In this modern world of the English language, there are three types of grammatical units in the English language. Learning the usage and rules of these units with their helpful examples in English will improve our English grammar skills. In this lesson, we will learn the definitions of the grammatical units in English with their helpful rules and examples. Let’s learn the entire lesson and enhance your English grammar skills.
Grammatical Units in English
The grammatical units of English are words, phrases, clauses, and sentences. We will learn the definitions, rules, example sentences, and helpful practice exercises of the grammatical units of English.
1. Words
The words in the announcement are good, evening, ladies, and, gentlemen, on etc.
NOTE: For word-building, e.g., air + ways = airways.
2. Phrases and clauses
We use phrases to build a clause. Here is an example:
| Subject (noun phrase) | Verb (verb phrase) | Complement (noun phrase) |
| Our flight time | will be | approximately forty-five minutes. |
Here the noun phrase our flight time is the subject of the clause. A clause has a subject and a verb. There can be other phrases, too. In this next example, we use a prepositional phrase as an adverbial.
| Adverbial (prepositional phrase) | Subject (noun phrase) | Verb (verb phrase) | Object (noun phrase) | Object (noun phrase) |
| On behalf of the airline | we | wish | you | a pleasant flight. |
3. Sentences
A sentence can be a single clause.
On behalf of British Island Airways, Captain Massey and his crew welcome you on board the Start Herald flight to Southampton.
A written sentence begins with a capital letter (On) and ends with a mark such as a full stop.
We can also combine two or more clauses in one sentence. For example, we can use and to link the clauses.
Our flight time will be approximately forty-five minutes, and we shall be climbing to an altitude of eight thousand feet and cruising at a speed of two hundred and fifty miles an hour.
Grammatical Units
