What is the difference between a phase and a clause?
A noun phrase is a group of words that does not have a subject and verb, hence does not make a complete sense.
It is possible for a phrase to contain a verb, but it cannot contain a subject at the same time it would retain its status as a phrase. Such phrases are called verb phrases. For example, “have been playing”, “is writing.”
However, that is not the case with noun phrases. A noun phrase must contain a noun with at least one modifier which may be acting as a prefix or suffix to the noun.
For example,
“a black linen shirt,”
“the man in the garden.”
Take note that the first example is a case of the noun “shirt” being modified by “a black linen”. Also, “in the garden” (which is a phase in itself) is modifying the noun “man” — a subject.
I made a choice of the second example to let you know that a noun phase can have a subject but must not contain a verb to retain the status of a phase.
On the other hand, a verb phrase can have a verb but must not contain a subject at the same time — to retain the status of a phrase.
(Adapted from “V-Concepts College English YouTube”)
You may like to try out the video below for a detailed explanation. Blessings 