Objects
Direct Object: A direct object will most often be a noun (thing or idea) that receives the action of the transitive (action) verb. I threw the ball.
Indirect Object: An indirect object will most often be the person or persons expressed as the recipient of the direct object and will be found immediately after the transitive verb and before the direct object. I threw him the ball.
Phrase: A phrase adds to the meaning of a sentence but does not contain a subject or a verb.
The yellow house is at the bottom of the driveway.
Clause: A clause will contain a subject and a verb and function as either a dependent or an independent clause.
See Dependent Clause
Adjective Clause: An adjective clause will begin with a relative pronoun and give us more information about a noun or pronoun within a sentence. See Dependent Clause.
Adverb Clause: An adverb clause will begin with a subordinating conjunction and offer readers more information about the verb (usually giving us information about time, place, or why something happened). See Dependent Clause.
Noun Clause: A noun clause also begins with a relative pronoun but functions differently from an adjective clause. The noun clause operates in the subject position of a sentence, in the object position of a sentence, or in the subject complement position of a sentence.
That I studied the assignment was evident to the teacher. (Noun Clause as Subject)
I forgot that I needed my passport. (Noun Clause as Direct Object)
Pedro was looking for whatever he needed for the baseball game. (Noun Clause as Object of the Preposition)
Prepositional Phrase: A prepositional phrase always begins with a preposition and ends with a noun (the object of the preposition). In some cases, the object of the preposition will be a noun clause. The prepositional phrase functions either as an adjective, telling us more about a noun or pronoun, or an adverb, providing us more information about the verb. (May be as short as two words or as many as several words)
The student in the purple dress walked down the hallway. (Adjective and Adverb Prepositional Phrases, respectively)
Participial Phrase: A participial phrase joins together a participle and its corresponding words, functioning, always, as an adjective. The participle may be present (ending in -ing) or past (ending in -ed or its irregular form).
The school, aged and bent from years of harsh weather, fell from its state of grace. (Past Participial Phrase)
Swimming in a sea of grammar, the students splashed each other with verbs and nouns. (Present Participial Phrase)
The singing bird trilled high notes in the early morning. (Participle)