Which one of the following is not an example of adjectival phrase?

Question

Accepted Answer

Option 4, "Their houses," is the correct answer because it is not an example of an adjectival phrase. An adjectival phrase is a group of words that describe a noun and function as an adjective. In this case, "Their houses" is a noun phrase, where "their" is a possessive pronoun modifying the noun "houses." It does not function as an adjective describing a noun; instead, it indicates possession.

Now, let's examine why the other options are incorrect:

1. **Frightened voices**: This is an adjectival phrase because "frightened" is an adjective describing the noun "voices." The phrase as a whole functions to describe the type of voices, thus qualifying as an adjectival phrase.

2. **Excited snakes**: Similarly, this is an adjectival phrase. "Excited" is an adjective that describes the noun "snakes." The phrase provides more information about the snakes, making it an adjectival phrase.

3. **Clever lizards**: This is also an adjectival phrase. "Clever" is an adjective modifying the noun "lizards." The phrase describes the lizards, functioning as an adjectival phrase.

In summary, Option 4, "Their houses," is not an adjectival phrase because it is a noun phrase indicating possession, whereas the other options are adjectival phrases that describe nouns.