Which group of words is NOT a phrase? a. leaving behind the dog
b. because she smiled at me
c. smashing into a fence
d. before the first test
e. pushing the sofa

(b) because she smiled at me

Phrases are a group of words that are a part of a sentence and do not contain both a subject and a verb. In other words, a phrase does not contain a subject doing an action.

Analyzing the given options:

(a) leaving behind the dog

This group of words does not contain a subject even though it contains a verb - leaving. Therefore it is considered to be a phrase.

(b) because she smiled at me

This group of word among other things, contains a subject - a pronoun she - and a verb - smiled. Therefore, it is not considered to be a phrase.

(c) smashing into a fence

This group of words does not contain a subject even though it contains a verb - smashing. Therefore it is considered to be a phrase.

(d) before the first test.

This group of words neither contains a verb or a subject. Therefore it is considered to be a phrase.

(e) pushing the sofa.

This group of words does not contain a subject even though it contains a verb - pushing. Therefore it is considered to be a phrase.

hi

explanation:

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