Did you know most of the sentences you use either have different phrases or clauses? These similarly sounding grammatical terms are different in their features. Phrases and clauses are an important part of learning language skills and enhancing communication. Whether it is writing a letter or doing everyday homework, a solid understanding of phrases and clauses helps students with sentence-building skills. It also helps them identify the purpose and usage of both in different types of writing.
Being a group of words that makes complete sense, It can be confusing to teach both concepts with complete understanding. To ease the learning process, you can employ online games that not only captivate children but also strengthen their memory. Online games are filled with high-end graphics, animations, and sounds to make learning an interesting process. This article will take you through different online games to learn and practice phrases and clauses that are free and easy to play.
How to identify if a statement is a phrase or a clause?
In the world of English, there are simply too many concepts of grammar. It can be confusing for learners to identify each statement and categorize it correctly. Similarly, phrases and clauses might also create confusion for children to decode their contexts. Here is how we can teach learners to differentiate between the two.
In simple words, a phrase is not a complete sentence so it cannot function solo. A phrase does not have a subject and a predicate and needs other words to make it a complete sentence. Below are examples of phrases.
- Once in a blue moon
- Of great beauty
- By all means
- Without a doubt
- The big brown dog
On the other hand, a clause includes a subject and a predicate making it a complete sentence. While a clause can be an absolute sentence, it might even act as a larger part of another sentence. There are two types of clauses known as Independent and Dependent clauses. As the name suggests, dependent clauses are not complete sentences while independent clauses stand alone as a sentence. Below are examples of both to better understand the concept.
Independent Clauses
- I finished my homework.
- Sharon went to the store to buy eggs.
- He likes to dance.
- Alice is playing soccer.
- The sun is shining brightly today.
Dependent Clauses
- While I was studying
- If it rains in the morning
- As the sun sets
- After I reach home
- Because he danced all night
Confused? Do not worry as besides activities for dependent and independent clauses, you can engage learners in online games to get a strong hold on the concept of phrases and clauses. Engaging in online games and practicing easy sentences helps learners understand the subject matter with ease and joy.
Fun online games to teach phrases and clauses
Online games for teaching phrases and clauses offer an innovative way of teaching and imparting grammatical knowledge. With the ever-changing educational field, you can now also use different apps for sentence-building skills in learners. The below-mentioned online games do the same job of getting the attention of students and exposing them to phrases and clauses in a comprehensive manner.
1. Relative Clauses – Quiz
A space-themed online game is perfectly designed to engage little learners in understanding the subject matter. This online game focuses on imparting knowledge about relative clauses in a quiz-like format. Since the game includes the factor of scoring, it creates a challenging environment for students. All you need to do is identify the relative clause and choose the right one.
For this game, click on the start button. You shall now see a space theme where a dog offers questions. 4 options are given below the question. Read the question and think of the right answer to score 10 points each. If you choose the right one, you receive points and if you choose the wrong, you cannot score more. Such a creative game allows students to think critically and score the highest.
2. Subordinate Clauses
Subordinate clauses act as supporting statements to complete the sentence. This simple game helps learners understand different parts of the sentence. Students need to identify the subordinate clauses to go ahead in the game. It uses a subtle interface with engaging graphics to engage students in gaining their attention.
To play the game, tap on the start button. A statement will be presented on the screen. Read the statement and identify the subordinate clause. Tap on the word which marks the beginning of the subordinate clause. Once you identify it correctly, another statement will be presented. Scores shall be given at the end of the game.
3. Clause of Time
Clauses are categorized into different types and it can get pretty confusing for little learners to learn all of them together. Hence, this online game is an ideal option to learn about the clause of time in a creative way. It follows an engaging structure with various words that indicate the clause of time. The game is simple and tests the knowledge well.
To play this game, click on the start button and you shall see a well-drafted paragraph. It has various blanks to fill with words that indicate a clause of time. These words shall be given below and you need to select them in the blanks given above. The right word shall be considered when you need to rearrange the clauses if they are placed wrongly.
4. Who whose
With many types of clauses, students can literally find it difficult to figure out. Many online games help students identify various types of relative clauses. This online game uses a simple user interface to make students learn relative clauses. It focuses on the two words – Who and Whose. It is the format of a worksheet with mini images representing the statement.
As the game begins, you shall see a worksheet with many questions. A box shall be given with each statement. All you need to do is select the clause who or whose to make it a relevant sentence. After you have made all the selections, you can either go for checking your answers or get an email with right/wrong answers. An easy-to-play game focuses on teaching relative clauses with engaging questions.
5. Match the Phrases
The world of phrases is wide and there are many possible phrases for students to learn and identify. Match the Phrases is an interesting game that helps students learn the difference between clauses and phrases. With a subtle user interface, it focuses on improving sentence-building skills for little learners. It creates a challenging learning environment as students need to complete the game in the minimum possible time.
Click on the play button to start the game. As you move ahead, you shall have many different boxes with incomplete sentences. These boxes need to be paired together to form the right sentences. Here, you need to pair the first part of the sentence with the right phrases. Once done, these boxes disappear and you shall have another set of sentences to build. Every wrong move accounts for a missed pair. Every right move adds to the score.
6. Fast Phrases
Fast Phrases is a helpful online game that helps students dive into the learning environment easily. The game offers more than 15 different types of phrases to choose from. As you begin the game, you need to select the type of phrases you want to learn. It includes verbal phrases and other different types, to begin with. The game uses high-quality graphics to make students learn the subject matter appropriately.
Click on any of the options as the game begins. After this, you shall see an image and form the complete sentence. For example, if the image shows a lady sleeping, you need to form the sentence – She is sleeping. It not only helps with understanding phrases but also lets students explore pronouns and other parts of speech. As you write the correct sentences, you score a point. The online game constantly helps with choosing the right words to form an absolute sentence.
7. Phrase Quiz
As the name suggests, Phrase Quiz is an engaging online game in a quiz format. There are many different types of phrases and they might also be used in different situations. It is important for students to be aware of phrases and their meanings to enhance sentence-building skills. Sentence-building activities and games like this one stand as crucial elements in implementing knowledge.
To play the game, click on the link and you shall see a small box. Various questions shall be displayed here. Four different options are given to select the most suitable one. If you select the wrong answer, the quiz instantly prompts you. You then have a choice to rethink and select or move ahead. Once the quiz is done, click on the finish button to view your results.
8. Independent and Dependent Clauses
Clauses are categorized into 2 main types – dependent and independent, therefore, it is essential to teach both types effectively. This online game is super easy to play where students get an opportunity to understand the differences between the two. It is a score-based game thereby creating a challenging learning environment for students.
To play the game, click on the start button. You shall now see a statement that might be an independent clause or a dependent clause. As per your understanding, click on the tab to indicate your choice. The right choice will give you a score while the wrong one makes you lose it. Click on the arrow button to move to the next question and try to finish the game in the minimum possible time.
Wrapping up…
Now that you have found different online games to teach clauses and phrases, take this opportunity to offer a diversified learning platform to little learners. Using online games as a medium of teaching increases student engagement and creates curiosity in learners. The above-mentioned online games focus on various aspects of clauses and phrases thereby exposing to a unique form of continuous and challenging learning.
I am Shweta Sharma. I am a final year Masters student of Clinical Psychology and have been working closely in the field of psycho-education and child development. I have served in various organisations and NGOs with the purpose of helping children with disabilities learn and adapt better to both, academic and social challenges. I am keen on writing about learning difficulties, the science behind them and potential strategies to deal with them. My areas of expertise include putting forward the cognitive and behavioural aspects of disabilities for better awareness, as well as efficient intervention. Follow me on LinkedIn