriculum.

Note: - Noun phrase is made up of modifiers and ends with a noun (noun phrase= modifiers + noun).
- It is used in the same way as noun (i.e. as noun, object,....) 

គួរចងចាំៈ Noun phrase ជាក្រុមនៃពាក្យបញ្ចប់ដោយ នាម ហើយនាំមុខដោយឃ្លា គុណនាម (Noun phrase = ឃ្លាគុណនាម + នាម)។ នៅក្នុងប្រយោគ វាមានតួនាទីដូចគ្នានឹងនាមដែរ។


2.Prepositional Phrase
 
A prepositional phrase is a group of words beginning with a preposition and usually ending with a noun or pronoun.


For examples,

• Look! he is walking across the street.
• Everyone in the room stood up and welcome the new teacher.

Object of prepositional phrase
 
The noun or pronoun that ends the prepositional phrase is the object of the preposition.

For examples,  

• Across the street
• in the room

Functions of prepositional phrase

Function as adjective – 

It functions as adjective when it modifies a noun or pronoun, in the same way as a single adjective. The phrase tells which, what kind, or how many.

For examples,

• Please park in front of a school near the bank.
• One of the student works quite hard.

Function as adverb –

It functions as adjective when it modifies a verb, and adjective, or an adverb. The phrase tells how, when, where, or to what extent. It can also be called adverbial phrase.

For examples,

• I came by car.
• I have to see the doctor again in the afternoon.

Note:
- Prepositional phrase begins with a preposition (in, on, at, under, over ...) followed by a noun or noun phrase. 

- It, in sentences, functions as adjective or adverb.

គួរចងចាំៈ Prepositional phrase ចាប់ផ្តើមដោយ preposition និងបញ្ចប់ដោយនាម ឬកន្សោមនាម (Prepositional phrase = preposition + noun / noun phrase)។ នៅក្នុងប្រយោគ វាដើរតួនាទីជាគុណនាម ឬគុណកិរិយា (កិរិយាស័ព្ទវិសេស)។


3. Verbal Phrase 

Verbal are forms of a verb that are not used as verbs but as other parts of speech. There are three kinds of verbal: participle, gerund, and infinitive phrase.

គួរចងចាំៈ Verbal phrase ជាទម្រង់នៃកិរិយាស័ព្ទ ប៉ុន្តែពុំមានតួនាទីជាកិរិយាស័ព្ទនៅ ក្នុងប្រយោគទេ។ វាដើរតួជានាម គុណនាម ឬគុណកិរិយា។

A. Participle phrases

Participles
Participle is the verb form used as an adjective. It is formed by adding –ed or –ing to the verb. It doesn’t tell the action, but modifies noun or pronoun (same as adjective). 

Present participles – Consist of the plain form of the verb plus –ing.

For examples,

• A boring book
• Boiling water

Past participles – Consist of the plain form plus –ed.

For examples,

• A frustrated man
• Grilled fish

The Participial Phrase
A participial phrase consists of a participle and its related words, such as modifiers which act together as an adjective.
 
For examples,

• The student writing the article on Angkor Wat is so genius. 
• Having review a student satisfactory research, the faculty decides to modernize its study curriculum.

Note: 

- Participle phrase begins with a participle (verb ending in "-ed" or "-ing" and is followed by an object and its modifier -- a noun phrase. 

- It, in a sentence, functions as adjective. 

គួរចងចាំៈ Participle phrase ចាប់ផ្តើមដោយ participle និងបញ្ចប់ដោយកន្សោមនាម (participle phrase = verb-ed/-ing + noun phrase)។ នៅក្នុងប្រយោគ វាដើរតួនាទី ជាគុណនាម។

B. Gerund Phrase

Gerund
A gerund is a verbal that ends in -ing and functions as a noun.

For examples,

• Reading may broaden your thinking. 
• My favorite hobby is sleeping.

Gerund phrase
A gerund phrase consists of a gerund together with its complements and modifiers. The phrase functions as noun.

For examples, 

• Driving a car needs concentration. 
• Sokha has finished painting his room.

Note:

- Gerund phrase begins with a gerund (verb ending in "-ing" and is followed by an object and its modifiers. 

- It, in a sentence, functions as noun. 

គួរចងចាំៈ Gerund phrase ចាប់ផ្តើមដោយ gerund និងបញ្ចប់ដោយកន្សោមនាម (Gerund phrase = verb-ing + noun phrase)។ នៅក្នុងប្រយោគ វាដើរតួនាទី ជានាម។

C. Infinitive Phrase

Infinitive
An infinitive is a verb form, usually preceded by to, that is used as a noun, adjective or adverb.
 
For examples,

• To think helps us better understand things.  
• What I want is to read.

Infinitive phrase
An Infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive together with its complements and modifiers.

For examples,

• To exercise everyday is a good habit. 
• I intend to finish my project.

Note:

- Infinitive phrase begins with an infinitive (to + verb) and is followed by an object and any modifiers. 

- It, in a sentence, functions as noun.

គួរចងចាំៈ Infinitive phrase ចាប់ផ្តើមដោយ infinitive និងបញ្ចប់ដោយកន្សោមនាម (participle phrase = to verb + noun phrase)។ នៅក្នុងប្រយោគ វាដើរតួនាទី ជានាម គុណនាម ឬគុណកិរិយា។

4. Appositive Phrase
 
Appositive  
An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that immediately follows and renames another noun or noun phrase. It adds extra meaning to the noun.
 
For examples, 

• You students should work hard. 
• My friend Bopha is never late.

Appositive phrase
An appositive phrase is made up of an appositive and its modifiers.
 
For examples, 

• Tom Teav, a Khmer tragic story, has been studied and rewritten in English. 
• She, my beautiful sister, is always late.

គួរចងចាំៈ Appositive phrase ជានាម ឬកន្សោមនាម ដែលគេប្រើដើម្បីពន្យល់ពាក្យឈរពី ខាងមុខវា។