1. As a Subject
As a Predicate Noun or Nominative
The noun that does the action in a
sentence.
Example: "Cats purr."
'Cats' is the subject; they are the ones
doing the action (purring).
Example: "J.K. Rowling, the acclaimed
author of the Harry Potter series, began
her writing journey at a young age."
Explanation: 'J.K. Rowling' is the subject
as she is the person who began the
writing journey.
2. As a Subject Complement
A subject complement follows a linking
verb and provides additional information
about the subject.
Example: "My dog is a poodle."
'Poodle' is the subject complement,
offering more detail about the subject 'my
dog'.
Example: "The apple pie, sweet and
delectable, was the best dessert of the
evening."
Explanation: 'Sweet and delectable'
acts as the subject complement - it's
describing or modifying the subject, 'The
apple pie'.
3.
A noun that follows a linking verb and
renames the subject.
Example: "John is a teacher."
'Teacher' is the predicate nominative,
renaming 'John'.
Example: "At the age of thirty, Lisa
became the CEO of a successful startup."
Explanation: 'The CEO of a successful
startup' is the predicate noun. It follows a
linking verb ('became') and refers back to
the subject, renaming or providing
additional information about 'Lisa'.
4. Direct object
The direct object is the receiver of an
action in a sentence. It usually follows the
verb.
Example: "Kevin kicked the ball."
'Ball' is the direct object as it directly
receives the action of the verb (kicked).
Example: "Megan bought an antique
necklace from the vintage store for her
mother's birthday."
Explanation: 'An antique necklace' is
the direct object as it's what 'Megan'
bought.
5. Indirect Object
The indirect object is who or what the
action is done for. It usually comes before
the direct object.
Example: "Mom baked Sarah a cake."
'Sarah' is the indirect object; the cake
(direct object) is baked for her.
Example: "For her science project, Emily
showed her classmates how light affects
the growth of plants."
Explanation: 'Her classmates' is the
indirect object because they're whom
'Emily' showed her project to.
6. Object Complement
This refers to a noun that modifies or
provides additional information about the
direct object.
Example: “They named their dog Fido."
'Fido' is the object complement, providing
additional information about the direct
object (dog).
Example: "The committee elected Robert,
a software engineer with three patents, as
the new head of R&D."
Explanation: 'The new head of R&D' is
the object complement, providing more
information about the direct object
‘Robert’.
7. Object of Preposition
This is the noun that follows the
preposition and is linked by the
preposition to another word in the
sentence.
Example: "They hid under the table."
'Table' is the object of preposition 'under',
showing the location where 'they' hid.
Example: "Despite the chilly weather, the
prophet remained at the top of the
mountain, waiting for a sign."
Explanation: 'The top of the mountain'
is the object of the preposition 'at', giving
a location for 'the prophet's' waiting.
8. Object of Infinitive
This is the noun that the infinitive verb
refers to, or acts upon.
Example: "She likes to play tennis."
'Tennis' is the object of the infinitive 'to
play', indicating what she likes to play.
Example: "Sofia decided to write an
essay about the political impact of climate
change."
Explanation: 'An essay about the
political impact of climate change' is
the object of the infinitive 'to write',
defining what 'Sofia' decided to write.
9. Appositive
An appositive is a noun or noun phrase
that renames or provides additional
information about another noun next to it.
Example: "My friend, Bob, loves to read."
'Bob' is the appositive, providing
additional information about 'my friend'.
Example: "His BMW, a sleek black model
that he bought last year, was parked
outside."
Explanation: 'A sleek black model that
he bought last' year is the appositive,
providing more information about 'His
BMW'.