G r a mm ar

Subject &
Predicate
 j ec t /Pr e d i c a te
Sub
Every complete sentence MUST have a
subject and a predicate:
Subject Predicate
The part of the sentence
The topic of the sentence.
that tells something about
It includes who or what the
the subject, or what the
sentence is about.
subject does.
The subject contains a
The predicate contains a
noun or pronoun.
verb.
 j ec t /Pr e d i c a te
Sub
Larry writes poetry.

Subject Predicate
Verb Review:
The most important verb in the sentence.
Main The verb that shows the action that the
subject is completing.
Verb
Example: Lilly loves her baby.

A word that accompanies a verb that

Helping helps show what tense (past, present,
future) the verb is in.
Verb
Example: Lilly is going to the store.

Helping Verb Main Verb

Verb Review:
The most important verb in the sentence.
Main The verb that shows the action that the
subject is completing.
Verb
Example: Lilly loves her baby.

A word that modifies a verb. An adverb

answers how, when, where, how often, or
Adverb how much an action is completed.
Example: Lilly always loves her baby.

Adverb Main Verb

Verb Review:
Helping verbs and adverbs go along with the main
verb, and they are part of the predicate. Being able to
tell which one is the MAIN verb will help you identify
the subject in complicated sentences. The main verb
will be the one that shows what the subject of the
sentence is doing.
Subject

Lilly was quickly running to find her car keys.

Helping verb Adverb Main Verb
Verb Review:
Lilly does not “was.” Lilly does not “quickly.”
What Lilly does in this sentence is “run.” That
means “running” is the main verb.

Subject

Lilly was quickly running to find her car keys.

Helping verb Adverb Main Verb
Pra c t i c e 1
On your note sheet, complete PRACTICE 1.
Directions:
BOLD the main verb in each sentence:
1. Chris and Lyle are moving to Korea.
2. I can’t remember what day it is.
3. The clock loudly chimes.
4. Grandfather is a nice man.
5. Grandfather is visiting us for dinner.
6. Steve will soon start a new business.
 j ec t /Pr e d i c a te
Sub
Subject Predicate

Willa sat by herself.

forced a smile and held

She
her tongue.

came shuffling into the

They
stadium.
 j ec t /Pr e d i c a te
Sub
Subject Predicate
Cadavers and dead rats
appeared.
and frogs

The wheels of wagons screeched.

is you will be an
The bare truth interesting artist for the
rest of your life.
 j ec t /Pr e d i c a te
Sub
Subject Predicate
Dad and his Air Force were on a cliff in the
buddies canyon.

Being a grandmother transformed her mother.

preserves those reactions

To write your rection down
forever.
Sub j e c t
TIP #1:
If you are having difficulty identifying the subject
of a sentence, ask who or what completes the
action of the predicate’s main verb:

Dad and his Air Force buddies were on a cliff in a

canyon.
Who was on a cliff?
What transformed her mother?

Being a grandmother transformed her mother.

Sub j e c t
TIP #2:
The subject is not always a single noun by itself.
The complete subject also includes all adjectives
describing that noun. The subject can be a single
word, or a whole phrase.

“My friend Luna”

“Forgetful James”
“The man with the tall hat”
“What he could remember”
“The big, hungry, green Martian”
Sub j e c t
TIP #2:
The subject is not always a single noun by itself.
The complete subject also includes all adjectives
describing that noun. The subject can be a single
word, or a whole phrase.

“My friend Luna is crazy.”

“Forgetful James left his money here.”
“The man with the tall hat smiled.”
“What he could remember was helpful to us.”
“The big, hungry, green Martian landed over there.”
Sub j e c t
TIP #3:
The subject usually comes before the main verb,
but occasionally the sentence is “inverted” and
the subject comes after the verb. To find the
subject, ask who or what completes the action of
the main verb.

“Are you ready?”

“There were four basic causes of the Civil War.”
“Into the ocean rowed the kayakers.”
Com p ou n d
Compound Compound
Subject Predicate

A subject with more A predicate with more

than one noun. than one verb.

Example: Example:
“The sun and moon “The moon sparked
were visible.” and glowed in the sky.”
Pra c t i c e 2
On your note sheet, complete PRACTICE 2.
Directions:
Bold the subject and underline the predicate.
1. They knew that summer was almost over.
2. The sun was rising over the lake.
3. A young man with his dog called out to say hello.
4. Mastering the writing process is difficult.
5. My uncle Tim washes and polishes his car often.
6. Nearby lives a family with seven children.
7. The party will have music, dancing, and cake.
8. The zombie wasn’t dead!
9. Everyone at KIS loves to study.
G r a mm ar

Modifiers
Mo d if i er s
A modifier is an optional element within a sentence
that can be removed without affecting the basic
meaning and grammar of the sentence. If you
remove a modifier, the sentence still makes
grammatical sense, but it becomes less specific.

Subject & Predicate + Modifier Subject & Predicate

Emily, who hates

Emily went to the
classical music, went to
Beethoven concert
the Beethoven concert
with me. with me.
Mo d if i er s
Adjectives and Adverbs modify nouns and verbs.
These are two types of sentence modifiers you
are familiar with.
Adjective Modifiers Adverb Modifiers

“The angry bear “The bear ferociously

attacked me.” attacked me.”

“Crazy Andy chases “Andy always chases

his brother.” his brother.”
Mo d if i er s
A group of words

Sometimes longer phrases modify sentences

as well. Learning how to use these phrases in
your own writing is the key to developing a
mature writing style.

Example:
“Without a doubt, Emily, my friend since first grade,
is the most important person in my life.”
Pra c t i c e 3
On your note sheet, complete PRACTICE 3.
Directions:
Underline all modifiers (anything not necessary to
the basic meaning of the sentence).
1. With basketball season nearly finished, Emily
emerged as the MVP.
2. My mother, an amazing home cook, made
pancakes for dinner.
3. I'm not really interested in studying biochemistry
for the rest of my life.
4. Juan went to college to study veterinary medicine.
Works h e et
Complete the worksheet:
“Subjects, Predicates, and Modifiers”!

Good Luck!