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Sentence Grammar |
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A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. Every sentence has to have a subject The part of the sentence that names the person, place, or thing the sentence is about. Subjects are usually nouns or pronouns. The word firefighters is the subject of the following sentence: In the following sentence, the words jumped over the hurdle make up the predicate: Seven firefighters were injured in the apartment fire.
and a predicateThe predicate of a sentence describes the action performed or received by the subject. A predicate includes the verb of the sentence and all its modifiers and auxiliaries. The runner jumped over the hurdle.
, as in the following examples:
Experienced travelers pack efficiently.
Airlines regulate carry-on luggage.
To check for the simple subjectThe subject is the part of the sentence that names the person, place, or thing the sentence is about. Subjects are usually nouns or pronouns. The word firefighters is the subject of the following sentence: The simple subject is the subject noun alone: firefighters. The complete subject is the subject noun and its modifiers: seven firefighters.Seven firefighters were injured in the apartment fire.
To check for the simple predicateThe predicate of a sentence describes the action performed or received by the subject. A predicate includes the verb of the sentence and all its modifiers and auxiliaries. In the following sentence, the words jumped over the hurdle make up the predicate: The simple predicate consists of the verb and its helping verbs: jumped. The complete predicate includes the simple predicate and any modifiers, objects, and complements: jumped over the hurdle.The runner jumped over the hurdle.
A writer rarely composes a sentence with just a simple subject and a simple predicate.
Consider the effect of the following sentences:
Travelers pack.Airlines regulate.
Such sentences are dull and provide little, if any information, for the reader. Most good sentences, therefore, contain words and phrases that broaden the meaning of the subject and predicate, as in the following examples:
Sophisticated world travelers pack efficiently and carefully.Individual airlines in the United States and abroad regulate the size, weight, and number of carry-on bags.
Occasionally, a writer gets so involved in expanding the ideas in a sentence that the subject or the verb (predicate) may get dropped in the process. Be sure to check every sentence you write for a subject and a predicate.
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Which of the following is a complete sentence? |
| No. This is not a complete sentence. It does have a verb, limit, but it does not have a simple subject. |
| Yes. This is a complete sentence because it contains both a simple subject, travelers, and a verb, can tell. |
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