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The Starring Roles: Subject and Predicate by Susan Thurman

Now on to the parts of a sentence. As you probably know, a sentence can be very short or very long. By definition, a sentence must have the following:(1) a predicate (usually called a verb), (2) the subject of that verb, and (3) words that form a complete thought.

The complete subject is the person, place, or thing that the sentence is about, along with all the words that modify it. The complete predicate is what the person, place, or thing is doing, or what condition it is in.

<tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <thead> <tr> <td><p>Complete Subject</p></td> <td><p>Complete Predicate (Verb)</p></td> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>The elderly, white-haired gentleman</p></td> <td><p>walked quickly down the hallway.</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <p>The simple subject of a sentence is the fundamental part of the complete subject — the main noun(s) and pronoun(s) in the complete subject. In this example, the simple subject is <emphasis>gentleman</emphasis>.</p> <p>The simple predicate (verb) of a sentence is the fundamental part of the complete predicate — the verb(s) in the complete predicate. In the example, the simple predicate is <emphasis>walked</emphasis>.</p> <p>A sentence may also have compound subjects and predicates.</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>The elderly, white-haired gentleman and his wife walked quickly down the hallway</emphasis>.</p> </div> <p>This sentence has a compound subject: <emphasis>gentleman</emphasis> and <emphasis>wife</emphasis>.</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>The elderly, white-haired gentleman walked quickly down the hallway and then paused to speak to me</emphasis>.</p> </div> <p>This sentence has a compound verb: <emphasis>walked</emphasis> and <emphasis>paused</emphasis>.</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>The elderly, white-haired gentleman and his wife walked quickly down the hallway and then paused to speak to me</emphasis>.</p> </div> <p>This sentence has a compound subject — <emphasis>gentleman</emphasis> and <emphasis>wife</emphasis> — and a compound verb — <emphasis>walked</emphasis> and <emphasis>paused</emphasis>.</p> <p>If you have trouble locating the subject of a sentence, find the verb and then ask <emphasis>who</emphasis> or <emphasis>what</emphasis> did the verb. Read this sentence:</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>After a tiring morning at the gym, Justin fell onto the floor in exhaustion</emphasis>.</p> </div> <p>The verb is <emphasis>fell</emphasis>. If you ask, “Who or what fell?” you answer <emphasis>Justin</emphasis>, which is the subject.</p> <div class="npsb"> <h2></h2> <p>Some imperative sentences written in the second person are called “<emphasis>you</emphasis> understood” sentences. You know the subject of the sentence is <emphasis>you</emphasis>, even though <emphasis>you</emphasis> isn't spoken or written. Look at this sentence:</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>“Go get me some lemonade.”</emphasis></p> </div> <p>You understand that the meaning is “You go get me some lemonade.”</p> </div> <p>Remember that the subject of a sentence is never in a prepositional phrase. If the sentence is a question, the subject sometimes appears after the verb. To find the subject, turn the question around so that it resembles a declarative sentence. Then proceed in the normal way. Look at this sentence:</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>What is Willa going to do with that leftover sandwich?</emphasis></p> </div> <p>Now, turn the wording around so that you have:</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>Willa is going to do what with that leftover sandwich?</emphasis></p> </div> <p><emphasis>Willa</emphasis> answers the <emphasis>who?</emphasis> or <emphasis>what?</emphasis> question about the verb <emphasis>is going</emphasis>.</p> <p>Finding the subject of a sentence helps you use verbs and pronouns correctly.</p> <div class="npsb"> <h2></h2> <p>Try the interactive quiz on sentence subjects at this Web site:</p> <p><emphasis>tinyurl.com/3bwzks</emphasis></p> </div> <!--/gc--> <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/more-pieces-of-the-puzzle/here-come-the-hybrids-verbals.htm" title="Here Come the Hybrids: Verbals">Here Come the Hybrids: Verbals</a></li><li class="next"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/more-pieces-of-the-puzzle/making-it-complete-complements.htm" title="Making It Complete: Complements">Making It Complete: Complements</a> </li></ul></div></div> <div id="coda"> <div id="rel"><div class="n5">Related Articles</div><ul> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/more-pieces-of-the-puzzle/the-starring-roles-subject-and-predicate.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> The Starring Roles: Subject and Predicate - Grammar and Style </a></li> <li><a href="http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/predterm.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> predicate - definition and examples of predicates </a></li> <li><a href="http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/wmbaskervill/bl-wmbaskervill-grammar-analysis-simple.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Simple Sentences - An English Grammar - W. 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