SUBJECTS AND PREDICATES
Learning Goal: In this lesson, you will understand the basic parts needed to form a sentence: subject and predicates.
Subjects and Predicates: The Recipe for a Sentence
Every sentence must contain a simple subject and a simple predicate. The subject is a noun (person- Mr. Morton, place-school, or thing-cat,) or pronoun (word that takes the place of a noun, pronoun, or thing examples are: I, it, she, he, etc.). The predicate is the verb part of the sentence.
To find the subject and predicate in a sentence, ask yourself these questions:
1. What is happening in this sentence? This information will point you to the predicate.
2. Who or what is doing this (the predicate)? This information will point you to the subject.
In command statement, the subject is not stated but implied.
Example: "Stop" - you would realize that I needed you to stop immediately.
Now think of the shortest complete sentence that exists in the English language.
HINT: IT IS A COMMAND.
Answer: Go. This is a complete sentence because it has the implied subject you.
To indicate that you recognize the implied subject, simply place the "you" in square brackets at the front of the sentence.
[You] go.
Complete subject and complete predicate:
The complete subject includes all words that tell who or what the subject is.
Example: Most birds | can fly.
The complete predicate includes all words that state the action or condition of the subject.
Example: Most birds | can fly.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Practice: (in your notebook or a word doc)
Directions: Draw a line between the complete subject and the complete predicate in
the following sentences.
Example: The dusty old car | won’t start anymore.
1) I want a new car.
2) James is nice.
3) The sun is moving.
4) Max wrote the letter.
5) The letter was written by Max.
6) The farmers are plowing the field.
7) Billy Reynolds is an amazing baseball player.
8) The storm clouds are getting darker.
9) Dogs, cats, and turtles make the best pets.
10) The stern judge ruled that the defendant was not guilty.
11) Only I am able to know what I am thinking.
12) All of the townspeople ran from the burning building.
13) His broken leg will heal in three months.
14) The saber toothed tiger is a good example of an extinct predator.
Click here for Answers
More Practice...
Directions: Now try to write two sentences of your own. Draw a line between the
complete subject and the complete predicate.
1) _____________________________________________________________________
2) _____________________________________________________________________
Sources:
Language Power J. Toronto: Gage, 2003. Print.
English Worksheets. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. <http://englishforeveryone.org/>.
To find the subject and predicate in a sentence, ask yourself these questions:
1. What is happening in this sentence? This information will point you to the predicate.
2. Who or what is doing this (the predicate)? This information will point you to the subject.
In command statement, the subject is not stated but implied.
Example: "Stop" - you would realize that I needed you to stop immediately.
Now think of the shortest complete sentence that exists in the English language.
HINT: IT IS A COMMAND.
Answer: Go. This is a complete sentence because it has the implied subject you.
To indicate that you recognize the implied subject, simply place the "you" in square brackets at the front of the sentence.
[You] go.
Complete subject and complete predicate:
The complete subject includes all words that tell who or what the subject is.
Example: Most birds | can fly.
The complete predicate includes all words that state the action or condition of the subject.
Example: Most birds | can fly.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Practice: (in your notebook or a word doc)
Directions: Draw a line between the complete subject and the complete predicate in
the following sentences.
Example: The dusty old car | won’t start anymore.
1) I want a new car.
2) James is nice.
3) The sun is moving.
4) Max wrote the letter.
5) The letter was written by Max.
6) The farmers are plowing the field.
7) Billy Reynolds is an amazing baseball player.
8) The storm clouds are getting darker.
9) Dogs, cats, and turtles make the best pets.
10) The stern judge ruled that the defendant was not guilty.
11) Only I am able to know what I am thinking.
12) All of the townspeople ran from the burning building.
13) His broken leg will heal in three months.
14) The saber toothed tiger is a good example of an extinct predator.
Click here for Answers
More Practice...
Directions: Now try to write two sentences of your own. Draw a line between the
complete subject and the complete predicate.
1) _____________________________________________________________________
2) _____________________________________________________________________
Sources:
Language Power J. Toronto: Gage, 2003. Print.
English Worksheets. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. <http://englishforeveryone.org/>.
