Subject and Predicate

Introduction

Any complete sentence must have a subject and a predicate. But what precisely are they? What is the difference between a subject and a predicate? What is the sentence’s subject, and what is the predicate? In a sentence, how do you figure out what the subject and predicate are? Taking all of this into account, the following article will discuss the many types of subjects and predicates, as well as how they are employed in sentences. We’ll also look at some instances to show how they apply to the building of meaningful sentences. Let’s have a look at it.

The difference between Subjects and Predicates

Subject

The doer of the verb denotes the subject, which is a component of a phrase that specifies who or what performs the action. In a sentence, the subject is the noun or pronoun. Therefore when looking for the subject in a sentence, start with the primary verb of the phrase and ask the question “who” or “what.”

Predicate

The predicate indicates the subject’s behaviour. It is the component of the phrase or a sentence that explains anything about the subject. The primary verb of the predicate is the most essential part. Predicates must always carry a verb. They do, however, include a few additional elements. These include direct or indirect object, phrases and clauses.

Examples of subjects and predicates

Subject examples

Pope Francis is the leader of the Vatican City.

The plumber is fixing the broken pipe in the kitchen. 

She is taking a flight to Hawaii this summer. 

In the above sentences, the subjects are highlighted in bold. In each case the subject is the person or the object doing or being something. 

Predicate examples

Nelson was a successful athlete.

The plumber is fixing the broken pipe in the kitchen. 

She is taking a flight to Hawaii this summer.  

In the above sentences, the predicates are highlighted in bold. In each case, the predicate is what the subjects are doing.

Types of subjects and predicates

Types of subjects 

Simple subject

A simple subject contains only one subject. For example: 

Tom has two children

The simple subject in the sentence is “Tom.” 

Complete subject

A complete subject usually contains a subject with a modifier. For example:

The blue bottle has no water. 

The complete subject is the “blue bottle” this is because it gives a complete introduction to the subject. 

Compound subject

A compound subject has two or more subjects that are joined with a conjunction. For example: 

John and Jane are getting married.

The compound subjects in the sentence are John and Jane. 

Types of predicates

Simple predicate

A simple predicate contains only one verb. For example:

Tom has two children

The simple predicate in the sentence is “two children” 

Complete predicate

A complete predicate usually contains verbs with a modifier. For example:

The married couple often disagrees over little things. 

The complete predicate in the sentence is “disagrees over little things.”

Compound predicate

A compound predicate has two or more verbs that are joined with a conjunction. For example: 

Cassie loves green apples but hates red apples. 

The compound predicate in the sentence “loves green apples but hates red apples.” 

Conclusion

In summary, understanding how subjects and predicates function help you avoid grammatical mistakes in your writing.  Each complete sentence should have a subject and a predicate. The subject in this case is the topic of a sentence (i.e., the thing or person acting in a sentence). It is often a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun.  Meanwhile, a predicate is the component of a sentence that informs us what the subject is doing or being. The predicate mostly has atleast a verb, but it might be lengthier.