Which were signed on December 10. 2012

I.1 Phrases and their types
Phrases are groups of related words that do not contain both a subject and a verb. They act as parts of speech within sentences. In other words, phrases are groups of words that serve as nouns, adjectives or adverbs in sentences. Because sentences are made up of phrases and clauses, understanding these basic elements of sentence structure will help you to create writing that is clear, concise, stylistically interesting and free of errors such as sentence fragments. Here you will find a basic overview of the different types of phrases and how they function within sentences.
Types of Phrases and their Functions
Noun Phrase
A noun phrase⁴ contains a noun and its modifiers and functions as a noun within a sentence.
Examples: The tree with the purple blossoms hangs over the sidewalk, sprinkling flowers along the path.
He decided to wear the yellow shirt.
Notice that the noun phrase in the first sentence is the subject of the sentence while the noun phrase in the second is the object.
Appositive Phrase
An appositive phrase renames a noun and functions as a noun within a sentence.
Example: Carol, my friend from college, lives in San Francisco.
Margaret Atwood, bestselling author, wrote The Handmaid’s Tale.
Here, my friend from college renames Carol, just as bestselling author is another way to refer to Margaret Atwood.
Gerund Phrase
A gerund phrase contains an –ing verb and its modifiers or complements. A gerund phrase functions as either the subject or the object in a sentence.
Examples: Playing tennis is one of Shannon’s favorite activities.
Cameron prefers watching TV.
In the first example, playing tennis is the subject of the sentence while in the second example watching TV is the object.
Infinitive Phrase
An infinitive phrase contains a verb in its infinitive form (starting with “to”), and its modifiers or complements. Infinitive phrases can function as nouns, adjectives or adverbs.
Example: Shannon likes to play tennis.
Exercising everyday is one way to increase your energy level.
To get to campus, take the 7th Street exit off of the 22.
The infinitive phrase in the first example functions as a noun and is the object of the sentence. In the second example, the infinite phrase functions as an adjective modifying way, and in the third sentence the infinitive phrase functions as an adverb modifying “take.”⁵