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THE PARTS OF
SPEECH

Florida International University

Chapter 2

Sintaxis II L2 – Adapted material - Lecturer: F. Nelzon Espinoza Centellas, Ph.D.

Based on:
Florida International University Press PAGE \*
Copyright, 1988
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CHAPTER 2

The Parts of a Sentence

SUBJECTS, PREDICATES, AND COMPLEMENTS

Since your elementary school days, you have been studying sentences and the names of
their various parts. Such terms as subject, predicate, complement are standard terms used
everywhere in textbooks and in classes in English as well as foreign languages. In this
chapter you will review these terms.

Diagnostic Test on Subjects, Predicates,

And Complements

The following test is in two parts. It is designed to show how much information you have
remembered about these terms and how much you should review.

A. Number on your paper from 1 to 10. After the corresponding number write the simple
subject and the verb in each of the sentences below. For the present, ignore the italicising.

1. The American public re-elected Eisenhower in 1956.

2. Pearl Buck was a Nobel Prize winner.
3. Jet propulsion has made rapid air travel possible.
4. The Theatre Guild has presented many notable plays on television.
5. The Social Security law became retroactive for teachers.
6. Crities finally gave Emily Dickinson credit for her genius, but not in her lifetime.
7. Baseball is still the most popular sport in America.
8. Various firms are presenting Oscars today for out-standing achievement in the arts.
9. Nuclear physics has provided many opportunities for enterprising scholars.
10. Thomas Jefferson, one of America’s greatest statesmen, was a scholar as well as a statesman.

B. List in order all of the italicised words in sentences 1 to 10. After each word write the
king of complement it is: direct object, indirect object, predicate adjective, predicate
nominative.

The Sentence

2a. A sentence is a group of words expressing a completed thought.

SENTENCE: The highest scores in the scholarship test were made by English majors. (completed thought).

Sintaxis II L2 – Adapted material - Lecturer: F. Nelzon Espinoza Centellas, Ph.D.

NOT A SENTENCE: The highest scores in the scholarship test made by English majors. (thought not
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SENTENCE: Antibiotics have reduced the death rate from pneumonia to almost zero. (completed thought)

NOT A SENTENCE: The death rate from pneumonia reduced to almost zero by antibiotics (thought not
completed)

SENTENCE: Television has given employment to thousands of technical workers. (completed thought)

NOT A SENTENCE Television giving employment to thousands of technical workers (thought not
completed)

Sentences are classified according to their purpose and according to their structure.

2b. Sentences may be classified according to their purpose

These are the for purposes that sentences may have: (1) to make a statement; (2) to ask a
question; (3) to command or request; (4) to exclaim.

(1) A declarative sentence is a sentence which makes a statement.

EXAMPLE: Chemistry has created many new positions for young college graduates.

(2) An interrogative sentence is a sentence which asks a question.

EXAMPLE: Who won the prize for public speaking?

(3) An imperative sentence is a sentence which gives a command or makes a request.

EXAMPLE: Report to the Dean of Boys at 10 o’clock.
Please sign your name in the visitors’ book.

(4) An exclamatory sentence is a sentence which expresses strong feeling.

EXAMPLE: What an exciting game that was!

One advantage of the spoken word over the printed word is that by inflection and emphasis
we can convey different meanings with the same words. Consider the sentence:

He is the best student in the class. (declarative)

He is the best student in the class? (Interrogative; you are not sure)
He is the best student in the class! (Exclamatory; you can imagine the enthusiasm in the speaker’s voice)

Without the inflection of a speaker’s voice, the different meanings of this sentence are
communicated by punctuation.

Subject and Predicate

Sintaxis II L2 – Adapted material - Lecturer: F. Nelzon Espinoza Centellas, Ph.D.

2c. A sentence consists of two parts: the subject and the predicate. The subject is that part
about which something is being said. The predicate is that part which says something about PAGE \*
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Subject Predicate
Millions of adults / are continuing their education.

Predicate Subject
Into the valley of death rode / the six hundred.

THE SIMPLE PREDICATE OR VERB

2d. The principal word or group of words in the predicate is called the simple predicate or,
more commonly, the verb.

In the two sentences above, the simple predicates (verbs) are are continuing and rode.

THE SIMPLE SUBJECT

2e. The simple subject is a word or combination of words naming the person, place, thing,
or idea about which something is being said.

EXAMPLES: The awarding of “Oscars” for excellence in the arts is now a common practice. (Subject:
The awarding of “Oscars” for excellence in the arts; simple subject: awarding)
The democratic tradition in America has been an inspiration to many lands. (Subject: The democratic
tradition in America; simple subject: tradition).

Throughout this book the term subject refers to the simple subject; the term verb refers to the simple
predicate.

COMPOUND SUBJECTS AND COMPOUND VERBS

2f. A compound subject is a subject which consists of two or more connected words. The
usual connecting words are and and or.

EXAMPLES: Mass production and a higher standard of living are characteristic of American life.
Rain or snow always seems to spoil the Thanksgiving Day game.
Beauty and truth have frequently been considered closely related.

2g. A compound verb is a verb which consists of two or more connected verbs or verb
phrases.

EXAMPLES: The team fought hard and won the pennant.

The boys had been running hard and were out of breath.

HOW TO FIND THE SUBJECT OF A SENTENCE

Sintaxis II L2 – Adapted material - Lecturer: F. Nelzon Espinoza Centellas, Ph.D.

Normally we expect to find the subject at the beginning of the sentence and the verb
following the subject. However, this may not necessarily be so. A simple way to identify PAGE \*
the subject follows: MERGEFO
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1. First find the verb (the simple predicate).
2. Then ask yourself: Around and around with incalculable speed the tiny electrons whirl
in each atom. The verb is whirl. What whirls? The answer is electrons, which is the
subject of this sentence.

This procedure will aid you in selecting the subject from the most complicated and
involved sentences. There are several additional ways to help you locate the subject in
certain special cases.

1.In imperative sentences, the subject is always you, even though the word you may not appear in the
sentence.

EXAMPLES You come here this minute. (You is expressed.)

(You) Take this letter to the principal. (You is understood)
(You) Please write your compositions more carefully. (You is understood)

2. The subject of a sentence is never in a prepositional phrase.

EXAMPLES: Millions of American veterans receive various kinds of benefits.

(Verb: receive, who receive? Millions. Millions is the subject. Veterans is not the subject. It is in
the phrase of American veterans.)

Neither of the playwrights has ever written tragedies.

(Verb: has written. Who has written? Neither. Neither is the subject. Playwrights is not the subject.
It is in the phrase of the playwrights.)

3. To find the subject in a question, invert the question into statement form.

QUESTION At what time does the play begin?

INVERTED The play does begin at what time? (Verb: does begin; subject: play)

4. The word there (or here) is never the subject of a sentence.

EXAMPLES: There is the famous restaurant.

(Verb: is, subject: restaurant. In this sentence the word there is an adverb indicating location.)

There was a great celebration after the victory.

(Verb: was; subject: celebration. The word there in this sentence is used as an expletive. It indicates
that a subject will follow the verb. Sometimes the word it may also be used as an expletive, in such a
sentence as: it is dangerous to drive wildly.)

EXERCISE 1. Identify after the proper number the full subject and the simple subject, and
the verb or simple predicate of each sentence. While you are to identify only the subject
and verb, be certain to include all parts of compound forms and all words in a verb phrase.

Sintaxis II L2 – Adapted material - Lecturer: F. Nelzon Espinoza Centellas, Ph.D.

 1. Shelley was drowned in a storm while sailing off the coast of Italy. PAGE \*

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2. Do you know the provisions of the Northwest Ordinance)? MERGEFO
3. Deposit all rubbish in the proper containers. RMAT
4. The novel is a very popular form of literature.
5. Damon and Pythias were symbols of friendship in Greek mythology.
6. Nuclear physicists and biochemists me jointly this year.
7. Lacrosse can be as exciting as almost nay other sport.
8. A Pulitzer Prize is awarded each year for the best play, novel, and book of poetry.
9. Television actors frequently go to Hollywood and repeat their successes.

10. Provision for the increasing number of aged people is one of our new social problems.
11. Tell me the answer at once.
12. Thoreau liked to walk through the woods and to observe nature.
13. There are many gaps in our knowledge about heart disease.
14. Get out of here and stay out.
15. Newton discovered the principle of gravitation.
16. The fashions of women change more often than formerly.
17. There are five parts to this algebra problems.
18. The mother found her child sleeping peacefully after his ordeal.
19. One of the results of dance training is grace of carriage.
20. That blue sweater with the little collar is becoming to you.

COMPLEMENTS

By definition a sentence contains a completed thought. Completed thoughts may be such

brief expressions as Time flies. Keep out! Sometimes even briefer sentences are possible,
like Halt! Stand! In which the subject you in understood. However, sentences often contain
a third element, a complement. The complement (notice the spelling with an e) completes
or enriches the meaning of the sentence. If you say John plays, your listener does not know
whether he is a musician, a billiard player, or an athlete. When you say John plays golf,
you have completed the meaning by adding a complement.

EXAMPLES Congress passed the resolution

The teachers gave Mary the prize.
Churchill Britain’s hero.
The atmosphere was heavy.

OBJECT COMPLEMENTS

Complements which are affected by the action of the verb are object complements. They
are of two kinds: the direct object complement and the indirect object complement, and are
more commonly known as direct object and indirect object.

Only action verb are completed in meaning by object complements.

Sintaxis II L2 – Adapted material - Lecturer: F. Nelzon Espinoza Centellas, Ph.D.

2h. The direct object (complement) of the verb receives the action of the verb or shows the
result of the action. It answers the question “What?” or “Whom?” after an action verb. PAGE \*

EXAMPLES She loved her grandmother. (She loved whom?) 2

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Lightning struck the old elm. (Lightning struck what?)

Sometimes there may be a compound direct object, as in this sentence:

Estelle liked ballet and folk dancing

2i. The indirect object (complement) of the verb precedes the direct object and usually tells
to whom or for whom the action of the verb is done.

The indirect objects in these sentences are in heavy type.

EXAMPLES The President gave him the medal.

Education offers us many advantages.

Modern music brought him new delights

If the words to and for are used, the pronoun or noun following them is a part of a prepositional
phrase; ti is not an indirect object. Like subjects, objects of verbs are never part of a prepositional
phrase.

The teacher gave him the book (Him is the indirect object of the verb gave)

The teacher gave the book to him (Him is part of the prepositional phrase to him)

Like direct object, indirect objects may be compound.

The interpreter asked the Captain and the Colonel many questions.

EXERCISE 2. Number in a column on your paper from 1 to 15. Copy after the proper
number the object of the verb in each sentence (do not include modifiers). Do not
distinguish between direct and indirect objects.
1. The treaty satisfied everybody.
2. The Governor signed the bill.
3. The Kiwanis gave him their annual award.
4. The old tree stuck the ground with a crash.
5. Eat proper food for longer life.
6. He consulted the dictionary and the almanac.
7. Children now accept radio and television as part of their daily lives.
8. They awarded Marie Curie the Nobel Prize.
9. Radium may cure cancer and other diseases.
10. Modern novelists gave him both delight and dismay.

Sintaxis II L2 – Adapted material - Lecturer: F. Nelzon Espinoza Centellas, Ph.D.

 11. The Constitution grants us our privileges and rights.
12. Television comedians afford us some pleasant hours of entertainment. PAGE \*

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13. Wilson told Lloyd George many strange things. MERGEFO
14. Shakespeare wrote many beautiful sonnets. RMAT
15. The troubadour played her an old madrigal.

SUBJECT COMPLEMENTS

When a complement refers to the subject of a sentence, it is a subject complement. A

subject complement follows linking verb only.

Subject complements are of two kinds: predicate nominative and predicate adjective.

2j. A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun complement which refers to the same
thing as the subject of the sentence. It follows a linking verb.

EXAMPLES Emily Dickinson is our greatest woman poet.

(Poet refers to the same persona as Emily Dickinson.)

The victors in tennis were Mary and Rose.

(Mary and Rose, forming a compound predicate nominative, refer to victors.)

2k. A predicate adjective is an adjective complement which modifies the subject of the
sentence. It, too, follows a linking verb.
The common linking verbs are the forms of the verb to be (see page 10), and the following: become, seem, grow, look, feel, smell, taste,
remain, sound, stay.

EXAMPLES The sky was red

Good books can be inexpensive and delightful

Normally, complements follow the verb. Occasionally, they may precede the verb for the
purpose of emphasis.

EXAMPLE Blessed are the meek. (Blessed is a predicate adjective modifying the subject meek)

EXERCISE 3. Number in a column on your paper from 1 to 15. After the proper number
write the predicate nominatives or predicate adjectives in each of the following sentences;
identify each with the abbreviation p.n. or p.a.

1. Soldiers are often lovers of adventure.

2. Mozart was truly a prodigy in music.
3. The Renaissance was a rebirth of interest in man’s creative powers.
4. Because of his recent operation, he looked rather pale and weak.
5. Modern architecture is both beautiful a functional.

Sintaxis II L2 – Adapted material - Lecturer: F. Nelzon Espinoza Centellas, Ph.D.

 6. The air seemed calm after the recent storm.
7. Everyone is either a realist or an idealist. PAGE \*

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8. “Man,” said Aristotle, “is political animal.” MERGEFO
9. The service in the restaurant was slow and slovenly. RMAT
10. Washington is a city of wonders for many visitors.
11. The Hudson River is famous for its many legends.
12. The Library of Congress is an institution Know all over the world.
13. When the campers returned home, they were exhausted and hungry.
14. Automation is wonderful to contemplate.
15. Psychology seems surer of itself today than it did fifty years ago.

REVIEW EXERCISE. Identify after the proper number the subject, the verb, and the
complements in each sentence. After each complement, tell what kind it is.

1. Salesmen must develop the art of persuasion.

2. Genghis Khan gave the world many anxious moments.
3. Walt Whitman was America’s greatest poet of the nineteenth century.
4. Count Bismarck was both clever and crafty.
1. Expectations seldom approach reality.
2. Pioneer life taught us many lessons in endurance.
3. The greatest novel by an American in the nineteenth century may have been Hawthorne’s The
Scarlet Letter.
4. The forest primeval was often a dangerous environment for the early settlers.
5. Antibiotics have saved many millions of lives.
6. Poetry is sometimes difficult to understand.

Sintaxis II L2 – Adapted material - Lecturer: F. Nelzon Espinoza Centellas, Ph.D.