Complete Subjects and Complete Predicates
A complete subject is
the subject with all of its modifiers.
A complete predicate is
the verb with all of its modifiers.
Complete Subject Complete Predicate
EX: Most of the students | went
on vacation over the long weekend.
Simple Subject and Simple Predicate
A simple subject is
the subject without its modifiers.
A simple predicate is
the verb without its modifiers.
S V
EX: Most of the students | went on vacation over the long weekend
Exercise
#1: In the following sentences, draw a
line between the Complete Subject and the Complete Predicate. Underline the simple subject once and the
simple predicate (verb) twice. Label S
for Subject and V for Verb. Put all
prepositional phrases between parentheses.
S V
EX:
Williamsburg | is a restored
colonial town (in Virginia.)
1. At this tourist attraction, costumed
guides show visitors around their town.
2. In the springtime, gardens are filled
with daffodils and tulips.
3. Hungry tourists enjoy dinners in
candle-lit taverns and restaurants.
4. In 1765, Patrick Henry delivered his
famous speech in the Williamsburg Capitol.
5. English colonists chose the site for
its good soil drainage and pleasant climate.
6. At first, residents call the colony
Middle Plantation.
7. Later, colonists renamed the town
Williamsburg in honor of King William III.
8. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., supported
the town’s restoration during the 1920s.
9. A historic plantation is located just
outside Williamsburg.
10. Even the streets are brick and
cobblestone instead of modern asphalt.
Compound Subjects and Predicates
A compound subject is
composed of two or more simple subjects.
S S V
EX: Most of the students and teachers went
on vacation over the long weekend.
A compound predicate is
composed of two or more simple predicates.
EX: Most of the students went on
vacation and relaxed over the long
weekend.
Exercise
#2: In the following sentences, draw a
line between the Complete Subject and the Complete Predicate. Underline the compound subject once and the
compound predicate (verb) twice. Label S
for Subject and V for Verb. Put all
prepositional phrases between parentheses.
Do not underline any conjunctions or modifiers.
EX:
Companies and corporations |
sell shares to stockholders.
Subject
Complements
Linking Verbs—such as be,
appear, become, feel, grow, seem, smell, sound, and taste—always
need a subject complement to complete their meaning in a sentence.
There are two kinds of
complements: predicate nominatives (nouns that follow linking verbs) and
predicate adjectives (adjectives that follow linking verbs).
Predicate
nominatives rename, identify, or refer to the subject of the sentence.
Those people are tourists. (predicate
noun)
This magazine is mine. (predicate
pronoun)
Predicate adjectives modify the subject of a sentence.
The food is spicy. (predicate
adjective)
Predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives can be
compound.
Those people are tourists and explorers. (compound predicate nominative)
The food is spicy and hot.
(compound predicate adjective)
Exercise #3: In
the following sentences, underline the subject once and the verb twice. Label S for Subject and V for Verb. Circle the subject complements, labeling
predicate nominatives PN and predicate adjectives PA.
Put all prepositional
phrases between parentheses.
1. The author C. S. Lewis has been an
amazing writer and teacher.
2. The main characters in his books are
two brothers and two sisters.
3. The central character is Aslan, a
lion.
4. Aslan is not at all tame.
5. Lucy, the youngest sister, seems
adventurous.
6. The oldest brother seems at times
bossy.
7. Edmund is the younger brother.
8. Mr. Tumnus, Lucy’s first friend in
Narnia, is afraid of the White Witch.
9. The Beavers are life savers for the
Pevensy children.
10. An empty wardrobe can be an amazing
place.
