Question

What is the phrase in the sentence: Ricky, going down the staircase backward, was very unsteady.

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

Find the subject.  Who is doing something?  Ricky.  Ricky what?  Ricky was.  That is a complete sentence and it makes sense.  Ricky going does not make sense.  So, Ricky was.  What does very unsteady describe?  It describes how Ricky was.  It describes the verb, making "very steady" an adverbial phrase.  A prepositional phrase describes a noun. Nothing in this sentence describes Ricky.  "Going" is a helping verb. Ricky was going.  "Down the staircase backward," describes how Ricky was going, making it another adverbial phrase.

You didn't say what kind of phrase.  I hope I helped.