Parts of a Sentence:
Subjects & Predicates
Definitions
Sentence-a group of words expressing a
complete thought.
A sentence consists of two main parts:
Subject-The part about which something is
being said.
Predicate-The part which says something
about the subject.
Subject of a Sentence
The subject of a sentence is the part that
tells who or what the sentence is about
– Tybalt was Juliet’s cousin.
– Why did Kate oversleep this morning?
– One of my cats is named Hobbes.
The subject is made up of two parts
– Simple Subject
– Complete Subject
Simple Subject
Simple subject is the main word or words
that the sentence is about.
Usually one or two words.
Hurricane Charlie missed our town.
My parents’ house was not flooded either.
Did you lose power this weekend?
Complete Subject
The complete subject is the simple subject
and any words or phrases that modify the
simple subject
A black wolf was howling at the moon.
My mother can make the pizza.
Was your brother the person who won?
Sara and James were late for class.
Compound Subjects
A compound subject consists of two or
more subjects joined by a conjunction and
having the same verb.
Examples:
Pyramus and Thisbe agreed to meet.
Helena, Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius
went to the forest.
Finding a Subject
Find the VERB first!
Ask “Who?” or “What?” in front of the verb.
Examples:
Here you can swim year-round.
Who can swim year-round?
Over the hill thundered the horses.
What thundered over the hill?
The price of those tapes seemed too high.
What seemed too high?
(The subject is NEVER in a prepositional phrase.)
Subjects in Unusual Positions
Sentences That Ask Questions
Questions often begin with a verb or with a
helping verb or with such words as what, when,
where, how, or why. Either way, the subject
follows the verb or helping verb.
Examples:
How is the movie different?
Does she have a ride home?
Have you eaten dinner?
Subjects in Unusual Positions, cont
Sentences Beginning with “There”
“There” is NEVER the subject of a sentence
except when spoken of as a word, as in this
sentence. (expletive)
The real subject comes AFTER the verb.
Use the previous method of asking “who” or
“what” to find the subject.
Example:
There was a clerk at the counter.
(A clerk was at the counter.)
Subjects in Unusual Positions, cont
The Understood Subject
In a request or a command, the subject of a sentence is
usually not stated. The person spoken to is understood
to be the subject. (“You” is the subject. This is called the
“understood you”.)
Example:
Please answer the phone. (Who?)
Sometimes a name is used, but it is called a “noun of
direct address”. It is NOT the subject.
Example:
Ellen, please answer the phone.
Ellen, (you) please answer the phone.
Predicate of a Sentence
The predicate of a sentence is the part
that tells something about the subject.
– Tybalt was Juliet’s cousin.
– Why did Kate oversleep this morning?
– One of my cats is named Hobbes.
The predicate is made up of two parts
– Simple Predicate
– Complete Predicate
Simple Predicate
Simple predicate is the main word or
words telling about the subject.
Usually one or two words.
Hurricane Charlie missed our town.
My parents’ house was not flooded either.
Did you lose power this weekend?
Complete Predicate
The complete predicate is the simple
predicate and any words or phrases that
modify the simple predicate.
A black wolf was howling at the moon.
My mother can make the pizza.
Was your brother the person who won?
Sara and James were late for class.
Compound Verbs (Predicates)
A compound verb consists of two or more
verbs joined by a conjunction and having
the same subject.
Examples:
The quarterback stepped out of the pocket
and threw a “Hail Mary”.
The receiver dodged a tackle, ran up the
field, and caught the ball.