Lesson 1: Subjects and Predicates

Definition

The complete subject consists of the simple subject and any words, phrases, or clauses that modify the simple subject.

Explanation

Every sentence contains a subject and a predicate.
The subject tells whom or what the sentence is about, and the predicate says something about the subject.
Think of the complete subject as the main character of the sentence plus its entire entourage! To find it, ask "Who or what is doing the action?" The answer will be the complete subject, including all the descriptive words that give you more information about the core noun or pronoun.

Examples

• The students in the classroom studied quietly.

[What is being discussed? The students in the classroom.]

• Every afternoon, the cheerful melody from the ice cream truck excites the children.

[What excites the children? The cheerful melody from the ice cream truck.]

• Did Kevin's younger brother participate in the science fair?

[Who participated? Kevin's younger brother.]

Definition

The main word or word group that tells whom or what the sentence is about is called the simple subject.

Explanation

The simple subject is the superstar of the subject—the single noun or pronoun the sentence is truly about, stripped of all descriptive words. A great trick is to ignore prepositional phrases (like in the house or of the students); the simple subject will never be hiding in one. Sometimes, the subject is so simple it's also the complete subject!

Examples

• The students in the classroom studied quietly. [Students is the subject]
• When will she start the new project? [Who will start? She will.]
• Carlos works at the local library. [In this case, Carlos is both the simple and complete subject.]

Definition

A compound subject consists of two or more subjects that are joined by a conjunction and that have the same verb.

Explanation

A compound subject occurs when two or more subjects share the spotlight and perform the same action. These co-stars are linked together by a connecting word, or conjunction. Keep an eye out for common conjunctions like and, or, and correlative pairs like neither...nor or not only...but also.

Examples

• Maria and Liam planted flowers.

[Maria and Liam are the two subjects performing the same action: planted.]

• Neither the cat nor the dog wanted to go outside in the rain.

[Cat and dog are the subjects joined by Neither...nor.]

• Did Sam, Ava, and Noah collaborate on the presentation?

[Sam, Ava, and Noah are the three subjects of the verb 'did collaborate'.]

Definition

The simple predicate, or verb, is the main word or word group that tells something about the subject.

Explanation

The simple predicate is the action or state of being in the sentence—it’s what the subject does or is. It can be a single powerful verb or a verb phrase made of multiple words. Remember, in questions, the parts of a verb phrase can be separated by the subject, but they still work together as one team!

Examples

• David quickly ran across the field. [The single verb ran tells what David did.]
• Did David run across the field? [The verb phrase is Did run, separated by the subject 'David'.]
• The teachers were discussing the new schedule. [The verb phrase were discussing tells what the teachers were doing.]

Definition

The complete predicate consists of a verb and all the words that describe the verb and complete its meaning.

Explanation

The complete predicate tells the entire story about the subject. It starts with the verb and includes every word that follows, explaining what the subject is doing, how it's doing it, and to whom or what. Pay attention, as sometimes the predicate can appear before the subject for dramatic effect! Occasionally, the simple and complete predicate are one and the same.

Examples

• My sister was happily reading her new book.

[The simple predicate is 'was reading', and the complete predicate includes all words that follow.]

• Hiding under the bed was the cat.

[Here, the entire complete predicate comes before the subject 'cat'.]

• The baby is sleeping.

[In this sentence, is sleeping serves as both the simple and complete predicate.]

Definition

A compound verb consists of two or more verbs that are joined by a conjunction and that have the same subject.

Explanation

A compound verb lets one subject perform a series of actions in the same sentence. It's like a multitasking hero! The verbs are linked by a conjunction like and, but, or or. Using compound verbs makes your writing more fluid and avoids repetition, as you don't need to state the subject over and over.

Examples

• The team played their hardest and celebrated the victory.

[The subject 'team' performs two actions: played and celebrated.]

• Does the puppy chase the ball and return it?

[The compound verb is Does chase and return, with both verbs linked to the subject 'puppy'.]

• She researched the topic, wrote the essay, and submitted it online.

[The subject 'She' performs three actions in a sequence.]