A sentence is made up of single parts of speech combined into a pattern that expresses a complete thought. In other words, a sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. At the bare minimum, a simple sentence must contain two basic elements: 1. the thing we are taling about !sub"ect# $. what we sa% about it !&erb'predicate# (he subject is a noun, a pronoun, or some other word or group of words that function as a noun. (he verb !also nown as a predicate# is a word that tells something about the sub"ect) in other words, it tells that the sub"ect does something or that something is true of the sub"ect. A sub"ect and a &erb are, therefore, the fundamental parts of e&er% sentence. In fact, it is possible to express meaning with "ust these two elements: *r. Carruthers dances. *rs. *orse raps. (Note that in each example the verb says that the subject DOES something!) +inding &erbs and sub"ects of &erbs in a sentence is the first step in determining whether or not a group of words expresses a complete thought. Loo first for the &erb, the most important word of the sentence, and then for its sub"ect. (he &erb ma% sometimes be difficult to find. It ma% come an%where in the sentence) for instance, it ma% precede the sub"ect, as in some interrogati&e sentences (Where is my coee!). It ma% consist of a single word or a group of two or more words) it ma% ha&e other words inserted within the &erb phrase) it ma% be combined with the negati&e not or with a contraction of not. (o find the &erb, loo for the word or group of words that expresses an action or a state of being. In the following sentences the &erbs are underlined: *s. ,ust stood at *rs. Alexander-s side. At *rs. Alexander-s side stood *s. ,ust. *s. ,ust was standing at *rs. Alexander-s side. *s. ,ust cannot stand at *rs. Alexander-s side. .id *s. ,ust stand at *rs. Alexander-s side/ (he sub"ect ma% also be difficult to find, for, as we ha&e "ust seen, the sub"ect does not alwa%s come immediatel% before the &erb. 0ften it comes after the &erb) often it is separated from the &erb b% a modif%ing element. Alwa%s loo for the noun or pronoun about which the &erb asserts something and disregard inter&ening elements. (he sub"ects are italici1ed and the &erbs are underlined in the following examples: AP English Language and Composition "any of the students lo&e AP Lang. (here is summer home#or$ in&ol&ed. 0n the weebl% was a hilarious photo of *s. ,ust. In an imperati&e sentence, a sentence expressing a command or a re2uest, the sub"ect you is usuall% implied rather than expressed. .o the summer homewor. 3tud% grammar4 Either the &erb or sub"ect or both could be compound) that is, there ma% be more than one sub"ect and more than one &erb: "rs% "orse and "rs% &lexander teach. !(wo 3ub"ects# "r% 'arruthers teaches and coaches. !(wo 5erbs# "r% 'arruthers and "s% (ust teach and coach. !(wo 3ub"ects and (wo 5erbs#