Primary parts of the sentence

The parts of the sentence are a set of terms for describing how people construct sentences from smaller pieces. There is not a direct correspondence between the parts of the sentence and the parts of speech -- the subject of a sentence, for example, could be a noun, a pronoun, or even an entire phrase or clause. Like the parts of speech, however, the parts of the sentence form part of the basic vocabulary of grammar, and it is important that you take some time to learn and understand them.

Written by Frances Peck

Subject and Predicate

Every complete sentence contains two parts: a subject and a predicate. The subject is what (or whom) the sentence is about, while the predicate tells something about the subject. In the following sentences, the predicate is enclosed in braces ({}), while the subject is highlighted.

Judy {runs}.

Judy and her dog {run on the beach every morning}.

To determine the subject of a sentence, first isolate the verb and then make a question by placing "who?" or "what?" before it -- the answer is the subject.

The audience littered the theatre floor with torn wrappings and spilled popcorn.

The verb in the above sentence is "littered." Who or what littered? The audience did. "The audience" is the subject of the sentence. The predicate (which always includes the verb) goes on to relate something about the subject: what about the audience? It "littered the theatre floor with torn wrappings and spilled popcorn."

Unusual Sentences

Imperative sentences (sentences that give a command or an order) differ from conventional sentences in that their subject, which is always "you," is understood rather than expressed.

Stand on your head. ("You" is understood before "stand.")

Be careful with sentences that begin with "there" plus a form of the verb "to be." In such sentences, "there" is not the subject; it merely signals that the true subject will soon follow.

There were three stray kittens cowering under our porch steps this morning.

If you ask who? or what? before the verb ("were cowering"), the answer is "three stray kittens," the correct subject.

Simple Subject and Simple Predicate

noun or pronoun (or more) that, when stripped of all the words that modify it, is known as the simple subject. Consider the following example:

A piece of pepperoni pizza would satisfy his hunger.

The subject is built around the noun "piece," with the other words of the subject -- "a" and "of pepperoni pizza" -- modifying the noun. "Piece" is the simple subject.

Likewise, a predicate has at its centre a simple predicate, which is always the verb or verbs that link up with the subject. In the example we just considered, the simple predicate is "would satisfy" -- in other words, the verb of the sentence.

A sentence may have a compound subject -- a simple subject consisting of more than one noun or pronoun -- as in these examples:

Team pennants, rock posters and family photographs covered the boy's bedroom walls.

Her uncle and she walked slowly through the Inuit art gallery and admired the powerful sculptures exhibited there.

The second sentence above features a compound predicate, a predicate that includes more than one verb pertaining to the same subject (in this case, "walked" and "admired").

The subject

What Is the Subject of a Sentence? (with Examples)

The subject of a sentence is the person or thing doing the action or being described. For example (subjects shaded):

· Lee ate the pie.

(Lee is the subject of the sentence. Lee is the subject of the main verb ate; i.e., Lee is doing the action.)

· Lee is putting on weight.

(Lee is the subject of the sentence. Lee is the subject of the main verb is; i.e., Lee is being described.)

The subject of a sentence is one of the basic parts of a sentence. The other basic part is the predicate. The predicate tells us something about the subject (i.e., it tells us what action the subject is performing, or it describes the subject). Every sentence must have a verb, and every verb must have a subject.

Read more about predicates.

Simple Subject, Complete Subject, and Compound Subject

The subject of a sentence will be a nounor a pronoun (including all the modifiersthat go with it). For example:

· Pierre puts a lot of garlic in his food.

(Pierre is the subject, and puts a lot of garlic in his food is the predicate. This is an example of a simple subject. A simple subject is just one word without any modifiers.)

· That boy puts a lot of garlic in his food.

(That boy is an example of a complete subject. It is the simple subject (in this case, boyplus all modifiers.)

· That new boy from Paris puts a lot of garlic in his food.

(That new boy from Paris is a complete subject. It is the simple subject (boy) plus all modifiers.)

· Pierre and Claudette put a lot of garlic in their food.

(Pierre and Claudette is a compound subject. That just means it is made up of more than one element.)

· That new boy from Paris and the tall girl with the long hair put a lot of garlic in their food.

(That new boy from Paris and the tall girl with the long hair is a compound subject made up of two complete subjects.)

A complete subject will be a noun phrase or a noun clause.