SUBJECTS AND PREDICATES

I-WHAT IS A SENTENCE?
A sentence is a group of words that includes a subject and a verb, and it expresses a complete
thought.
Ex: The students are studying.
“The students” is the subject. “are studying” is the verb.
A subject is usually a noun or noun phrase. It does the action.
A verb tells the action of the subject.
Sometimes, a sentence may be more than just a subject and a verb. Direct objects, indirect
objects, prepositional phrases, and so on, may also be included. That’s why in modern English a
sentence is preferably divided into two parts: subject and predicate.
Ex: The dog is sleeping under the table.

subject predicate

II-COMPLETE SUBJECTS AND COMPLETE PREDICATES

The complete subject includes all the words in the subject part of a sentence. The complete
predicate includes all the words in the predicate part of a sentence.
Ex: The driver of our bus waits patiently for the smallest children.

complete subject complete predicate

III-SIMPLE SUBJECTS AND SIMPLE PREDICATES

The simple subject is the main person or thing (noun) in the subject part of a sentence. The simple
predicate is the verb or verb phrase in the predicate part of a sentence.
Ex: The driver of our bus waits patiently for the smallest children.

simple subject simple predicate

simple subject

Ex: Daniel’s little sister is watching TV in the living room.

simple predicate

II-COMPOUND SUBJECTS AND COMPOUND PREDICATES

Sometimes the subject can be more than one noun as in the following
Ex: Gold and silver are precious metals.
A compound subject is two or more subjects that have the same verb and are joined by a
conjunction such as “and” or “or”.
Like subject, predicate can also be compounded.
Ex: The girls sang and danced at the same.
A compound predicate is two or more verbs that have the same subject and are joined by a
conjunction such as “and” or “or”.

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Practice 1
Underline the complete subject once and complete predicate twice in each of the following sentences.

1. The tall pine trees swayed in the wind.

2. The evening news summarizes the day’s events.
3. The butterfly with the golden wings landed on the red flower.
4. The grizzly bear needs large territories undisturbed by people.
5. Seasonal winds in India are called Monsoons.
6. Consciousness drivers always buckle their seat belts.
7. The policeman handcuffed the suspect in an armed robbery.
8. The film’s special effects were developed by a team of engineers.
9. Another example of the area’s underdevelopment is the narrow dirt roads.
10. Inexperienced writers often write very short, undeveloped sentences.
11. That dog kept me awake all night with its barking.
12. The beautiful white waterfall thunderously cascaded down.
13. The unusual and colorful kite soared gracefully and slowly dipped.
14. Today’s high cost of living causes people to be thrifty.
15. Night always lasts twelve hours in the tropics.

Practice 2
Read the paragraph below and underline the complete subject once and the complete predicate twice.

Morning came quickly. Long before sunrise, the alarm clock rang. Sluggishly, we dragged
ourselves from a restless sleep. At five o’clock we left the dock. We were sailing out of the bay on a
yacht equipped with every convenience. From bow to stem, the boat measured forty feet. During the
night, fog had crept in. It greatly limited visibility and made the air cold. Sophisticated directional
equipment led us through the fog. Inside the cabin, we were warm, dry, and eager to begin deep sea
fishing.

Practice 3
In each of the following sentences, underline the simple subject and simple predicate twice.

1. Many of the current television programs are airing sensitive, controversial issues.
2. People in stressful situations will often show symptoms of fatigue.
3. The pyramids in Egypt have attracted tourists for thousands of years.
4. The sunset cast a rosy glow on the walls of the building.
5. The old bridge appears both too narrow and too unsafe.
6. Rumors aggravated the already tense situation.
7. Errors in usage can undermine the effectiveness of written work.
8. Abbreviations are often used in referring to time, measurement, and numbers. 9. In many
short stories and novels, the use of dialogue or direct conversation between two or more
people plays an important role.
10. The problem with an overly lengthy sentence may not be merely one of length.
11. Good listening takes practice, concentration, and energy.
12. You will need a good college dictionary and some other reference texts.
13. An increasing number of complaints have recently been received.
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 14. A telltale smudge on the document aroused suspicion.
15. An important announcement interrupted the TV program.

Practice 3
Read the passage below and underline the simple subject once and simple predicate twice.

A tourist gets a spectacular view at the Grand Canyon. Curious visitors can take nature walks
along the trails on the edge of the canyon. Hikers may want to venture down the steep trails into the
canyon. However, the crumbling walls of the canyon’s sides make mountain climbing dangerous. A
guided mule trip is a safer way to see the canyon. Trips down the Colorado River also enable tourists
to see the canyon from the inside. Tourists can also take a helicopter or an airplane ride over the
canyon. From the helicopter or plane, passengers can see the different branches of the canyon. The
aircraft can fly into the canyon for a closer view of the river and rock formations. With all of these
approaches, tourists can see the canyon from above, from the inside, or from the edge.

Practice 4

Which of the following groups of words are sentences and which are not? Make them into a correct sentence.

1. closed the door ___She closed the door.__________________

2. the little girls sang beautifully ___correct____________________________________

3. had a pain in her neck ___She had a pain in her back._________________

4. big grey woolly ____I bought a big grey woolly blanket.____________

5. she went into the garden ___correct___________________________________

6. like cake tomorrow ___I would like to have cake tomorrow._______

7. we saw her last week ___correct___________________________________

8. was crying bitterly in her bedroom ___She was crying bitterly in her bedroom.______

9. big and very strong ____His body is big and very strong.____________

10. the teacher was very cross _____correct___________________________________

11. the boys laughed _____correct___________________________________

12. laughed out loud _____I laughed out loud at his jokes.____________

13. for breakfast every day ____They eat bread for breakfast every day._______

14. your nice new car is _____Your new nice car is very expensive.__________

15. he lost his lovely new watch _____He lost his new lovely watch.__________

16. opened the door _____I opened the door for her._____________

17. climbed up the hill _____The dog climbed up the hill._________

18. the door opened _____The door was opened by a stranger.__________

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Practice 5
Draw one line under each simple subject and two lines under each simple predicate.

1. Bells were ringing in joyous celebration of the King’s coronation.

2. According to poet John Keats, whales are “sea-shouldering” mammals.
3. Flowers were growing in every nook and cranny of the tiny backyard.
4. Paintings were displayed throughout the elaborate entryway.
5. The race at Cape White is on Saturday.
6. Those books are expensive.
7. I write poetry on rainy afternoons.
8. Julia has a rare coin from the seventeenth century.
9. We visited the Museum of Natural History in Cincinnati,Ohio.
10. The boxes of old clothes and toys are in a corner of the attic.
11. Our dog barks every morning at the mail carrier.
12. The exam was difficult.
13. I asked for a car for my birthday.
14. We stayed at the aquarium all day.
15. The sirens woke us in the dead of night.
16. The performance was impressive.
17. Time passed quickly.
18. Jake studies German.
19. Basketball is Ricardo’s favorite sport.
20. The art of map production is called cartography.
21. Astronomy interests Derek and me.
22. Barb moved away a week or so ago.
23. Paul is the most responsible baby-sitter of all the teens on our block.
24. Luisa talks in her sleep.
25. I helped at my uncle’s repair shop last week.
26. That intersection is dangerous due to a deep curve right before it.
27. My brother studied biology at Northwestern University.
28. Mrs. McCann completed the problem on thechalkboard.
29. Physics is my favorite subject.
30. The answer became clear as soon as I quit thinking aboutit.
31. Joel felt proud of his dog’s blue ribbon.
32. The walk to town was more than a mile through soggy fields and low hills.
33. Amiua’s archery team practices after school on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
34. The band will play in the gym.
35. Eduardo was absent for three days last week.
36. Her family includes three brothers and two sisters.
37. David put his shiny new baseball trophy on the top shelf.
38. Nicole will study in Paris this summer.
39. The spring concert is the biggest event for the choir.
40. Jill decided on a new stereo, speakers, and stand.
41. Ching-Li collects baseball cards of American ballplayers.
42. I worked on my term paper all day.
43. Pam borrowed my dictionary.
44. Mark laughed loudly at my lame joke.
45. Rashida works after school in the deli at Streber’s Market.

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