English Grammar - Subject and Predicate

English Grammar

Subject and Predicate

In our schools, we have learnt about the different parts of a sentence. These parts give each word a job. Every complete sentence needs two things: a subject and a predicate.

Subject - The subject of a sentence is, what (or whom) the sentence is about. In other words, Subject is that element of a sentence, which performs the "action" denoted by the verb:

Examples:

· David plays the piano.

‘David’ is the subject of the sentence, because he is performing the action of playing the piano.

· The police interviewed all the witnesses

· The dogs were barking loudly.

· The pretty girl was wearing a blue frock.

· My younger brother serves in the army.

· The man and his wife were working in their garden.

· My mother and my aunt are trained classical dancers.

· You don’t have to wait for me.

· We will no longer tolerate this.

· The little tree was covered with needles instead of leaves.

· A rich merchant was passing by the shoemaker’s window.

Predicate - A predicate is the part of a sentence, or a clause, that tells what the subject is doing or what the subject is.

Examples:

· Jacob is sleeping in the sun.

‘sleeping in the sun’ is the predicate, because it’s dictating what Jacob is doing.

· Mr. Clinton is teaching Algebra to the students.

· Monkeys are playing around in the garden.

· Oxygen is essential for life on earth.

· John F. Kennedy was elected as US President in 1960.

· Honesty is the best policy.

· Horses are majestic animals.

· The Earth revolves around the sun.

· Borrowed-garments never fit well.

· All matter is destructible.

· No man can serve two masters.

· The greatest similarity between India and China is that they both have huge population.

**The difference between a subject and a predicate is that the subject will always be a noun or pronoun and the predicate will contain a verb in addition to a possible modifier.

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