While we keep cats as pets today, during medieval times the term “cat” was used as a term of contempt for another person. The origin of the idiom “copycat” comes from 19th century Maine, when Constance Cary Harrison wrote in her 1887 memoir Bar Harbor that “Our boys say you are a copy cat, if you write in anything that’s been already printed.”
A phrase is a sequence of two or more words that make up a grammatical construction, usually lacking a finite verb and hence not a complete clause or sentence: shady lane (a noun phrase); at the bottom (a prepositional phrase); very slowly (an adverbial phrase).
What is phrase definition and example? ›A phrase is a group of words that works together in a sentence but does not contain a subject or a verb. Often phrases are used for descriptions of people, things, or events. Examples: Filled with joy, the girl jumped up and down. The man with the red jacket is my father.
What is the origin of the word phrases? ›Etymology. From Late Latin phrasis (“diction”), from Ancient Greek φράσις (phrásis, “manner of expression”), from φράζω (phrázō, “I tell, express”).
What is the best definition of the phrase? ›: a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not form a complete sentence.
What are the 7 types of phrases and examples? ›| Phrase Type | Head | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun Phrase | Noun | [the children in class 5] |
| Verb Phrase | Verb | [play the piano] |
| Adjective Phrase | Adjective | [delighted to meet you] |
| Adverb Phrase | Adverb | [very quickly] |
Phrases are a combination of two or more words that can take the role of a noun, a verb, or a modifier in a sentence. Phrases are different from clauses because while dependent and independent clauses both contain a subject and a verb, phrases do not.
Can 6 words be a phrase? ›There are so many six-word phrases in English that there is room for thousands of them to have become clichés or otherwise familiar expressions.
What is the difference between a sentence and a phrase? ›A sentence is a collection of words that include a subject and a predicate and can be used to express a complete thought. For example, Birds fly is a sentence. A phrase is a group of words that doesn't have a subject and a predicate. A phrase cannot stand alone and does not express a complete thought.
How do you find the origin of a phrase? ›To find the Collegiate etymologies, go to Merriam-Webster.com, look up the base form of nearly any word, and scroll down to Origins. You can also find etymologies in the print edition of The Collegiate (at the beginnings of entries) or via the mobile app.
Indicating 'intensive emphasis of what someone else has just said,' and how! is a long-popular catchphrase first recorded in 1924. The Americanism possibly derives from the German 'und wie! ' or the Italian 'e come!
What are the 10 examples of phrases? ›Unlike clauses and sentences, phrases are never complete thoughts because a phrase does not contain a subject and a verb. Let's look at an example to explain the way we may write a sentence. First, we would start with the word 'dog. ' This word becomes the phrase 'a small, black dog' when we add modifiers to it.
Can two words be a phrase? ›A phrase is a sequence of two or more words that make up a grammatical construction, usually lacking a finite verb and hence not a complete clause or sentence: shady lane (a noun phrase); at the bottom (a prepositional phrase); very slowly (an adverbial phrase).
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