Subject and Predicate – Concept and Its Uses

A complete sentence has two parts – a subject and a predicate. 

The subject tells us what or whom the sentence is about.  

Subject is the name of a person or thing we are talking about. 

The predicate says something about the subject.  

For example: Thepuppies are playing in the sun. 

Here, we are talking about “the puppies.” So the subject is “the puppies” and the rest of the sentence is the predicate. The predicate “are playing in the sun” gives more information about the subject “the puppies.” 

Subject can be of the following types. 

Simple subject –

A simple subject is the one or two main words in the subject. It formed when the words that modify a noun or pronoun are removed from the subject. 

For example: Many cars were parked in the parking area. 

Here, the main word in the subject is “cars,” so the simple subject is “cars.” 

Complete subject 

Some subjects may have one word or more than one words. The main word (simple subject) which says who or what a sentence is about with its modifiers is together known as the complete subject. 

For example:All the members of the clubparticipated in the activity. 

Here, we are talking about all the members of the club. So the subject is “all the members of the club” and predicate is “participated in the activity.” 

Compound subject 

A simple subject containing more than one noun or pronoun is called a compound subject. 

For example: Aunt Molly and Uncle Tomvisited us yesterday. 

The answer for who visited is “Aunt Molly and Uncle Tom.” The compound subject is “Aunt Molly and Uncle Tom.” 

Sentences which do not begin with the subject 

The subject may not always appear in the beginning of the sentence. It can come after the predicate. 

For example: Here comes the bus. 

“The bus” is the subject and “here comes” is the predicate. 

Hidden subject 

Subject can be hidden in some sentences. 

In imperative sentences (sentences which give a command or an order),the subject is “you”. 

For example: Come here. 

Here,when one is telling another person “Come here,” it means the subject is the 2^nd person who is listening. 

In such sentences, the subject is you and it is understood. 

Sentences which begin with there  

In sentences which begin with “there” plus a form of the verb “to be,” “there” is not the subject. 

For example: There are two kids playing in the park. 

If we ask the question who? Before the verb “are playing,” the answer is “two kids” which is the subject. 

Predicates are of different types. 

Complete predicate –

A complete predicate includes the verb and all other details that describe the subject. 

For example: John went to school by bus. 

Here, went is the verb and went to school by bus is the predicate. It is a complete predicate since it includes all the details about the action of the subject. 

• Simple predicate–A simple predicate is also part of the complete predicate. It includes the main verb and the helping verb if any that shows what the subject is doing. 

For example: John went to school by bus. 

Here,”went” is the simple predicate 

• Compund predicate – A compound predicate has more than one verb referring to the same subject. 

For example: Matt visited Jim and gifted him a watch on his birthday. 

Here, visited and gifted are the verbs which make the predicate a compound one.