Sentence Factory · Today with The Mayor

Subject & Predicate

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Even a long subject is still one orange half.

Subject & Predicate

Every sentence is built from two halves. Work through each one, then test it on the line.

Complete subject

Complete predicate

Two halves, one complete thought

A complete thought needs both halves: a complete subject and a complete predicate. One without the other is only a fragment.

On the line

The largest tree in the forest gives the most shade .

Even a long subject is still one orange half.

Now you try

Put a who or what together with what they do. That is a complete thought.

The complete subject and the simple subject

The complete subject is everything about the doer. At its center sits a main noun, the simple subject. Everything else merely attends it. When “and” joins two nouns, the subject is compound, and both nouns share the role.

On the line

The big kid down the street waved .

Two nouns in the subject, but the simple subject is “kid.”

Now you try

Pick a person, an animal, or a thing. That noun is your simple subject.

The complete predicate and the simple predicate

The complete predicate is all that is said about the subject. Its core is the verb, which we call the simple predicate. A helping verb may precede it.

On the line

The wind was howling .

helping verb + main action verb, both in the predicate.

Now you try

Add an action word: ran, jumped, sang. That verb is your simple predicate.