Composing Poems

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Student Samples Phrase Poetry

Wild eyes glancing every which way Uncanny ears listening to every small squeak, Brain thinking of wondrous ways to catch its prey

the owl hunted in the sky on the ground in the dark in the hope of catching his supper (Michael Delong, Grade 6)

His cloak billowing in the biting wind, his eyes dry from the frigid temperature, his boots crunching over the new snow,

he marched to the battlefield sword drawn, muscles tensed ears cocked focus narrowed with fire in his eyes. (Whit Shaw, Grade 6)

His blue sail tightening in the wind, his mouth salty like the sea, his legs shivering like a person’s bare hand on ice,

the sailor watched in his boat in the harbor in the fear in the mind of the sailor. (Charlie Goodman, Grade 6)

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Her beautiful wings noiselessly flapping, her eyes shining brightly her feathers ruffling with the light wind,

the dove slipped swiftly through the night sky in the dark with only the light of the moon to guide her the ground rushing by the clouds way up high on the way to her loved ones. (Andrew Pansick, Grade 6)

The engine smoking with anxiety, its ports firing with might, its driveshaft ready for action

the engine screamed on the track in the moonlight in the glory in the grief for the love of his owner for one last race. (Beau Falgout, Grade 6)

Her burning dress tasting the air, Her feet jumping like cross country runners’ Her arms tensed like after a fencing match

She ran down the path in the woods in the sunset in the dark on the ground of her loneliness. (Andrew Harris, Grade 6)

His head sweating His mouth dry His heart racing with every step he took,

the gladiator walked into the arena to the tigers

to the lions to his adversaries to his death. (Brian Cummisky, Grade 6)

His forest green cloak sticking to his fur, his sweat burning his eyes, his sword glistening in the moonlight,

Matthias the Mouse struck with the sword of the warrior Martin in the dead of night in the rain for the love of his home. (Adam Genecov, Grade 6)

His hands throbbing his legs shaking his fingers tingling,

the boy walked into the castle on Halloween in the dark by himself with no protection from his fears. (Jeff Scovell, Grade 6)

Her silky dog hair blowing in the wind, her bloodshot eyes burning like flames of a fire, her head bobbing like a ship at sea,

the dog walked quickly in the woods in the dark in the light of the moon in the heat of the fire of her anger. (Justin Utay, Grade 6)

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The Poetry of Phrases Foundation Lesson

Using the “Phrase Toolbox” as a resource, try writing poems that have the following grammatical structures. Choose a different subject each time you write one.

Pattern #1 absolute phrase absolute phrase absolute phrase

independent clause prepositional phrase prepositional phrase prepositional phrase prepositional phrase prepositional phrase

Example: His glowing fur ruffling in the breeze his eyes burning like coals his muscles rippling like ocean waves

the tiger paced in the cage in the night in the gloom in the fire of his rage.

Pattern #2 gerund phrase as the subject

finish the sentence with a rhyme. gerund phrase as the subject

finish the sentence with a rhyme gerund phrase as the subject

finish the sentence with a rhyme. gerund phrase as the subject

finish the sentence with a rhyme.

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Example: Toasting in the hot sun

is a lot of fun. Dipping in the crystal fountain

seems better than climbing a mountain. Sipping on an icy drink

lets you hear the sound of a refreshing clink. Relaxing with good friends

is the way a summer day ends.

Pattern #3 independent clause with an appositive phrase in it

participial phrase participial phrase participial phrase participial phrase participial phrase

Example: The sky, a dark cauldron full of storm clouds, boils and bubbles,

sparkling with lightening glittering with glimpses of stars shrouded in fog crackling with electricity waiting for the storm to burst.

Pattern #4 a subordinate clause an independent clause an infinitive phrase and a prepositional phrase an infinitive phrase and a prepositional phrase an infinitive phrase and a prepositional phrase an infinitive phrase and a prepositional phrase a final independent clause.

Example: When I grow up I want To dance over a rainbow To climb above the clouds To soar beside the birds To sail with the stars

These are the dreams of my heart.

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Phrase Toolbox

Phrases are groups of words that do not contain both a subject and a verb. Collectively, the words in the phrases function as a single part of speech.

Prepositional phrase A preposition plus its object and modifiers.

Prepositions To, around, under, over, like, as, behind, with, outside, etc.

Prepositional phrases may function as adjectives or as adverbs.

Adjective prepositional phrase Adjective prepositional phrases tell which one, what kind, how many, and how much, or give other information about a noun, a pronoun, a noun phrase or a noun clause.

The store around the corner is painted green. (Which store is it? The store around the corner.) The girl with the blue hair is angry.

Adverb prepositional phrase Adverb prepositional phrases tell how, when, where, why, to what extent, or under what condition about a verb, an adjective, an adverb, an adverb phrase, or an adverb clause.

Oscar is painting his house with the help of his friends. (How is he painting his house? With the help of his friends.) Sally is coloring outside the lines.

Infinitive phrase The word “to” plus a verb. Infinitive phrases can function as adjectives, adverbs, or nouns.

To dance gracefully is my ambition. (subject of sentence) Her plan to become a millionaire fell through when the stock market crashed. (modifies plan; functions as an adjective) She wanted to become a veterinarian. (noun – direct object of “wanted”) John went to college to study engineering. (tells why he went, so it’s an adverb)

Appositive phrase Renames, or identifies, a noun or pronoun. When it adds information that is nonessential, it is set off by commas.

My teacher, a woman with curly hair, is very fat. Bowser, the dog with the sharp teeth, is coming around the corner.

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Participial phrase A participle is a verb form (past or present) functioning like an adjective. The phrase is the participle plus its modifiers.

Blinded by the light, Sarah walked into the concert hall. Swimming for his life, John crossed the English Channel.

A gerund is an “-ing” verb form functioning as a noun. The phrase is the gerund plus its complements and modifiers.

Walking in the moonlight is a romantic way to end a date. (subject of a sentence) He particularly enjoyed walking in the moonlight with his girlfriend. (direct object) He wrote a poem about walking in the moonlight. (object of the preposition) Walking the dog is not my favorite task. (subject)

An absolute phrase (also called a nominative absolute) is a group of words consisting of a noun or pronoun, an “ing” or “ed” verb form, and any related modifiers. Absolute phrases modify the whole sentence rather than a particular part of it. They are always set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma or pair of commas (or dashes) because they are parenthetical elements. An absolute phrase, very simply put, contains a noun or pronoun followed by a participle. Absolute phrases are valuable in constructing concise, layered sentences.

Their minds whirling from the avalanche of information provided by their teacher, the students made their way thoughtfully to the parking lot. His head pounding, his hands shaking, his heart filled with trepidation, the young man knelt and proposed marriage to his sweetheart. The two lovers walked through the garden, their faces reflecting the moonlight, their arms twined about each other, their footsteps echoing in the stillness of the night.

Note: An independent clause has a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate, clause, has a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought. It often begins with a subordinating conjunction such as when, because, although, while, since, etc.