Grammar Handbook: Subjects and Predicates

The Center for Writing Studies, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

In English, every sentence has two essential parts: a complete subject and a complete predicate.

:: Subjects
The complete subject is the simple subject (a noun or a pronoun) plus any word or group of words modifying the simple subject that tells who or what the sentence is about:

The high from my Mountain Dew usually lasts about an hour.

To find the complete subject, ask Who? or What? insert the verb, and finish the question. The answer is the complete subject:

What usually lasts about an hour? The high from my Mountain Dew.

The simple subject is the essential noun, pronoun, or group of words acting as a noun that cannot be left out of the complete subject. In order to identify it, remove the complements and modifiers and whatever is left is the simple subject:

The	high	from my Mountain Dew	usually lasts about an hour.
article	simple subject	prepositional phrase	predicate

TIP: Does the sentence make sense with just the word ("high") identified as the simple subject?

(The) high usually lasts about an hour.
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:: Additional Facts About Subjects
: The "Understood You"
Sometimes, as in the case of imperative sentences (see verb mood ), the subject does not actually appear in the sentence. At such times the invisible subject is called the "understood you":

(You) Rent The Last of the Mohicans from the video store.

: Positioning
Although the subject most commonly appears before the verb, it can also appear afterwards in sentences that begin with "there is" or "there are." "There" is an expletive or empty word which simply gets the sentence started:

There are precious few hills in Illinois. vs. Precious few hills are in Illinois.

Sentences can also be inverted for effect:

Happy is the wife of Harrison Ford. vs. The wife of Harrison Ford is happy.
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:: Predicates
The complete predicate is the verb plus its objects, complements, and adverbial modifiers that tell what the complete subject does or is:

The high from my Mountain Dew usually lasts about an hour.

To find the complete predicate, ask "What does the subject (the high) do?" (It) usually lasts about an hour.

: Simple Predicate
The simple predicate is the essential verb or verb phrase that cannot be left out of the complete predicate. Again, remove the modifiers and complements to identify it:

The	high	from my Mountain Dew	usually	lasts	about an hour
article	simple subject	prepositional phrase	adverb	simple predicate	prepositional phrase

TIP: Does the sentence make sense with just the word identified as the simple predicate?

The high from my Mountain Dew lasts.
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::Compound Subjects and Predicates
Although the examples so far have contained only one subject and one verb, a sentence may contain a compound subject, a compound predicate, or both.

: Compound Subject
The compound subject consists of two or more subjects that have the same verb and are joined by a conjunction such as "and" or "or":

Spencer and Annie wagged their tails.

: Compound Predicate
The compound predicate consists of two or more verbs that have the same subject and are joined by a conjunction such as "and" or "or":

I came, saw, and conquered.
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