Download The Sentence & Its Parts

The Sentence and Its Parts
Complete Subject

All the words that tell
whom or what the
sentence is about.

The green chalk
board is terrible to
read.

Complete Sub.=
The green chalk
board
Complete Predicate

The verb and all the
words that tell about the
verb.

The green chalk
board is terrible to
read.

Complete Predicate =
is terrible to read.
Simple Subject
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The main focus of the
sentence. Descriptive
words are not a part
of the simple subject.
The subject must be a
noun or pronoun.

The green chalk
board is terrible to
read.

Simple subject = board
Simple Predicate = Verb

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The verb is the one
main action of the
sentence.
If you can do it, it is a
verb.


The green chalk
board is terrible to
read.
Verb = is
Verb Phrases
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A phrase is a group of
words that is not a
complete thought.
A verb phrase is the
main verb plus one or
more helping verbs.


The green chalk
board has been
erased.
Verb Phrase = has
been erased.
Helping Verbs
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Be
Am
Is
Are
Was
Were
Have
Has
Had
Do
Does
Did
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May
Might
Must
Can
Could
Shall
Should
Will
Would
Being
Been
Compound Sentence Parts
A sentence can have a compound subject
or a compound verb.
 An easy way to spot the compound
portion of a sentence is to look for the
conjunction.
 Possible conjunctions are: and, or, but,
yet, so, for, and nor.

Compound Subject

A compound subject is made of two or
more words that share the same verb.

Billy, Bobby, and Betty went fishing.
 Compound
subject = Billy, Bobby, and Betty
They all share the verb “went”.
Compound Verb

A compound verb is
made up of two or
more verbs that share
the same subject.

Billy bought and ate
the ice cream.

Compound verb =
bought and ate
Kinds of Sentences
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Declarative
Interrogative
Imperative
Exclamatory
Declarative


Makes a statement
Always ends with a
period

I go to school to learn
English.
Interrogative


Asks a question
Always ends with a
question mark
?

Why do I go to school
to learn English?
Imperative


Gives a command
Can end with a period
or an exclamation
point


Sit down.
Go to the office!
Exclamatory


Shows strong feeling
or emotion
Always ends with an
exclamation point

English is the best
subject ever!
Dealing with Subjects in Unusual Places
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Traditionally, a subject comes before a verb.
However, a subject can be in four unusual
places.
1. In a question
2. In a sentence that begins with “here” or
“there”
3. In a command
4. In a sentence that begins with a phrase
Make sure you find the subject and make the
verb agree with it.
Subject Verb Agreement in Questions
What on earth is he doing?
 Sub. = he (singular)
 Verb = is (singular)

Are your parents coming to dinner?
 Sub. = parents (plural)
 Verb = Are (plural)

Subject Verb Agreement in Sentences
Beginning with Here or There
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Here comes Prince Charming to save the
princess.
Sub. = Prince Charming (singular)
Verb = comes (singular)
There go The Three Musketeers off to save the
day!
Sub. = The Three Musketeers (plural)
Verb = go (plural)
Subject Verb Agreement in Sentences
That Are Commands
In a command, the subject is an understood
“you.” Therefore, it does not appear in the
sentence. In this case, the traditional verb
choice is plural.
 Go to the office!
 Stay in your seat.
In both cases, I am talking to only one person, but
I use a plural verb.
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Subject Verb Agreement in Sentences
That Begin with Prepositional Phrases
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Make sure you match the verb to the subject, not
the object of the preposition.
In the trees flies the bird.
Sub. = bird
Verb = flies
Over the river and through the woods go we to
grandmother’s house.
Sub. = we
Verb = go
Subject Complements
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Predicate Noun

Predicate Adjective
Predicate Noun
Renames or defines the subject
 Noun or pronoun
 After a linking verb

Example P.N.
My favorite place to visit is London.
 P.N. = London

Predicate Adjective
Adjective
 Follows a linking verb
 Describes the subject

Example PA
She is beautiful.
 Subject = she
 Linking verb = is
 PA = beautiful
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Objects of Verbs
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Direct Object
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Indirect Object
Direct Object
Noun or pronoun
 Follows an action verb
 Answers the questions What? or Whom?
 YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE AN I.O.

Example D.O.
He played the piano nicely.
 D.O. = piano
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Indirect Object
Noun or pronoun
 Follows an action verb
 Comes before a direct object
 Answers the questions To Whom?, To
What?, For Whom?, or For What?
 YOU MUST HAVE A D.O. to have an I.O.

Example I.O.
He gave her an ice cream cone.
 D.O. = cone
 I.O. = her
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Fragments and Run-Ons
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A fragment is a
sentence that is
missing the subject,
the verb, or both.
Ex. In the middle of
the night
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A run-on sentence
has two or more
complete ideas and is
not punctuated
properly.
Ex. We went to the
park and we had a
marvelous time.