The concept of Subject and Predicate

There are two parts to a complete sentence -. Subject and predicate. People often mistake the subject as the starting part of the sentence or the noun. But the subject of a sentence can be a part of speech or a whole clause. There is no direct correlation between the elements of the sentence and the parts of speech. The elements of the sentence, like the parts of speech, are part of the basic grammatical vocabulary, and you should spend some time learning and understanding them. As a result, the purpose of this article is to offer you background information on the subject and Predicate and some examples and a worksheet.

What is Subject and Predicate?

A complete sentence that makes meaning has two parts – Subject and Predicate. The subject and predicate, which make up a sentence, are made up of these two components of speech.

Every complete sentence has two parts in the English language: subject and predicate.

A sentence’s subject is any object (noun), i.e. what or person the sentence is about. In contrast, a sentence’s predicate is information about the subject (What action is being performed by the subject).

For Example :

Seeta is sleeping in the sun,

The word Seeta is a name, i.e. a Noun, and so, it is the subject. As stated, the remaining part will be the predicate. So ‘sleeping in the sun’ is the Predicate, as it is telling us what action is being carried out. 

“He reads.”

The Subject is he, and the Predicate is reads.

“Suman’s sisters are going to the pool.”

This sentence is actually about Suman’s sisters; they are the subject. The Predicate is “going to the pool” because it shows what the sisters are doing.

Most of the time, the subject comes before or at the starting of the sentence but not always. This is where people mainly make mistakes. The Subject has to be associated with the noun and Predicate with the verb that the noun is performing.

Types of Subject and Predicate

You have two possibilities for categorising subjects and predicates. They can be simple or complicated. When looking at the subjects or predicates separately, you can see the difference.

Simple Subjects: Subjects with only one performer are known as simple subjects. It makes no difference what the Subject is doing; all that matters is that there is only one. 

For example, Alina went to the Church.

Simple Predicate: When the subject just accomplishes one thing, this is a simple predicate (or is only one thing). This usually indicates that there is only one verb. 

Example:

The Kitten sat on the table. (sat on the table).

Compound Subjects: Two or more individuals and things are involved in the compound subjects. The key to grasping this is that plural nouns are not used when there are two or more people.

For example,

The children’s books and backpacks went missing while they were at lunch. (children’s book and backpacks)

Compound Predicates: Similarly, when we talk about compound predicates, we consider multiple, but multiple is a verb or action. In this, the subject performs two actions at a time, so it becomes a compound predicate. See the examples below:

The Kitten had water and sat on the table. (had water and sat on the table).

You now know the distinction between simple and complex subjects and predicates. This is a worksheet that you can use to test your subject knowledge. Take a stab at the five questions listed below. This will aid you in checking your understanding of the topic discussed. The answers can be found at the bottom of the article.

Identify Subjects and Predicates :

1. The teacher gave her students homework.

2. She painted her bedroom black and blue.

3. Sudhir won a trophy in the  sports competition

4. The bank opened at noon.

5. The cat stretched.

Answers – 

1. Subject: The teacher

Predicate: gave her students homework.

2. Subject: She

Predicate: painted her bedroom black and blue.

3. Subject: Sudhir

Predicate: won a trophy in the sports competition.

4. Subject: The bank

Predicate: opened at noon.

5. Subject: The cat

Predicate: stretched.

Conclusion

We hope that after reading this, you will have a better understanding of the subject and predicate, which are the two pieces of a full sentence. Subject and Predicate are frequently asked in competitive exams that include English as a subject. On the topic, students are frequently presented with multiple-choice questions in which they must identify or fill in the blanks with subject or predicate.