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I was checking out the definition of a phrase and found a definition which says it doesn't contain a subject/verb and gave the following example:

Persuaded by the prosecutor's evidence, the jury convicted the defendant of robbery

In which the phrase is the following:

Persuaded by the prosecutor's evidence

But isn't persuaded a verb?

Laurel
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indian-redbull
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    Sure, persuaded is a verb. But that phrase does not contain a subject and a verb. – Lambie Feb 27 '23 at 17:08
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    Persuaded is one form (the past perfect participle) of a verb. Participles are often used as adjectives, though not here. So it doesn't lack a verb; it does lack some auxiliary verbs, though. Here persuaded is the relic of having been persuaded; the by phrase indicates that the participle is part of a passive construction, somewhat chewed up by Conversational Deletion. – John Lawler Feb 27 '23 at 18:03
  • The subordinate adjunct clause has no overt subject, but we understand it as "the jury". So it is a clause with an understood subject and a verb, "persuaded". The verb "persuaded" is untensed, so we have a non-finite clause functioning as an adjunct, more specifically a passive one. Btw, the comma marks the clause as a supplement, a non-integrated adjunct as opposed to a modifying one. – BillJ Feb 27 '23 at 18:18

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I was checking out the definition of a phrase and found a definition which says it doesn't contain a subject/verb

That definition is incorrect. Cambridge defines "phrase" as:

a group of words that is part of, rather than the whole of, a sentence

There are various more precise, technical definitions of the term, but no definition would exclude the participial phrase "persuaded by the prosecutor's evidence" in the sentence you mentioned.

alphabet
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