Parts of the Sentence

Subject

The subject names who or what the sentence is about. It can be a noun, a pronoun, a phrase or a clause functioning as a noun.

Simple Subject: The main word (noun or pronoun) that tells whom or what the sentence is about.

• Example: The cat is sleeping. - Simple subject: cat

Complete Subject: The simple subject and all the words that modify it.

• Example: "The little brown cat is sleeping."

Compound Subject: A subject made up of two or more simple subjects that are joined by a conjunction.

• Example: "My brother and sister are playing."

Subjects in Imperative Sentences 

In imperative sentences, the subject is often understood rather than explicitly stated. The subject is usually "you."

• Example 1: "Sit down!" (You sit down.)
• Example 2: "Please help me." (You please help me.)
• Example 3: "Thank you." (I thank you.)

Predicate 

The predicate tells what the subject does or what is said about the subject. It always contains a verb and gives more information about the subject.

Simple Predicate: The main verb or verb phrase in the sentence that tells something about the subject.

• Example: "The cat is sleeping."

Complete Predicate: The verb or verb phrase and all the words that modify or complete its meaning.

• Example: "The cat is sleeping on the couch."

Compound Predicate: A predicate that has two or more verbs joined by a conjunction.

• Example: "The cat slept and purred."

Examples of Subject and Predicate

• Example 1: "The sun (Subject) / is shining brightly (Predicate)."
• Example 2: "My friends (Subject) / are coming over (Predicate)."
• Example 3: "The dog (Subject) / barked loudly (Predicate)."
• Example 4: "Rohan and Sita (Compound Subject) / went to the market (Predicate)."
• Example 5: "The teacher (Subject) / gave us homework (Predicate)."
• Example 6: "To err (Infinitive Subject) / is human (Predicate)."
• Example 7: "Smoking (Gerund Subject) / is harmful (Predicate)."

Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) Structure 

Many English sentences follow the Subject-Verb-Object order: the subject performs an action (verb) on an object.

Examples: Identifying Subject and Predicate

• Example: She (Subject) / baked (Verb) / a cake (Object).
• Example: I (Subject) / hate (Verb) / waiting in lines (Object - gerund).
• Example: He (Subject) / loves (Verb) / reading books (Object - gerund).

Subjects with Gerunds and Infinitives

• Example: "Swimming (Gerund Subject) / is a good exercise (Predicate)."

• Example: "To walk (Infinitive Subject) / is good for health (Predicate)."

Question: Identify the Subject and Predicate in the following sentences:

1. The birds are singing beautifully.
2. My mother made a delicious dinner.
3. Riding a bicycle is fun.
4. To succeed requires hard work.
5. The students were preparing for exams.

Answers

1. Subject: The birds - Predicate: are singing beautifully.
2. Subject: My mother - Predicate: made a delicious dinner.
3. Subject: Riding a bicycle - Predicate: is fun.
4. Subject: To succeed - Predicate: requires hard work.
5. Subject: The students - Predicate: were preparing for exams.

Summary

Every complete sentence contains a subject (who/what) and a predicate (what is said about the subject). Learn to spot the main noun or noun phrase as the subject and the main verb or verb phrase as the predicate. Practice with varied sentence types - simple, compound, imperative, gerundial and infinitive subjects - to build accuracy.