Explore Questions and Answers to deepen your understanding of the subject and predicate.
The subject in a sentence is the noun or pronoun that performs the action or is being described in the sentence.
A predicate in a sentence is the part that contains the verb and provides information about the subject, including what the subject is doing or what is being done to the subject.
An example of a simple subject is "dog."
An example of a complete subject is "The big brown dog."
The main function of a subject in a sentence is to indicate who or what the sentence is about.
The two main components of a complete predicate are the verb and the object or complement.
An example of a simple predicate is "runs" in the sentence "She runs every morning."
An example of a complete predicate is "is running in the park."
The main function of a predicate in a sentence is to provide information about the subject, including what the subject is doing or being.
The simple subject refers to the main noun or pronoun in a sentence, while the complete subject includes the main noun or pronoun along with any modifiers or additional words that describe it.
The simple predicate refers to the main verb or action in a sentence, while the complete predicate includes the main verb and all its modifiers or additional information.
An implied subject is a subject that is not explicitly stated in a sentence but can be inferred from the context or the verb used in the sentence.
"Go to the store."
A compound subject is a subject that consists of two or more nouns or pronouns joined together by a coordinating conjunction, such as "and" or "or".
An example of a compound subject is "John and Mary went to the park."
A compound predicate is a grammatical structure that consists of two or more verbs or verb phrases that share the same subject and function as a single predicate in a sentence.
A compound predicate is a sentence that has two or more verbs or verb phrases that share the same subject.
Example:
She ran and jumped over the fence.
A subject complement is a word or phrase that follows a linking verb and renames or describes the subject of a sentence. It provides additional information about the subject.
An example of a subject complement is "She is a doctor."
A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and renames or identifies the subject of the sentence.
An example of a predicate nominative is "She is a doctor." In this sentence, "doctor" is the predicate nominative, as it renames or identifies the subject "she."
A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and describes or modifies the subject of the sentence.
An example of a predicate adjective is "happy" in the sentence "She is happy."
In grammar, an object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb in a sentence. It typically follows the verb and answers the question "what" or "whom" after the action.
An example of a direct object is "She bought a new car." In this sentence, "a new car" is the direct object as it receives the action of the verb "bought."
An example of an indirect object is "She gave him a book." In this sentence, "him" is the indirect object as it receives the action of the verb "gave."
An object complement is a word or phrase that follows and describes or renames the direct object in a sentence. It provides additional information about the direct object.
An example of an object complement is "They elected him president." In this sentence, "president" is the object complement as it renames or describes the object "him."
An adverbial objective is a type of adverbial phrase or clause that modifies the verb in a sentence and answers the question "why" or "to what end." It provides additional information about the action or event described by the verb.
An example of an adverbial objective is "She ran quickly."
An adverbial complement is a word, phrase, or clause that provides additional information about the verb in a sentence. It typically answers questions such as how, when, where, why, or to what extent an action is performed. It adds more detail or modifies the verb in terms of time, place, manner, frequency, or degree.
An example of an adverbial complement is "She ran quickly."
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun, which is called the object of the preposition.
An example of a prepositional phrase functioning as an adverbial complement is "She went to the store for some groceries." In this sentence, the prepositional phrase "to the store" functions as an adverbial complement, providing information about where she went.
An example of a prepositional phrase functioning as an adverbial objective is "She ran to the store." In this sentence, the prepositional phrase "to the store" functions as an adverbial objective, providing information about where she ran.
A gerund phrase is a phrase that includes a gerund (a verb form ending in -ing) and any modifiers or complements associated with it. It functions as a noun in a sentence.
Running marathons is my favorite hobby.
An example of a gerund phrase functioning as an object is "I enjoy swimming in the ocean."
An infinitive phrase is a group of words that includes an infinitive verb (to + base form of the verb) and any accompanying modifiers or objects. It functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb in a sentence.
"To travel the world" is an example of an infinitive phrase functioning as a subject.
An example of an infinitive phrase functioning as an object is "I want to eat pizza."
A participial phrase is a group of words that includes a participle (a verb form that functions as an adjective) and any modifiers or complements. It is used to provide additional information about a noun or pronoun in a sentence.
An example of a participial phrase functioning as an adjective is "The broken window needs to be repaired."
Running quickly, she made it to the bus stop just in time.
An appositive phrase is a noun or noun phrase that renames or identifies another noun or pronoun in a sentence. It provides additional information about the noun or pronoun it is referring to.
An example of an appositive phrase is "My friend, a talented musician, played the piano at the concert."
An absolute phrase is a group of words that modifies a whole sentence rather than a specific noun or verb. It typically consists of a noun or pronoun followed by a participle or participial phrase.
An example of an absolute phrase is "her hands trembling with fear."
A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. It relies on an independent clause to form a complete thought.
An example of a dependent clause functioning as a subject is "That she arrived late was not surprising."
An example of a dependent clause functioning as an object is "I wonder if it will rain tomorrow."
An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate and can stand alone as a complete sentence.
An example of an independent clause is "She went to the store."
A compound sentence is a sentence that consists of two or more independent clauses joined together by coordinating conjunctions, semicolons, or transitional words.
An example of a compound sentence is: "I went to the store, and my sister stayed at home."
A complex sentence is a sentence that consists of an independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
An example of a complex sentence is: "Although it was raining, she decided to go for a walk."
A compound-complex sentence is a sentence that consists of two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
Sure! Here is an example of a compound-complex sentence:
"After finishing her homework, Sarah went to the park, and she met her friends who were playing basketball."
Subject-verb agreement refers to the grammatical rule that states that the subject of a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural) with the verb. This means that a singular subject requires a singular verb, while a plural subject requires a plural verb.
One example of a subject-verb agreement error is: "The dogs runs in the park."
Verb tense agreement refers to the consistency between the verb tense used in a sentence and the time frame being referred to. It ensures that the verb accurately reflects the timing of the action or state being described.
One example of a verb tense agreement error is: "She is going to the store yesterday."
A pronoun-antecedent agreement refers to the grammatical agreement between a pronoun and its antecedent, which is the noun or pronoun that the pronoun replaces or refers to. This agreement ensures that the pronoun matches the antecedent in terms of number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter).
Example: "Everyone should bring their own lunch to the picnic."
In this sentence, the pronoun "their" does not agree in number with its antecedent "everyone," which is singular. The correct pronoun should be "his or her" to maintain agreement.
A parallel structure is a grammatical construction in which two or more parts of a sentence have the same form or structure, typically using the same grammatical elements such as verbs, nouns, or phrases. This creates a balanced and rhythmic effect in writing or speaking.
One example of a parallel structure error is: "I like swimming, to run, and playing basketball."
A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that does not have a clear connection to the subject of the sentence, resulting in confusion or ambiguity.
Example of a dangling modifier: "Running down the street, the dog chased after the ball."
A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is positioned in a sentence in a way that creates confusion or ambiguity about which word or phrase it is intended to modify.
Example of a misplaced modifier:
"Running down the street, the dog chased the mailman."
In this sentence, the modifier "running down the street" is misplaced because it appears to modify the dog instead of the action of chasing. A better placement would be: "The dog chased the mailman running down the street."
An ambiguous pronoun reference occurs when a pronoun in a sentence can refer to more than one noun, making it unclear which noun the pronoun is referring to.
An example of an ambiguous pronoun reference is: "John told Tom that he should study harder."
An incomplete comparison is a type of sentence structure where a comparison is made but lacks a second element for comparison. This results in an incomplete or unclear comparison.
An example of an incomplete comparison is "She is taller than him."
A double negative is a grammatical construction that uses two negative words or phrases in the same clause, which often results in a positive meaning.
One example of a double negative is "I don't have no money."
A run-on sentence is a sentence that contains two or more independent clauses without proper punctuation or conjunctions to separate them.
Example of a run-on sentence: I went to the store to buy some groceries I also needed to pick up a prescription from the pharmacy.
A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence that lacks either a subject or a predicate, or does not express a complete thought.