Question

is the group of words in bold a phrase or a clause?
following a disastrous invasion of russia, french military leader and emperor napoleon bonaparte was forced to abdicate and went into exile on the island of elba.
phrase clause

Explanation:

A phrase is a group of words without a subject - verb combination. "On the island of Elba" has no subject and verb. A clause has a subject and a verb. Since there is no subject - verb pair in "on the island of Elba", it is a phrase.

Answer:

phrase