The Difference between a Phrase and a Clause

One of my writing students recently asked about the difference between a phrase and a clause. Here is a working definition of each with examples:

In a phrase, one will not find both a noun and a verb.

In the above sentence, in a phrase is a phrase because it lacks a verb and cannot stand alone as a sentence.

As this is a dependent clause, this is an independent clause.

In the above sentence, as this is a dependent clause is a clause because it contains a noun (this or dependent clause) and a verb (is); additionally, it is a dependent clause because it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence, just like a phrase cannot stand alone.

In the same sentence, this is an independent clause is also a clause, but it is an independent clause because it can stand alone as a sentence.

Down Under Lingo, Part 3

Toward the conclusion of my Australian trip, I had a spirited conversation with an Australian physician in a Sydney hospital. The tenor of our chat changed quickly when the doctor learned that I was a writing consultant. After bemoaning the quality of English writing everywhere wherever he travels in the world, Dr. Burke turned his attention to the American accent. “Americans just can’t get the proper pronunciation of commonplace words,” he said irritably. “They say Bris-bane instead of Bris-bin and Austral-i-a instead of Austral-ya. I mean, they should listen to how it’s said!” From that point onward, I put on my best Aussie affectation. I even said isle for ale and ca for car. I think I impressed him with my "perfect" pronunciation!


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Down Under Lingo, Part 2

The conversation below is close to the one I had with a bartender in Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia, near the Great Barrier Reef:

Bartender: G’day. [Hello]
Me: Hi. Do you have Bailey’s?
Bartender: Out of it, mate. [friend] Try the bottle shop (liquor store) down the street.
Me: The what?
Bartender: Bottle shop. They’ve got it.
Me: Never mind. What’s your most bitter beer?
Bartender: VB. [Victoria Bitter]
Me: Huh? OK, may I have that?
Bartender: Schooner? [a large glass]
Me: No, a VB.
Bartender: (Pours a large glass.) No worry, mate.
Me: By the way, where’s the rest room?
Bartender: Say again?
Me: The toilet.
Bartender: (Points.) The dunny [toilet] is over there.
Me: The what?
Bartender: The dunny [toilet].
Me: Oh. I thought you call it the loo.
Bartender: The Oz [Australian] vocabulary is rich enough to have more than one word for it.
Me: I guess. The weather is great here, considering it’s winter.
Bartender: Come in summer. You’ll see heaps of mozzies [mosquitoes] the size of your fist.
Me: Huh? (Taking the beer and leaving a tip.)
Bartender: You’re a good bloke. [man]


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Down Under Lingo, Part 1

I’m writing this and the next two posts from Australia, one for each week I’m here. Since this blog is about how we use language, I may as well write about my observations of Aussie Speak.

My impression of Australians now that I’ve walked the streets of both Sydney and Melbourne is no different from the impression I’ve gotten of them throughout my previous world travels. They’re a lot like Americans. They’re as friendly toward us as we are toward them. They eat burgers and pizza like we do, and live on take-out food. They’re beginning to struggle with the same obesity problems as Americans. They share a common history in warfare over the past century: World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and Iraqi War. They have a shameful past, as we do; their treatment of Aboriginals roughly equates to our treatment of Native Americans. They’re big fans of American cinema—and extremely proud of their contributions to it (e.g., Peter Weir, Russell Crowe, and Cate Blanchett). They’re put off by snobs, as are most Americans. True, the average Sydney citizen is a lot more laid back than the New Yorker, but they love sports, albeit different ones (cricket and rugby). Their attitude toward vacation has got ours beat—they do take off more time. While they do have their own slang, I would not go so far as saying that they more resemble the English than the Americans. Playwright George Bernard Shaw is credited with proclaiming, “England and America are two countries separated by the same language,” but I definitely do not get that feeling here in Australia. So while our languages are a bit different, our attitudes are basically the same.

Nevertheless, an American might still emerge puzzled from a conversation with an Aussie. Here’s one I had with a hotel clerk while checking into my room:

Clerk: You’re American, eh?
Me: Yeah.
Clerk: See any roos [kangaroos] since you’ve been Down Under? [Australia]
Me: Excuse me?
Clerk: You’re not likely to see them as much as you’d like in Oz [Australia] unless you’re in the outback [back country]. Me oldies [parents] live there. Those roos come on their property all the time. Once one came running up on me so suddenly, I didn’t make it to the loo. [toilet]
Me: So is this your full-time job?
Clerk: For now. Beats being a dole-bludger [a career welfare recipient]
Me: So you like it?
Clerk: For now. But in a few weeks, I’ll be starting uni. [the university]
Me: May I have the keys to my room? I need to use the roo.
Clerk: (laughs) That’s loo, mate.


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Snap Out of It: Text-Message Style Doesn’t Cut It!

Attention recent college graduates: You’re no longer in the dorm.

When speaking of e-mail style, this is my mantra: “I’d rather you call me a stuffed shirt than rude or silly.” So when writing thank-you messages—or any business message—whether they be in the form of a letter, e-mail, or text message, use the conventions of Standard English.

I was glad to see a Wall Street Journal article agree with me (July 29, 2008, D1). Satirically titled “Thx for the IView!” Reporter Sarah E. Needleman describes several examples from the corporate world when job candidates lost employment opportunities or at least their credibility because they wrote with an inappropriately informal style. Here are just two of several lessons learned from the article:

1. Don’t message the interviewer’s mobile phone unless he or she has given you permission to do so.
2. Use only the best style and language you can muster in any correspondence with the interviewer.

To purchase your copy of The Art of On-the-Job Writing by Philip Vassallo, click here: https://www.firstbooks.com/product_info.php?cPath=14&products_id=144

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