Subjects and PredicatesBy: Julia Altoe 2nd academic

What is a subject and predicate? Every sentence has two parts- a subject

and a predicate. The subject is what or whom the

sentence is about. The predicate tells something about the

subject.

Subjects! There are three types of subjects; complete,

simple, and compound. The complete subject is the noun or pronoun plus any words that modify the simple subject that tells who or what the subject is about.

Example~ The dog ran after the bone that fell in the

bush. The dog is the complete subject!

Simple Subjects… The simple subject is the essential noun (1),

pronoun, or group of words acting as a noun that cannot be left out of the complete subject.

Examples~ Mary went to Barnes and Nobles to pick out a

book. Mary is the subject because it is tell whom the

sentence is about..

Compound subjects The compound subject is two or more

subjects joined by the coordinating conjunctions "and" or "or". To find the subject, isolate the verb, and ask the question who or what.

Examples~ John and Jessica wanted to get ice cream

after school. Who wanted to go get ice cream? John and

Jessica, so they are the compound subjects.

Find the subjects in the sentences below...

Ally and Jake ran after the bus. The book bag is a gorgeous, violet color. I despise getting up early to go to

school. She turned around, and looked at me

with a devious smile. Sofia, the exchange student, who’s been

living with the Clarks, is from Italy.

More Examples of subjects

Predicates! There are also three types of predicates:

complete, simple, and compound. Complete predicates are the verb plus the objects, complements, and adverbial modifiers that tell what the complete subjects do or are.

Examples~ The cat jumped over the couch. Jumped over the couch is the complete

predicate!

Simple Predicates A simple predicate is a verb or verb phase in a

sentence. To find the predicate, ask the question "What does the subject do?“

Examples~ Today, we jogged in gym class. What did we do in gym class? Jogged, making that

the predicate. I gave Lucas a hug during lunch. What did you do to Lucas? Gave him a hug, gave is

the predicate because it is describing the something the subject did.

A compound Predicate is two or more verbs joined together by the coordinating conjunctions "and" or "or".

examples~ We walked and played soccer at the park. Walked and played are the compound

predicates because there are two verbs, and “and” are joining them together.

I went to the mall, and bought a new dress.

Compound Predicates

Imperative sentences and Positioning.. There are also imperative sentences; sentences that differ from the

conventional sentences, because their subject is the understood "you.“

Examples~ (You) went to the cheer competition. (You) decided to go swimming at the neighborhood pool. There are another kind of sentence that has to do with positioning..

Usually, the subject most often appears before the verb, but it can also come behind it too, "there is" or " there are". These two phases are used to get the sentence going, they are not the subjects, but show that the subjects are coming soon. These sentences can also be inverted.

Examples~ There are beautiful lakes in Michigan. vs. beautiful lakes are in

Michigan.

A Quick Video and citations! http://

www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=159877

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdUXxdmhIsw Citations~ Writers Workshop: Writer Resources." Grammar

Handbook « « The Center for Writing Studies, Illinois. University of Illinois Board of Trustees, 2013. Web. 29 Aug. 2013.

Peck, Frances. "Subject and Predicate." Subject and Predicate. University of Ottawa, 2013. Web. 29 Aug. 2013.