Simple Subjects and Predicates

Understanding and Finding Simple Subjects and Simple Predicates

Chapter One in your Language book.

What is the simple predicate?

The simple predicate is the verb or verb phrase in a sentence:

Brandi and Catherine help Mrs. Todd during second period.

help

They have been helping her since Thursday.

have been helping

Verb Phrase

A phrase is a group of words that functions as a unit (works together to do something) in the sentence.

The verb phrase is made up of the main verb (the last verb in the phrase) and the helping verbs.

Ben was singing the helping verbs song.

main verb: singing

helping verb: was

Helping Verbs

Jingle BellsHelping Verbs!  Helping Verbs!  There are

23....Am, is are!  Was and were!  Being, been,

and be!Have, has, had!  Do, does, did!  Shall,

should, will, and would! There are 5 more helping verbs:  may,

might, must, can, and could! 

Action Verb Phrase

The verb phrase tells… what and when something is happening These sentences describe a physical action: Michael is writing neatly.

is writinghappening now

Michael will be writing neatly tomorrow. will be writing

will be happening in the future

Action Verb Phrase

These sentences describe a mental action:

I was hoping for a good day.

was hoping

happened in the past

I believe in my students.

believe

happening now

Verb or Verb Phrase2. Tells that something is, was, or is going to exist. There

is no real action in this type of verb phrase. In this verb phrase, the main verb is always a form of be.Ally is a good student.

isAlly is existing as a good student but is

not doing anything in this sentence.She has been a good student for years.

has been Ally has been existing as a good student

but has not been doing anything in this sentence.

Forms of Be

Camptown Ladies

Am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being, being,Am, is, are, was, were, be, been, Oh! Being verbs.

Linking Verbs

Linking verbs join a describing word (adjective) or renaming word (noun or pronoun to the subject. The word that is linked tells more about the subject. These verbs do not show action. I feel sick.

feel I am sick. Frank looks confused. looks

Frank is confused.To see if a verb is linking, replace it with a form of be (is,

am, are, was, were, be, been, being).

Compound Simple Predicate

Sometimes there is more than one verb or verb phrase in a sentence. This happens when the subject is, was, or will be doing or being more than one thing.

Joey is singing and will be playing the guitar.

is singing will be playing

Sarah plays piano and studies Mozart.

plays studies

Finding The Simple Subject

Find the simple predicate (verb or verb phrase) first and then ask the question “Who or what_____?” in front of the simple predicate to find the subject.

Jon is the detail person in our group.

Who is the detail person? Jon is.

Jon finds the errors in most documents.

Who finds the errors? Jon finds them.

The Simple Subject

The simple subject is a naming word, a noun or pronoun:

Noun- person, place, thing, idea or emotion

Lancaster became a great glass-making town.

Who or what became? Lancaster

Pronoun - These words take the place of nouns.

It became prosperous because of the glass industry.

Who or what became? It

Pronouns

Here are examples of pronouns that can be subjects:

He, She, It, We, They, You

Who, What, All, None, Both, Many

Everybody, Everyone, Everything

The Subject in an Imperative Sentence.

An imperative sentence is a request or command.

Please start the daily edit.

Who or what starts? You start.

Put the snake down!

Who or what puts? You put.

The subject word is invisible in an imperative sentence. The subject is “you,” the person who is being addressed in the sentence.

Compound Subject

Sometimes there is more than one noun or pronoun doing or existing in the sentence.

Joey and Dillon will be playing the guitar.

Joey, Dillon

Sarah and Blake plays piano and studies Mozart.

Sarah, Blake

Compound Subject and Predicate

Some sentences have both compound subjects and predicates:

J oey and Dillon play the guitar and sing.

Joey, Dillon

play, sing

Sarah and Blake read music and play the piano.

Sarah, Blake

read, play

Why is it important to know about the simple subject and predicate?

• You probably want to do well on the chapter test.

• Learning the basics of English grammar can help you with learning a foreign language.

• Finding the subject and predicate helps you determine if the group of words is a grammatically complete sentence.

Why is it important to know about the simple subject and predicate?

• Knowing about subjects and predicates can help you correct sentence fragments and can lead to better communication.

• Educated people probably should know how their own language is structured and how to use it.

• Writing correct (standard) English makes a good impression.

Online Help and PracticeWebsites for Subjects and Predicates:

The Guide to Grammar and Writing. http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

http://www.quia.com/cb/40392.html

http://www.dowlingcentral.com/MrsD/quizzes/grammar/AlphaExer/compsubandpre.htm

http://www.quia.com/rr/36765.html

http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001177.shtml