Introduction
Understanding subject and predicate is central to parsing and building clear sentences. Every complete sentence has two main parts: a subject (what the sentence is about) and a predicate (what is said about the subject).
- Definitions
- Subject: The person, thing, idea, or clause that the sentence is about. It is usually a noun, pronoun, noun phrase, gerund phrase, or noun clause.
- Predicate: Tells something about the subject. It contains the verb (or verb phrase) and any objects, complements, or modifiers that complete the thought.
- Simple vs. Complete
- Simple subject: The main word or words (usually a noun or pronoun) that name the person or thing the sentence is about.
- Complete subject: The simple subject plus all the words that modify it.
- Simple predicate: The main verb or verb phrase that tells what the subject does or is.
- Complete predicate: The verb plus all words that tell more about the action or state (objects, complements, adverbials).
Examples
1) The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.
- Simple subject: fox
- Complete subject: The quick brown fox
- Simple predicate: jumped
- Complete predicate: jumped over the lazy dog
2) My brother and his friend painted the fence.
- Complete subject: My brother and his friend (compound subject)
- Simple subject: brother; friend (two simple subjects joined)
- Complete predicate: painted the fence
3) To win the prize is my dream.
- Subject: To win the prize (infinitive phrase functioning as a noun)
- Predicate: is my dream
4) What she decided surprised the team.
- Subject: What she decided (noun clause)
- Predicate: surprised the team
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How to find the subject and predicate (quick method)
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Find the main verb or verb phrase (the action or state).
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Ask Who? or What? before the verb — the answer is the subject.
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Everything that remains (usually after the verb) that describes the action or state is the predicate.
Example: "The students completed the assignment quickly."
- Main verb: completed
- Who completed? The students → subject
- Everything else after the verb (the assignment quickly) is predicate (complete predicate), with "completed" as simple predicate.
- Tricky cases
- Imperative sentences (commands): Subject is often an implied you. "Close the door." (Subject: you implied)
- Inverted order / sentences beginning with there or here: "There are three apples on the table." Here "there" is a dummy (expletive); the real subject is "three apples." Be careful to identify the real subject for agreement.
- Questions: Word order can hide the subject. "Did the teacher bring the books?" (Subject: the teacher)
- Compound subjects: Joined by and/or. If joined by and, usually plural verb. If joined by or/nor, verb agrees with the nearer subject.
- Subjects that are phrases or clauses: Noun phrases (The tall man in the corner), infinitive phrases (To travel the world), gerund phrases (Swimming in the sea), and noun clauses (That she failed surprised him) can all serve as subjects.
- Subject-verb agreement reminders
- Singular subject → singular verb; plural subject → plural verb.
- For compound subjects joined by and → usually plural verb: "Tom and Jerry are funny."
- For subjects joined by or/nor → verb agrees with the part of the subject closest to the verb: "Either the teacher or the students are expected." vs "Either the students or the teacher is expected."
- With expressions of quantity (e.g., "a lot of", "some of"), pay attention to whether the noun after of is countable and singular/plural.
- Practice exercises
Identify the simple subject, complete subject, simple predicate, and complete predicate for each sentence. Then check answers below.
1) The tall woman from Spain teaches chemistry at the college. 2) My dog and my cat sleep all afternoon. 3) There is a problem with the computer. 4) Run to the store! 5) Baking bread is her favorite hobby. 6) The bright student who sat in the front row answered every question. 7) Some of the cookies were eaten before dinner. 8) What he said made everyone laugh. 9) Neither the coach nor the players were ready for the storm. 10) The old oak tree has lost several branches in the storm.
Answers and brief explanations
1) The tall woman from Spain teaches chemistry at the college.
- Simple subject: woman
- Complete subject: The tall woman from Spain
- Simple predicate: teaches
- Complete predicate: teaches chemistry at the college
2) My dog and my cat sleep all afternoon.
- Simple subjects: dog; cat (compound)
- Complete subject: My dog and my cat
- Simple predicate: sleep
- Complete predicate: sleep all afternoon
3) There is a problem with the computer.
- Simple subject: problem (real subject)
- Complete subject: a problem (or 'a problem with the computer' if you take the whole noun phrase)
- Simple predicate: is
- Complete predicate: is a problem with the computer
- Note: 'There' is an expletive — not the true subject.
4) Run to the store!
- Subject: (you) implied
- Predicate: Run to the store (verb phrase is the predicate)
5) Baking bread is her favorite hobby.
- Subject: Baking bread (gerund phrase)
- Predicate: is her favorite hobby
6) The bright student who sat in the front row answered every question.
- Simple subject: student
- Complete subject: The bright student who sat in the front row
- Simple predicate: answered
- Complete predicate: answered every question
7) Some of the cookies were eaten before dinner.
- Simple subject: cookies (head noun)
- Complete subject: Some of the cookies
- Simple predicate: were eaten
- Complete predicate: were eaten before dinner
8) What he said made everyone laugh.
- Subject: What he said (noun clause)
- Predicate: made everyone laugh
9) Neither the coach nor the players were ready for the storm.
- Complete subject: Neither the coach nor the players (compound with nor)
- Simple subjects: coach; players
- Simple predicate: were ready
- Complete predicate: were ready for the storm
- Note: Verb agrees with nearer subject (players → plural → were)
10) The old oak tree has lost several branches in the storm.
- Simple subject: tree
- Complete subject: The old oak tree
- Simple predicate: has lost
- Complete predicate: has lost several branches in the storm
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Confusing the dummy "there" or "here" with the subject.
- Forgetting implied subjects in commands.
- Choosing the wrong noun as the subject in inverted sentences or questions.
- Not matching the verb to the true subject when a phrase or clause separates them.
Helpful tips
- Always find the main verb first — it anchors the sentence and helps you locate the subject.
- Ask "Who or what + verb?" to find the subject quickly.
- Underline the complete subject once and the complete predicate twice to visually separate them.
- Watch for introductory words or phrases (There is, In the garden, To win) that can hide the real subject.
- For agreement, ignore intervening phrases (participants in the parade, as well as the leaders) and match the verb to the true subject.
- Practice with varied sentence types: declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory, and those with noun clauses.
If you want, I can give you more practice sentences at a particular level (beginner, intermediate, advanced) or create interactive exercises with instant feedback.