Answer:
The phrase "He finally caught it" is a clause. To understand why this is the case, we need to delve into the definitions and characteristics of phrases and clauses.
A phrase is a group of words that work together to convey a particular concept. It does not contain a subject performing an action (a verb). Examples of phrases include "on the table," "reading a book," or "quickly running." These examples lack a clear subject doing an action.
On the other hand, a clause is also a group of words, but it contains both a subject and a predicate (a verb). The subject is the entity performing an action or being described, and the predicate is the action performed by the subject or the description of the subject. Clauses can be independent or dependent (also known as main and subordinate clauses respectively). An independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence because it expresses a complete thought. A dependent clause cannot stand alone as it does not express a complete thought.
In the case of "He finally caught it," we have "He" as the subject and "caught" as the predicate or verb. The word "finally" is an adverb modifying the verb "caught," and "it" is the direct object of the verb. This group of words forms a complete thought, indicating that it's an independent clause.
Therefore, based on these definitions and analysis, we can confidently say that "He finally caught it" is a clause.