Sentence:
* Complete thought: A sentence expresses a complete thought, meaning it has a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a predicate (what the subject is doing or being).
* Independent unit: It stands alone and can be understood on its own.
* Contains a verb: A sentence must have a verb, which shows action or state of being.
* Punctuation: Sentences usually end with a period (.), question mark (?), or exclamation point (!).
Phrase:
* Incomplete thought: A phrase does not express a complete thought; it is a group of related words that does not have both a subject and a predicate.
* Dependent unit: A phrase cannot stand alone and needs to be attached to a sentence for it to have meaning.
* May or may not have a verb: Some phrases have verbs, but they are not complete sentences because they lack a subject.
* No punctuation: Phrases do not typically end with a period or other punctuation marks.
Examples:
Sentence: The cat sat on the mat. (Subject: cat, Predicate: sat on the mat)
Phrases:
* "On the mat" (prepositional phrase) - no subject or verb
* "The sleeping cat" (adjective phrase) - no verb
* "Because it was cold" (adverbial phrase) - no subject
* "Running quickly" (participial phrase) - no subject
In summary: A sentence is a complete and independent unit of thought, while a phrase is a group of words that lacks a subject or predicate and cannot stand alone.