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2 Parts of Sentences

Good writing is made up of clear, grammatical sentences. You can take a step toward writing good sentences by understanding their structure.

A sentence is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate and is not dependent on another group of words to complete its meaning. (See subordinating cinjunctions, maind clauses, dependent clauses.) Although the celebration ended with a fireworks display is not a sentence because its meaning is not complete, but The celebration ended with a fireworks display  and How did the celebration end? are senetences.

Subject and Predicate

2a The simple subject is the essential word or words that act, are acted upon, or are described.   

Quail Hill rises at the end of University Drive.
Birds have been nesting among the rocks and shrubs.
Bundled in coats, students stroll to the peak each evening. 

NOTE: Sometimes the subject you is implied.

Speak to us! [Meaning You speak to us.]

2b The simple predicate, sometimes referred to as the verb, is the essential word or words that tell what the subject did or how it was acted upon.  

Quail hill rises at the end of University Drive.
Birds have been nesting among the rocks and shrubs.
Bundled in coats, students stroll to the peak each evening.

2c The complete subject is the group of words that includes the simple subject and its modifiers.  

The student rally began at noon. [Rally is the simple subject. The student rally is the complete subject.]
The candidate from Benton Hall will speak at two o'clock. [Candidate is the simple subject. The candidate from Benton Hall is the complete subject.]

2d The complete predicate is the group of words that included the simple predicate and its modifiers.  

The student rally began at noon. [Began is the simple predicate. Began at noon is the complete predicate.]
The candidate from Benton Hall will speak at two o'clock. [Will speak is the simple predicate. Will speak at two o'clock is the complete predicate.]

2e A compound subject consists of two or more subjects that are joined by a conjunction and that have the same predicate.  

Samuel King and William Black took the forst aerial photographs.
Either he or she will fly the balloon.

2f A compound predicate consists of two or more verbs that are joined by a conjunction and that have the same subject.  

The rumble of the train echoes through the valley and rolls over the hills.
Space shuttles will fly to the moon and return with payloads of minerals.

Complements

Some sentences express the writer's thought by means of a subject and verb only: He worked. She arrives. Most sentences, however, have within the complete predicate one or more words that add to the meaning of the subject and the predicate:

He is an engineer.
They appointed a new president.

These elements are called complements, and they function as direct and indirect objects and as predicate adjectives and predicate nominatives. (See verbs.)

2g A direct object is a word or word group that receives the actioni of a transitive verb.  

A direct object answers the question What? or Whom?

The civic league invited John to speak. [John is the direct object of the transitive verb invited.]
She teaches fifth grade. [Fifth grade is the direct object of the transitive verb teaches.]

2h An indirect object of a verb precedes the direct object and usually indicates to whom or for whom the action is done.  

The caretaker gave Ralph the key. [Ralph is the indirect object (key is the direct object) of the transitive verb gave.]

To identify an indirect object, reconstruct the sentence by using the preposition to or for:

The caretaker gave the key to Ralph.

2i A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and modifies the subject of the verb.  

The animals seem restless. [The predicate adjective restless follows the linking verb seem and modifies the subject animals.]

2j  A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and renames or identifies the subject of the verb.  

(See subjective case.)

The man with gray hair is Mr. Reed. [The predicate nominative Mr. Reed follows the linking verb is and identifies the subject man.]

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