A phrase is a group of words that work together to add more information in the sentence. A phrase does not contain a verb. A clause is a group of words that includes a verb. Look at these sentences. The first sentence in each group contains a phrase. The second sentence contains a subordinate clause with a verb. Notice that the meaning in the two sentences is similar, but a verb has been added with the clause.
After school, I went home.
After I left school, I went home.
Bob, my neighbor, has a dog.
Bob, who is my neighbor, has a dog.
John will do homework after dinner.
John will do homework after he eats dinner.
The addition of a verb makes a clause different from a phrase.
It’s your turn. Decide if this sentence contains a phrase or a subordinate clause: Last night, we saw a shooting star. Did you figure out that the introductory phrase has no verb? Good for you!