Subjects & Predicates

Four Types of Sentences:
- Declarative
- Imperative
- Interrogative
- Exclamatory

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Let's Review

A sentence consists of two parts: the subject and the predicate.

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Subjects & Predicates

What is the Subject?

The subject tells whom or what the sentence is about. It may come at the beginning, at the end, or even in the middle of the sentence.

The judges watch carefully.
The drivers crossed the desert at night.
Long and difficult was the journey.
Have you read the driver's stories?

What is the predicate?

The predicate tells what the subject is or does or what happened.

The judges watch carefully.
The drivers crossed the desert at night.
Long and difficult was the journey.
Have you read the driver's stories?

What is the complete subject?

The complete subject includes all the words that name and tell about the subject.

Many students read The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.

What is the complete predicate?

The complete predicate includes a verb and all the words that tell what happened or tell more about the predicate. A complete predicate can include an action verb or tell what the subject of the sentence did. A complete predicate can include a linking verb to tell more about hte subject.

Mary won an award.
Mary is a talented writer.
Mary seems brilliant.

Complete Exercise 2 in your Grammar Packet.

Exercise 2

1. Crazy tests of endurance swept the nation during the 1920s.

2. "Shipwreck" Kelly sat atop an Atlantic City flagpole for 49 days.

3. The stunt earned him the title "King of the Pole."

4. The Rocking Chair Derby was a more down-to-earth contest.

5. Contestants rocked back and forth for days.

6. Losers literally went off their rockers. 

7. New York City's Noun and Verb Rodeo appealed to nonstop talkers.

8. Contestants breathlessly babbled for hours on end.

9. The toughest test of enduarnce was the Bunion Derby.

10. Andy Payne won the transcontinental footrace in a record 573 hours.

What is the simple subject?

The simple subject is the most important noun or pronoun in the complete subject.

Many students read The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.

What is the simple predicate?

The simple predicate is the verb that goes with the subject. It generally tells what the subject did, does, or will do.

Celia won an award for her performance.
She will receive a trophy next week.

Complete Exercise 3&4 in your Grammar Packet.

Exercise 3

1. Crazy tests of endurance swept the nation during the 1920s.

2. The stunt earned him the title "King of the Pole."

3. New York City's Noun and Verb Rodeo appealed to nonstop talkers.

4. The toughest test of endurance was the Bunion Derby.

5. Andy Payne won the transcontinental footrace in a record 573 hours.

Exercise 4

1. "Shipwreck" Kelly sat atop an Atlantic City flagpole for 49 days.

2. The Rocking Chair Derby was a more down-to-earth contest.

3. Contestants rocked back and forth for days.

4. Losers literally went off their rockers.

5. Contestants breathlessly babbled for hours on end.