A Phrase vs A Clause

 Difference between Phrases and Clauses

a phrase vs a clause

First, you need to know that Phrases and clauses are the building blocks (parts) of sentences. So, the structure or hierarchy goes like this:

a phrase and a clause are parts of a sentence

Let's know the meaning and types of both elements:

What is a Phrase?

Meaning

Examples

A word or a group of words in a sentence that does NOT contain a subject and a verb.

after dinner, waiting for the rain to stop, on the wall, in the water, over the horizon. Best friend (this phrase acts as a noun) Needing help (this phrase acts as an adjective With the blue shirt (this prepositional phrase acts as an adjective For twenty days (this prepositional phrase acts as an adverb) the boy on the bus (noun phrase) will be running (verb phrase) in the kitchen (prepositional phrase) very quickly (adverb phrase) Martha and Jan (noun phrase)

💡 Phrases can’t be used alone, but you can use them as part of a sentence, where they are used as parts of speech. So; a phrase does not make a complete sense on its own and requires the help of other words to make a complete sentence. Thus, a phrase is a set of words that does not make up a complete and understandable sentence by its own.

What is a Clause?

Meaning	Examples
A group of words in a sentence which contains a subject (a noun or pronoun) and a predicate (a verb or verb phrase). Clauses are divided into 2 types: A subordinate clause and An independent clause	The boy is playing. When I get home (dependent or subordinate clause) The lights are not on. (independent clause) When you wake up (dependent or subordinate clause) Put it on the shelf. (independent clause-understood subject "you) Since it fell on the floor (dependent or subordinate clause)

A subordinate clause: 

Meaning	Examples
Can’t stand on its own. Can’t make a sentence. Dependent clauses often begin with such words as although, since, if, when, and because.	When the man broke into the house..... Although he is smart …. Because I am feeling well … If they're training well … That she might be right …

An independent clause:

Meaning	Examples
Act as a sentence with a full meaning. It can stand on its own. An independent clause = a simple sentence.	The dog barked at him. She is hungry. I am feeling well today.

💡 If we go back a further step, a phrase is combined of words. Even words can be complex or just have simpler elements and basic forms .. haha no no, I don't mean "letters", but nice of you to think this way.

happy - basic simple word
Unhappiness - a complex word which has basic elements combined together (un-happi-ness).

The basic and smallest elements or units of meaning/words are called morphemes.

This hierarchy is partly explained by the table below, from David Crystal's The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. The right hand column should be read upwards, in the direction of the arrow.

Outline structure of English
sentences are analyzed into clauses are analyzed into phrases are analyzed into words are analyzed into morphemes	↓ ↑	sentences are used to build clauses are used to build phrases are used to build words are used to build morphemes

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