Grammaropolis
The Sentence Factory

Phrases & Verbals

A phrase is a group of words that work together as one part of a sentence. Some start with a preposition; some are built from a verb.

Start the lesson →

Preview how it deepens, Grades 4 through 8.

a group of words, one job See it · tap a half
Try it on the line

Build one yourself.

Pick one chip at each station and snap them together. The Mayor inspects the finished sentence, a quick taste of how the parts combine.

1 · Nelson's office · the subject

2 · Vinny's stage · the verb

3 · add a phrase (one job, one unit)

4 · The Mayor inspects
Build a sentence, then add a phrase that tells where or when.
✓ Phrase doing its job · approved
Keep going in the Arcade · free, plays daily
Sentence Surgeon · revising sentences
Sentence Surgeon

A change order drops: make it plural, give it an adverb, swap in a pronoun. Re-tool the sentence and roll it back onto the line.

Play Sentence Surgeon →
Garbage Sentences · syntax vs. meaning
Garbage Sentences

Slang builds a sentence that follows every rule of grammar and still means nonsense. Catch which rule he really broke, and let the Mayor judge.

Play Garbage Sentences →
Watch for

A phrase is not a whole sentence.

Phrase alone

A phrase is a group of words doing one job. It has no subject and predicate of its own, so on its own it is a fragment.

Inside a sentence

Put the phrase to work inside a complete sentence and it tells you where. The boxed phrase is one unit.

The crew on this station

The characters host. The sentence is the star.

Li'l Pete portrait
Li'l Pete
works the line
Vinny portrait
Vinny
works the line
The Mayor portrait
The Mayor
inspects the sentence
What you'll learn

The same concept, deeper every grade.

Phrases & Verbals runs the length of the Factory, Grades 4 through 8. The lesson meets the standard at each grade, across all four frameworks.

Grade 4 A phrase is a group of words that work together as one part of a sentence. Some start with a preposition; some are built from a verb. CCSS L.4.1.E
Grade 5 A phrase is a group of words that work together as one part of a sentence. Some start with a preposition; some are built from a verb. CCSS L.5.1.A
Grade 6 A phrase or a verbal is a group of words doing a single job. A preposition can start one; a verb form can become a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. CCSS L.6.1
Grade 7 A phrase or a verbal is a group of words doing a single job. A preposition can start one; a verb form can become a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. CCSS L.7.1.A · CCSS L.7.1.C
Grade 8 A phrase or a verbal is a group of words doing a single job. A preposition can start one; a verb form can become a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. CCSS L.8.1.A