Phrase type

Question

Hello guys
I am doing some tasks about phrase types and need some help to check weather my answers are correct or not .
thanks in advance

1 .	along the beach
2 .	happy to be out of London
3 .	very much enjoyed long walks
4 .	a collection of seaweed and shells
5 .	her grandmother's house at Bideford in Devor
6 .	set out
7 .	stay there forever
8 .	the high cliffs overlooking the sea

here are my answers
1- preposition phrase
2-adjective phrase
3-adverb phrase
4-noun phrase
5-noun phrase
6-verb phrase
7-verb phrase
8-adjective or noun phrase ( not sure )

BillJ · Accepted Answer

3. is a verb phrase. (the verb "enjoyed" is the head word)
8. is a noun phrase (the noun "cliffs" is the head word)

The others are correct.

BillJ

Sara Fz · Answer

Thanks for correction <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Sara Fz · Answer

just one more question is there any specific way to recognize headword in type phrase ??

BillJ · Answer

Sara Fzjust one more question is there any specific way to recognize headword in type phrase ??

The head word is the most important word in the phrase; it's the 'nucleus'. All the other words in the phrase (called dependents) add some meaning to it. So look for the central word that may have other words such as modifiers, complements and determiners clustered around it.

For example, the single word "dog" is a noun phrase. If we add the determiner "the" we get the larger noun phrase "the dog". If we then add the modifying words "big" and "ugly" we get the even larger noun phrase "the big ugly dog". Those extra words are dependents; they add some meaning about the "dog". We could also add the preposition phrase "in the yard", so we get the still larger phrase "the big ugly dog in the yard". In each case, the noun "dog" is the head word, hence noun phrase.

In you third example (very much enjoyed long walks), the adverbs "very" and "much" modify "enjoyed"; and "long walks" is the complement (object) of "enjoyed". They are dependents - their existence in the phrase is entirely dependent on the word "enjoyed". Without it the other words are redundant, so it's clear that "enjoyed" must be the head. Since "enjoyed" is a verb, it follows that the entire phrase must be a verb phrase.

BillJ

Sara Fz · Answer

Thanks Bill that was an awesome clarification ,now i exactly got the concept  <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Anonymous · Answer

Funny thing is , this questions is from a course I'm also taking and apparently 2 of your answers are wrong ! Not sure which ones yet. But I imagine it is debatable anyway.

Anonymous · Answer

Hello Bill..
I am working on the same text, and am also stuck on phrase types. Would u please explain what type of phrase the underlined bit is and why?
Mary wished she could stay there forever.

Thank you in anticipation of your answer.
Rosie

CalifJim · Answer

Anonymousapparently 2 of your answers are wrong ! Not sure which ones yet.

Please let us know when you find out because as far as I can see, Bill's answers are correct. There is seldom any debate about these matters.

Note, however, that you gave only isolated phrases in your original post. More recently, in another post, you showed how "stay there forever" was used in the context of a full sentence. That could make a difference in the answer. You may have to show the complete sentences for all of your examples to get the full story.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

When she was a child Mary often went to stay at her grandmother’s house at Bideford in Devon. She was always happy to be out of London and very much enjoyed long walks along the beach and the high cliffs overlooking the sea. Mary and her grandmother would set out each morning and usually returned with a collection of seaweed and shells. Mary wished she could stay there forever.

1.along the beach prepP
2.happy to be out of london adjP
3.very much advP
4.a collection of seaweed and shells nP
5.her grandmothers house at bideford in devon nP
6.set out vP
7.stay there forever prepP
8.the high cliffs overlooking the sea nP

Anonymous · Answer

Actually, in the course it states that what categorizes a phrase is the word that starts the phrase. A preposition is at the beginning of a prepositional phrase, a verb is the first word in a verb phrase, and so on.

So "along the beach" is a not a noun phrase, it is a prepositional phrase.

"the high cliffs overlooking the sea" is an adjective phrase.

You want to be looking at the first word of the phrase.

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