A phrase is defined as a group of words which does not make a complete sense.( does not contain a subject and a verb.)
e.g. On the table.
In the corner.
At the market.
Of gold
A clause is defined as a part of a sentence which contains a subject and a predicate(verb).
e.g. He came.
He has a chain which is made of gold
Consider the following example.
He has a chain of gold
The above sentence has two parts “he has a chain” and “of gold”.
The first part of the sentence “he has a chain” is a clause because it has a subject (he) and a predicate (has a chain).
The second part of the sentence “of gold” is a phrase because it does not contain subject and verb.
Note:The difference between a clause and a phrase is that a clause consists of both subject and verb, but a phrase lacks a subject and verb.
Examples.
The underlined part of each of following sentences shows a clause, while the rest part (non-underlined) of each sentence shows a phrase.
1.Harish reached the station in time.
2.Saritha was sitting in a corner.
3.He is singing in a melodious voice.
4.My mother made coffee for the guests.
5.She a bought an interesting story book for his sister.