Subjects and Predicates

Objectives
1. Recognize the sentence structure.

2. Identify the different types of subjects and

predicates.

3. Practice.
 What is a Sentence?
• A sentence is a group of words that
contains two things:

– A subject (the doer of the action)

– A verb (the action or condition)

• A sentence must express a complete

thought.
 The Subject
• The subject of the sentence must be a:
1. noun (person, place, or thing)
2. pronoun ( a word that takes the place of
a person, place, or thing.)

• The subject is called the “doer” of the

action.
 The Subject
• To find the subject of the sentence you must:
1. Find the verb
2. Ask “who?” or “what?” before it
Ex. Mary threw the ball.
- Step one – Find the verb. It is “threw.”
- Step two – Ask “who?’” or “what?”
before it. “Who threw?”

- The answer is “Mary; therefore, “Mary” is the

subject of the sentence.
 The Subject

• Try to find this subject:

Ex. On the table lay a pencil.

- Step one – find the verb. It is “lay.”
- Step two – Ask “who?” or “what?” before it.
Who lay? What lay?

The answer is “pencil; therefore, pencil is the

subject of the sentence.
 The Complete Subject

• The complete subject includes all words up until the verb

begins. Within the complete subject, there will be the main
subject called a simple subject.

Ex. The tall girls played a game.

The verb is “played,” so you would divide directly in front of

“played.” That means the complete subject includes the words “The
tall girls.”

Within these words is the simple subject which tells who actually
played. The simple subject is “girls” since it answered the question,
“Who played?”
 The Compound Subject

• A compound subject would contain more than

one “doer” of the action. Often they are
connected by conjunctions such as and, but, or,
for, nor, yet, or so.

Ex. The boys and the girls saw the play.

(Both “boys” and “girls” answer the question of

“Who saw?” That means both of them are
subjects of this sentence. They are compound.)
 The Predicate
• Predicate is a fancy word for “verb.” That means
that a predicate can include:
1. action verbs
2. linking verbs
3. verbs of condition
4. helping verbs

• To find the predicate in the sentence, look for

any verbs that you have learned.
 The Complete Predicate
• The complete predicate begins with the first verb
and includes all words following it. The actual
verb or verb phrase is called the simple
predicate.

Ex. The tall girls played a game of basketball.

The verb is an action verb. It is “played.”

That makes it the simple predicate.

Everything that follows “played” is a part of the

complete predicate. That means it includes the
words “played a game of basketball.”
 The Compound Predicate
• A compound predicate would contain more than one
main verb. Compounds are connected by conjunctions
such as and, but, or, for, nor, yet, or so.

– Ex. I first walked and then ran down the street.

(“Walked” is one main verb and “ran” is another.)

– Ex. I have seen the film and enjoyed it.

(“Have seen” is one verb and “enjoyed” is another.)

– Ex. I have seen the movie.

(This sentence Does NOT contain a compound predicate. “Have
seen” is one verb phrase. “Seen” is the only main verb.)