Name:__________________________________
Date: ____________________ Period: ________________
Notes on Subjects and Predicates ~ Sentence Unit
 A sentence is a word group that contains a subject and a verb that expresses
a complete thought.
 Sentences consist of two basic parts: subjects and predicates.
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THE SUBJECT
 The subject tells whom or what the sentence is about.
 The subject may come at the beginning, middle, or even at the end of a
sentence.
 To find the subject, ask yourself who or what is doing something, or about
whom or what something is being said.
Examples: 1. Lois Lenski wrote Strawberry Girl. – Lois Lenski is the subject.
2. The tooth with a point is called a canine.
3. After school, Theresa went to the band room.
4. Under our house was a tiny kitten.
COMPLETE SUBJECTS AND SIMPLE SUBJECTS
 The complete subject consists of all the words need to tell whom or what the
sentence is about.
 The simple subject is part of the complete subject. The simple subject is
the main word or word group that tells whom or what the sentence is about.
 If you leave the simple subject out of a sentence, the sentence will not make
sense.
Examples: 1. The Korean market is closed today.
Complete subject: The Korean Market
Simple subject: market
2. “Little Rascal” is the story of a boy and his pet raccoon.
“Little Rascal” is both the complete subject and simple subject.
THE PREDICATE
 The predicate of a sentence tells something about the subject.
 The predicate tells what the subject is or does, and therefore must
contain a verb [either linking, action, or helping verb(s) +verb].
Examples: 1. Lori Lenski wrote Strawberry Girl.. – wrote Strawberry Girl is the predicate.
2. The tooth with the point is called a canine. – is called a canine is the predicate.
 The predicate usually comes after the subject. Sometimes, however, part
or all of the predicate comes before the subject.
Examples: 1. Quickly we learned the layout of the small Hopi village.
2. At the entrance to the science fair were maps of the exhibits.
COMPLETE PREDICATES AND SIMPLE PREDICATES
 The complete predicate consists of a verb and all the words that describe
the verb and complete its meaning.
 The simple predicate is the verb – plain and simple! It is the main word or
word group in the complete predicate.
 The simple predicate may be a single verb or a verb phrase (helping verb(s)
+ main verb).
 The words not and never , and the contraction –n’t are not verbs. They are
never part of a verb or a verb phrase. Remember: NOT is NOT a verb! 
Examples: 1. The nurse lifted the patient carefully.
Complete predicate: lifted the patient carefully
Simple predicate (verb): lifted
2. We should have planned a picnic. – should have planned (verb phrase) is the
simple predicate.
3. Kendra shouldn’t have added another hot pepper to the sauce. (NOT is NOT a verb!)