Subjects, predicates

and

sentences

Tell me what is happening.

Who?
Wass up?

Who?
Who are you speaking about?

Harry Potter

Who? Spider Man Wass up? Is running after the bad guys

Spider Man is running after the bad guys! This is a complete sentence.

What must a complete sentence have ?

A subject A predicate

Spider Man

Is running after the bad guys

A sentence must also make sense.

A Subject
tells who or what the sentence is about.
Spider Man battles for justice.

Who battles for justice?

The subject

The predicate tells us about

the subject.
The predicate tells what the subject does or has.

The predicate can also describe what the subject is or is like.

The predicate tells wass up

with the subject.

The predicate tells what the subject does or has. The predicate can also describe what the subject is or is like.

Spider Man
fights for justice. (does) has a strong web. (has)

is a hero.
is brave.

(is)
(is like)

These are predicates.

A sentence must have a subject and a predicate and express a complete thought. (make sense)

A sentence fragment
o does not express a complete thought.
o may be missing a subject. o may be missing a predicate.

o may be missing both.

Spider Man with a red coverall

So wass up with Spider Man in his red cover-alls? What is missing? The subject or the predicate?

OK! The predicate!

fights for justice and the good guys. OK Who fights for justice and the good guys?
Whats missing?

Right! Spider Man!

What is Spider The Subject Man?

for justice and the good guys

What is missing?

the who or what?

the wass up?

OK! BOTH!

or

both?

The Complete Subject

Spider Man with his red cover-alls, mask, spinneret's, and green eyes was a fierce fighter.
The complete subject includes all of the words in the subject of the sentence.

The Complete Predicate

Spider Man with his red cover-alls, mask, spinneret's, and green eyes was a fierce fighter. The complete predicate includes all of the words in the predicate of a sentence.

The Simple Subject

is the main word or group of words in the complete subject.
is usually a noun or pronoun. Spider Man in his mask and cover-alls is a hero.

The Simple Predicate

is the main word or group of words in the complete predicate.

is always a verb. Spider Man in his mask and cover-alls ran toward the robbers.

Finding Subjects
Declarative Sentences Most statements begin with the subject.

I am Rocky.
I am so cool. This dog is mine.

Interrogative Sentence Order

Questions may begin with part or all of the predicate. The subject come next followed by the rest of the predicate. Have you seen a dog?

Have I seen a dog?

Why do you ask?

Interrogative Sentences
When questions begin with part or all of the predicate, this is the P S P word order.
Have you seen a dog? P S P Have I seen a dog? Why do you ask? P S P P S P

To locate the subject of an interrogative sentence,change the question into a declarative sentence. (Make a statement.)
Have you seen a dog? Question You have seen a dog. Statement Have I seen a dog? Question I have seen a dog. Statement Why do you ask? Question You do ask why. Statement

Most sentences have the subject at the beginning of the sentence and the predicate after the subject.

This is the S P sentence order

Sometimes sentences have inverted word order.

This is the P S sentence order.

Inverted Word Order (The subject is not first.)

Holding the mouses tail was a cat!

Whom or what is the sentence about? The subject is the cat.

Imperative Sentence
In requests and commands, the subject is usually not stated. The word you is understood to be the subject.

You Catch that cat!

Compound Subjects (2 or+ subjects) The cat and the dog are not buddies. Compound Predicates (2 or+ verbs) The cat hissed and spat. The dog growled and barked.

Compound subjects and predicates (verbs) Use and, but, or or to join the
compound subjects and predicates.

When you have 3 or more subjects or 3 or more verbs: and, but, or or usually comes before only the last subject or predicate.

Wild Cat, Cool Dude, and Izzy

rule the Bumbles house.

Wild Cat, Cool Dude, and Izzy

stalk, bite, and scratch the poor Bumbles!

Simple and Compound Sentences

You can put two simple sentences together and make a compound sentence.

WOW!

Wild Cat, Cool Dude, and Izzy are in a cat conspiracy, but the Bumbles dont know it.

Run-On Sentences
A run-on sentence is two or more sentences incorrectly written as one sentence.

Oh, no!

To correct a run-on sentence, write separate sentences, or combine the sentences.

If you combine the sentences, use either a semicolon alone ; or a comma with and, or, or but.

, conjunction

Wild Cat, Cool Dude, and Izzy hope you are a sentence wizard in Mrs. Dyers class.