Is are considered a noun phrase or a verb phrase

What sound device is used in the following excerpt from how the animals lost their tails and got them back traveling from philadelphia to medicine hat by carl sandburg

When a mother loses her child, she's — highly agitated from strong emotion. a scene is if there's lots of action with little order.

Which sentence is correctly punctuated? a. i haven’t found a new job, and i don’t plan to look for one until i have to. b. my work is piling up—day to day—and i can’t seem to get caught up. c. i know things could be worse (they have been in the past).