Phrase vs. Sentence

Main difference

Phrases and sentences are structures that are common in any language and are comprised of a group of words. A phrase is a short or long group of words that does not convey a complete idea. A sentence is likewise a group of words, yet it conveys a complete idea. This is the principal contrast among a phrase and a sentence.

Phrases

As phrases do not express a complete idea, they can’t stand alone. They can only be used as parts of sentences. It does not have a subject or a verb or in some cases both. Therefore, it cannot form a predicate. There are different types of phrases like noun phrases, verb phrases, adjective phrases, adverb phrases, and the like.

Sentences

A sentence refers to a group of words that expresses a complete idea. A sentence needs to have a subject and a verb. There are four types of sentences according to purpose and according to structure. For purpose, we have declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative. For structure, we have simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex.

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