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Sentence Structure: Subject, Verb, Complement

This document defines and provides examples of the main components of a sentence: the subject, verb, complement, and modifier. The subject is the person or thing performing the action, the verb shows the action and follows the subject, the complement completes the verb, and the modifier provides details about time, place or manner. Examples are given for each component to illustrate their roles in a sentence.

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Magdalena Elda 1KA08
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193 views11 pages

Sentence Structure: Subject, Verb, Complement

This document defines and provides examples of the main components of a sentence: the subject, verb, complement, and modifier. The subject is the person or thing performing the action, the verb shows the action and follows the subject, the complement completes the verb, and the modifier provides details about time, place or manner. Examples are given for each component to illustrate their roles in a sentence.

Uploaded by

Magdalena Elda 1KA08
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Subject, Verb, Complement, Modifier

Subject
Agent of the sentence
The person or thing that performs or responsible for the
action of the sentence
Normally precedes the verb
It can be a single noun ( example : Coffee is delicious )
It can be a noun phrase ( example : The book is on the table )
Another examples of subjects :

We girls are not going to that movie.


George likes boats.
Mary, George, John and I went to a restaurant last
night.
The weather was very bad yesterday.
The chemistry professor canceled class today.
There and It can act as a pseudo-subject and is treated
like a subject. However the true subject appears after
the verb, and the number of the true subject controls
the verb

Example :
There was a fire in that building last month.

There were many students in the room.


Verb
The verb follows the subject
Generally shows the action of the sentence
The verb may be a single word (example : John drives
too fast.)
The verb may be a verb phrase (example : John is going
to Miami tomorrow.)
Another examples of verbs :

She will go to Boston next week.


Jane is very tall.
She must have gone to the bank.
Joe has gone home.
Mary is watching television.
Complement

A complement completes the verb


Similar to the subject because it is usually a noun or a
noun phrase, however it generally follows the verb
A complement answers the question what? or whom?
Examples of complements :

John bought a cake yesterday.


(What did John buy?)
Jill was driving a new car.
(What was Jill driving?)
She saw John at the movies last night.
(Whom did she see at the movies?)
They called Mary yesterday.
(Whom did they call?)
Modifier
A modifier tells the time, place, or manner of the
action
Very often it is a prepositional phrase (example : in the
morning, at the university, on the table)
Another examples of modifiers : last night, hurriedly,
next year, outdoors, yesterday, etc
A modifier answers the question when?, where?, or
how?
Examples of modifiers :

John bought a book at the bookstore.


(Where did John buy a book?)
Jill was swimming in the pool yesterday.
(Where Jill was swimming?)
(When Jill was swimming?)
He was driving very fast.
(How was he driving?)
She drove the car on Main Street.
(Where did she drive?)
Latihan!
1. George is cooking dinner tonight.
2. Henry and Marcia have visited the president.
3. We can eat lunch in this restaurant today.
4. Pat should have bought gasoline yesterday.
5. Trees grow.
6. It was raining at seven o’clock this morning.
7. She opened a checking account at the bank last week.
8. Harry is washing dishes now.
9. She opened her book.
10. Paul, William, and Mary were watching television a
few minutes ago.

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