Subject and Predicate

Every complete sentence has two main parts: a subject and a predicate.

The Subject

The subject tells us who or what the sentence is about.

Simple Subject

The main noun or pronoun:

• Dogs bark.
• She is a teacher.
• The book is interesting.

Complete Subject

The simple subject plus all its modifiers:

• The big brown dog barks loudly.
• My older sister is a teacher.
• The interesting book on the table belongs to me.

The Predicate

The predicate tells us what the subject does or what is said about the subject.

Simple Predicate

The main verb:

• Dogs bark.
• She is a teacher.
• The book is interesting.

Complete Predicate

The verb plus all related words:

• Dogs bark loudly at strangers.
• She is a teacher at the local school.
• The book is interesting and well-written.

Finding the Subject

Ask “Who?” or “What?”

“The children are playing in the garden.”

Who is playing? → The children (subject) What are they doing? → are playing in the garden (predicate)

Subjects in Different Sentence Types

Statements:

• The sun rises in the east.

Questions:

• Where did you put the keys?
• Is she coming to the party?

Commands (implied subject “you”):

• (You) Close the door.
• (You) Please sit down.

Compound Subjects and Predicates

Compound Subject

Two or more subjects with the same predicate:

• Tom and Jerry are friends.
• The cat, the dog, and the bird live together.

Compound Predicate

Two or more predicates with the same subject:

• She sings and dances.
• The children ran, jumped, and played.

Quiz