Subject And Predicate Examples With Answers

Subject and Predicate Examples with Answers: A Comprehensive Guide

Understanding the subject and predicate is fundamental to comprehending sentence structure in English grammar. This comprehensive guide provides numerous examples, explanations, and answers to help solidify your understanding of these crucial grammatical components. We'll explore simple, compound, and complex sentences, highlighting the nuances of identifying subjects and predicates in various sentence structures. By the end, you'll be able to confidently dissect any sentence and pinpoint its core components.

What is a Subject?

The subject of a sentence is the noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that performs the action or is described by the verb. It's essentially who or what the sentence is about.

Examples of Subjects:

• The cat sat on the mat. (Simple subject: "cat")
• My energetic dog, Max, chased the ball. (Simple subject: "dog," complete subject: "My energetic dog")
• She laughed heartily. (Simple subject: "She")
• They are going to the park. (Simple subject: "They")
• Reading books is my favorite hobby. (Simple subject: "Reading books" – a gerund phrase acting as a noun)

What is a Predicate?

The predicate of a sentence is the part that tells what the subject does or is. It always includes the verb and any words that modify or complete the meaning of the verb.

Examples of Predicates:

• The cat sat on the mat. (Complete predicate: "sat on the mat")
• My energetic dog, Max, chased the ball. (Complete predicate: "chased the ball")
• She laughed heartily. (Complete predicate: "laughed heartily")
• They are going to the park. (Complete predicate: "are going to the park")
• Reading books is my favorite hobby. (Complete predicate: "is my favorite hobby")

Identifying Subjects and Predicates: Simple Sentences

Simple sentences contain one independent clause (a clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence). Identifying the subject and predicate in simple sentences is relatively straightforward.

Examples and Answers:

1. Sentence: Birds fly.

   • Subject: Birds
   • Predicate: fly

2. Sentence: The sun shines brightly.

   • Subject: The sun
   • Predicate: shines brightly

3. Sentence: He sings beautifully.

   • Subject: He
   • Predicate: sings beautifully

4. Sentence: The old house stood on a hill.

   • Subject: The old house
   • Predicate: stood on a hill

5. Sentence: The children played happily in the park.

   • Subject: The children
   • Predicate: played happily in the park

6. Sentence: Sarah writes poems.

   • Subject: Sarah
   • Predicate: writes poems

7. Sentence: The delicious cake disappeared quickly.

   • Subject: The delicious cake
   • Predicate: disappeared quickly

8. Sentence: Loud music filled the air.

   • Subject: Loud music
   • Predicate: filled the air

Identifying Subjects and Predicates: Compound Sentences

Compound sentences contain two or more independent clauses, usually joined by coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). Each independent clause will have its own subject and predicate.

Examples and Answers:

1. Sentence: The dog barked, and the cat hissed.

   • Clause 1: Subject: The dog; Predicate: barked
   • Clause 2: Subject: The cat; Predicate: hissed

2. Sentence: She studied diligently, yet she still failed the exam.

   • Clause 1: Subject: She; Predicate: studied diligently
   • Clause 2: Subject: she; Predicate: still failed the exam

3. Sentence: The rain fell heavily, and the streets flooded.

   • Clause 1: Subject: The rain; Predicate: fell heavily
   • Clause 2: Subject: The streets; Predicate: flooded

4. Sentence: He went to the store, but he forgot his wallet.

   • Clause 1: Subject: He; Predicate: went to the store
   • Clause 2: Subject: he; Predicate: forgot his wallet

5. Sentence: The sun rose, and the birds began to sing.

   • Clause 1: Subject: The sun; Predicate: rose
   • Clause 2: Subject: The birds; Predicate: began to sing

6. Sentence: She loves to dance, and he enjoys singing.

   • Clause 1: Subject: She; Predicate: loves to dance
   • Clause 2: Subject: He; Predicate: enjoys singing

Identifying Subjects and Predicates: Complex Sentences

Complex sentences contain one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. Dependent clauses cannot stand alone as complete sentences and are often introduced by subordinating conjunctions (because, since, although, if, when, etc.).

Examples and Answers:

1. Sentence: Because it was raining, the game was cancelled.

   • Independent Clause: Subject: The game; Predicate: was cancelled
   • Dependent Clause: Subject: it; Predicate: was raining

2. Sentence: Although she tried hard, she didn't succeed.

   • Independent Clause: Subject: she; Predicate: didn't succeed
   • Dependent Clause: Subject: she; Predicate: tried hard

3. Sentence: When the bell rings, the students will leave.

   • Independent Clause: Subject: The students; Predicate: will leave
   • Dependent Clause: Subject: the bell; Predicate: rings

4. Sentence: He went home after he finished his work.

   • Independent Clause: Subject: He; Predicate: went home
   • Dependent Clause: Subject: he; Predicate: finished his work

5. Sentence: If you study hard, you will pass the test.

   • Independent Clause: Subject: you; Predicate: will pass the test
   • Dependent Clause: Subject: you; Predicate: study hard

6. Sentence: Since it's a holiday, the shops are closed.

   • Independent Clause: Subject: The shops; Predicate: are closed
   • Dependent Clause: Subject: it; Predicate: is a holiday

Tricky Cases: Identifying Subjects and Predicates with Unusual Sentence Structures

Some sentences might initially seem confusing, but understanding the underlying structure reveals the subject and predicate.

Examples and Answers:

1. Sentence: There are many stars in the sky.

   • Subject: stars
   • Predicate: are many in the sky ("There" is an expletive—a word that doesn't have a grammatical function but helps structure the sentence).

2. Sentence: Here comes the bus.

   • Subject: the bus
   • Predicate: comes ("Here" is an expletive).

3. Sentence: It is raining heavily.

   • Subject: It (expletive pronoun, referring to the action of raining)
   • Predicate: is raining heavily.

4. Sentence: Up went the balloon.

   • Subject: The balloon
   • Predicate: went up (Inversion of subject and verb)

5. Sentence: Between the trees sat a small bird.

   • Subject: A small bird
   • Predicate: sat between the trees (Sentence inversion)

Practice Exercises

To further solidify your understanding, try identifying the subjects and predicates in the following sentences:

1. The playful kitten chased the yarn.
2. My sister and I went to the movies.
3. Because of the storm, the flight was delayed.
4. The old, creaky house stood on a hill overlooking the town.
5. After the long day, she slept soundly.
6. The dog barked loudly at the mailman, and the mailman quickly left.
7. Despite the cold weather, we went for a walk.
8. She smiled warmly and hugged her friend tightly.
9. Under the oak tree, a family of squirrels built their nest.
10. There are many different types of flowers in the garden.

Answers to Practice Exercises:

1. Subject: The playful kitten; Predicate: chased the yarn
2. Subject: My sister and I; Predicate: went to the movies
3. Subject: The flight; Predicate: was delayed (Dependent Clause: Because of the storm)
4. Subject: The old, creaky house; Predicate: stood on a hill overlooking the town
5. Subject: She; Predicate: slept soundly (Dependent clause: After the long day)
6. Subject: The dog; Predicate: barked loudly at the mailman; Subject: The mailman; Predicate: quickly left
7. Subject: We; Predicate: went for a walk (Dependent clause: Despite the cold weather)
8. Subject: She; Predicate: smiled warmly and hugged her friend tightly
9. Subject: A family of squirrels; Predicate: built their nest (Dependent Clause: Under the oak tree)
10. Subject: many different types of flowers; Predicate: are in the garden

This comprehensive guide, replete with examples and answers, will significantly enhance your understanding of subjects and predicates. Remember, practice is key to mastering this fundamental aspect of English grammar. Continue practicing sentence analysis, and you'll become proficient in identifying these core sentence elements.