Grammar Mishaps: How To Build a Proper Sentence
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Sentence Structure: Subject and Predicate
Every sentence must have a subject and predicate to be complete and proper.
- The subject is whom or what the sentence is about.
- The predicate tells you about the subject.
It is fairly easy to know what is the subject and what is the predicate.
- Find the verb (the action word) in the sentence.
- The word the verb is describing is the subject.
- The predicate, which includes the verb, tells about the subject.
Examples
- The dog ate its dinner.
Subject: The verb "ate" is describing what the dog did. You can ask the question, "Who or what ate?" The answer is: the dog. Thus, the dog is the subject.
Predicate: The predicate is what the dog did. The dog ate its dinner. Thus, ate its dinner is the predicate.
- The beautiful girls danced until dawn.
Subject: beautiful girls (The who or what of the sentence. This is also known as a complex subject because it includes the modifying word beautiful with the simple subject, girls.)
Predicate: danced until dawn. (What the girls did. This is also known as the complex predicate because it contains more than just the verb or simple predicate.)
Simple Predicate
The simple predicate is the verb of the sentence and not all of the words that modify it.
- The beautiful girls danced until dawn.
The (complex) predicate: danced until dawn
The simple predicate: dancedSimple Subject
The simple subject is the subject without all the other words that may modify it.
- The beautiful girls danced until dawn.
The (complex) subject: the beautiful girls
The simple subject: girls
Compound Predicate
A compound predicate contains more than one verb describing the subject and any modifiers.
- The traffic violation was for speeding near a school and running a stop sign.
Compound predicate: was for speeding near a school and running a stop sign.
Compound Subject
A compound subject may include more than one who or what of a sentence and any modifiers.
- My sister and I played volleyball in high school.
Compound subject: My sister and I
Be careful...
A few sentences can be tricky.
- If a sentence is a command, many times the subject is implied and that subject is "you".
Go sit at the table in the back. (The subject, you, is implied in this command.)
- Be careful with sentences beginning with "there" followed by a "to be" verb. "There" is not the subject.
There is a baby crying in the movie theater. (The subject is baby. Again, ask the question, Who is crying? The answer is the baby.)
Examples of Linking Verbs
- be (all forms)
- appear
- look
- act
- taste
- smell
- sound
- get
- grow
- seem
- become
Subject Complements and Linking Verbs
- Sometimes sentences contain intransitive verbs like linking verbs. In these cases we may have a subject complement which has a predicate noun that renames the subject or a predicate adjective that describes the subject. A subject complement is connected to the subject by a linking verb.
The crystal has a rainbow glow.
Subject: the crystal
Linking verb: has
Subject complement (predicate adjective): rainbow glow
The rat was so large it looked like a possum.
Subject: the rat
Linking verb: looked
Subject complement (predicate noun): a possum
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Comments, Thoughts, Questions?
Thanks for reading, Wajay! ;)
A good rule of thumb to determine whether a verb is an action verb or a linking verb is to replace it with a form of "be" (e.g. am, are, is, was, were). If the sentence conveys a similar idea, it's usually a linking verb (not always the case, but 80-90% of the time).
The opera singer sounded terrible.The opera singer was terrible. (Basically the same idea; "sounded" is a linking verb)
The night watchman sounded the alarm.The night watchman was the alarm.(Totally different connontations; therefore, "sounded" is an action verb in this case)
One thing I noticed in your article: in the sentence, "the crystal has a rainbow glow," "has" is actually an action verb.
The (article/adjective) crystal (subject noun) has (action verb) a (article/adjective) rainbow (adjective) glow (direct object/noun).
It's not a predicate adjective because "glow" is a noun, and it's not a predicate nominative (predicate noun) because "has" is an action (predicate nominatives are used with linking verbs, direct objects with action verbs).
Also, in your sentence, "The rat was so large it looked like a possum," "possum" is not a predicate noun, but an object of the preposition "like" ("like a possum" is a prepositional phrase). Surprisingly, that actually makes "looked" an action verb in that sentence (N-AV), even though it has the same meaning as, "she looked the part," (N-LV-N) or, "she looked nervous" (N-LV-A).
Pardon me for splitting so many hairs, but I figured that as a fellow grammarian with such a strong reputation, you'd appreciate the correction. I hope I'm not attacking your article! I really appreciate your posts! They're a breath of fresh air! :)
The Sentence: Sally's father traded his hused car for a new one.
What is the simple predicate?
Robin, do you ever consider helping write for people? I am in the process of making a brochure for our business. I have the thoughts, but not sure if I'm forming my sentences properly. Don't mind paying a fee. Let me know.
When to use indicate/indicates:
Evaluation of the patient's history, laboratory data, diagnostic tests, radiological studies, and treatment protocol indicate/indicates little improvement in his overall condition.
Your page states:
The traffic violation was for speeding near a school and running a stop sign.Compound predicate: was for speeding near a school and running a stop sign
But this is not a compound predicate. It's a compound object of the preposition "for." "Speeding" and "running" are gerunds.
i have a question. is the following a proper sentence?
Six minutes until she walks into the deli and immediately slips and falls on her face.what is a linking verb and how do u use it send a comment back
Is it okay to start sentences with the words "should" or "Using"?
proper sentences
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Eats, Shoots and Leaves and The Girl's Like Spaghetti
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Eats shoots and leaves puctuation Truss
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wajay_47 says:
3 years ago
This is a very informative hub. Thanks, Robin.