Clauses and Phrases worksheet for identifying sentence components.

Let's solve this grammar worksheet step by step. The task is to:

- Circle the predicate (the part of the sentence that tells what the subject does),
- Underline the subject (the person, place, thing, or idea doing the action),
- Double underline the phrase (a group of words that functions as a single part of speech, often a prepositional phrase or adverbial clause).

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Example Given:

> While walking the dog, Mary hurt her leg.

- Predicate: *hurt* → circled
- Subject: *Mary* → underlined
- Phrase: *While walking the dog* → double underlined

This shows us how to identify:
- The main verb (predicate),
- The doer of the action (subject),
- The dependent clause or phrase that modifies the main clause (phrase).

Now let’s go through each sentence.

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1. While on spring vacation, Alex built a model airplane.

- Predicate: *built* → circle
- Subject: *Alex* → underline
- Phrase: *While on spring vacation* → double underline

✔ Explanation: "Built" is the main verb (predicate). "Alex" performs the action. "While on spring vacation" is an adverbial phrase modifying when the action occurred.

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2. While gluing on a wing, he found that he was missing a piece.

- Predicate: *found* → circle
- Subject: *he* → underline
- Phrase: *While gluing on a wing* → double underline

✔ Explanation: "Found" is the main verb. "He" is the subject. "While gluing on a wing" is a participial phrase describing how/when he found the missing piece.

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3. When he looked for the piece, Alex could not find it anywhere.

- Predicate: *could not find* → circle
- Subject: *Alex* → underline
- Phrase: *When he looked for the piece* → double underline

✔ Explanation: "Could not find" is the compound predicate. "Alex" is the subject. "When he looked for the piece" is a dependent clause acting as an adverbial phrase (modifies when).

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4. On his way to the store, Alex thought about the missing airplane piece.

- Predicate: *thought* → circle
- Subject: *Alex* → underline
- Phrase: *On his way to the store* → double underline

✔ Explanation: "Thought" is the verb. "Alex" is the subject. "On his way to the store" is a prepositional phrase showing location/time.

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5. After he bought a new piece, Alex worked on his airplane again.

- Predicate: *worked* → circle
- Subject: *Alex* → underline
- Phrase: *After he bought a new piece* → double underline

✔ Explanation: "Worked" is the main verb. "Alex" is the subject. "After he bought..." is a dependent clause (adverbial) explaining when.

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6. When he finished the last part, he found the missing piece.

- Predicate: *found* → circle
- Subject: *he* → underline
- Phrase: *When he finished the last part* → double underline

✔ Explanation: "Found" is the verb. "He" is the subject. "When he finished..." is a time-related adverbial clause.

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7. While shaking his head, Alex sighed.

- Predicate: *sighed* → circle
- Subject: *Alex* → underline
- Phrase: *While shaking his head* → double underline

✔ Explanation: "Sighed" is the verb. "Alex" is the subject. "While shaking..." is a participial phrase modifying how he sighed.

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8. When it was nice weather outside, Alex asked his mom if he could fly his airplane in the park.

- Predicate: *asked* → circle
- Subject: *Alex* → underline
- Phrase: *When it was nice weather outside* → double underline

✔ Explanation: "Asked" is the main verb. "Alex" is the subject. "When it was nice weather outside" is a time-dependent clause.

Note: The rest of the sentence ("if he could fly...") is a subordinate clause within the object of the verb "asked", but we only need to mark the main clause parts.

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9. After looking out the window, Alex’s mom said yes.

- Predicate: *said* → circle
- Subject: *Alex’s mom* → underline
- Phrase: *After looking out the window* → double underline

✔ Explanation: "Said" is the verb. "Alex’s mom" is the subject. "After looking..." is a participial phrase indicating when she said yes.

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10. While flying his plane in the part, Alex had fun.

- Predicate: *had* → circle
- Subject: *Alex* → underline
- Phrase: *While flying his plane in the part* → double underline

⚠️ Note: There’s a typo — "in the part" should be "in the park", but we’ll assume it's meant to be "park".

✔ Explanation: "Had" is the verb. "Alex" is the subject. "While flying..." is a participial phrase describing how he had fun.

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✔ Final Answer Summary (for each sentence):

| Sentence | Predicate (circle) | Subject (underline) | Phrase (double underline) |
|--------|---------------------|----------------------|----------------------------|
| 1 | built | Alex | While on spring vacation |
| 2 | found | he | While gluing on a wing |
| 3 | could not find | Alex | When he looked for the piece |
| 4 | thought | Alex | On his way to the store |
| 5 | worked | Alex | After he bought a new piece |
| 6 | found | he | When he finished the last part |
| 7 | sighed | Alex | While shaking his head |
| 8 | asked | Alex | When it was nice weather outside |
| 9 | said | Alex’s mom | After looking out the window |
| 10 | had | Alex | While flying his plane in the park |

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📝 Tips for Students:

- Predicate: Look for the main verb (action or state of being).
- Subject: Ask “Who or what is doing the action?”
- Phrase: Often starts with a preposition (like *on*, *after*, *while*) or a participle (*walking*, *shaking*), and doesn't have a subject-verb pair.

This exercise helps improve understanding of sentence structure and identifying clauses vs. phrases.

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