MM: Subjects and Predicates

Okay, who remembers hearing their seventh grade English teacher blathering on (and on) about sentence subjects and predicates?

Anyone?

Hmm. Only mine, then? Then, in honor of Mrs. Babyock, allow me to remind you:

• The Subject of a sentence is the person, place, or thing that the sentence is talking about.

• The Predicate of the sentence is the action being done by, to, or about the subject.

Every sentence has to have both of these elements in order to be a sentence.

I suppose some examples would be handy about now, huh?

• I knit.
• My dog ate.
• My sister drove.
• My parents smiled.

Short and sweet, but we are talking basics, here.

In each of these very basic sentences, the subject is the person (or dog) being talked about. I. My dog. My parents. My sister.

The predicate is the verb demonstrating the action. Knit. Ate. Smiled. Drove.

Most sentences (I don’t know if you’ve noticed?), usually have just a little more complexity than this.

The subject, for example, might be more complex.

• My friends and I knit.
• My hungry, happy dog ate.
• My good sister drove.
• My loving parents smiled.

The predicate can also be more complex.

• I knit happily away at my new sweater.
• My dog ate his breakfast with a gusto that made me laugh.
• My sister drove for over an hour just to deliver an anniversary present.
• My parents smiled when they answered the door.