Which term describes a group of words that expresses a meaning but misses either a Subject or a Verb?

Which term describes a group of words that expresses a meaning but misses either a Subject or a Verb?

• A. Phrase
• B. Clause
• C. Sentence
• D. Paragraph

Answer: (A)

A phrase is a group of words that expresses meaning but does not contain both a subject and a finite verb, so it can’t stand alone as a complete thought. Because it lacks either a subject or a verb, it functions inside a sentence to add detail or describe something, rather than forming a complete statement by itself. For example, “under the old bridge” tells us where something happens, but it isn’t a complete sentence on its own. In contrast, a clause has a subject and a predicate (and can be complete or incomplete), a sentence expresses a complete thought, and a paragraph is a group of sentences. So the term that fits the description is a phrase.

A phrase is a group of words that expresses meaning but does not contain both a subject and a finite verb, so it can’t stand alone as a complete thought. Because it lacks either a subject or a verb, it functions inside a sentence to add detail or describe something, rather than forming a complete statement by itself. For example, “under the old bridge” tells us where something happens, but it isn’t a complete sentence on its own. In contrast, a clause has a subject and a predicate (and can be complete or incomplete), a sentence expresses a complete thought, and a paragraph is a group of sentences. So the term that fits the description is a phrase.