English Grammar Chapter 2: SUBJECT AND PREDICATE

Chapter 2: Subject and Predicate

Every time we speak or write a complete sentence, we are essentially doing two things:

1. We are naming a person, place, or thing.
2. We are saying something about that person, place, or thing.

Think of a sentence like a movie. The Subject is the star or main character of the movie, and the Predicate is the plot or action—what the star is doing or what is happening to them.

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1. The Subject

The Subject is the part of the sentence that names who or what the sentence is about. It is usually a noun or a pronoun, and it often comes at the very beginning of the sentence.

• Example 1: Dogs bark. (Who is the sentence about? Dogs.)
• Example 2: The bright yellow sun shines brightly. (What is the sentence about? The bright yellow sun.)

Notice that a subject can be just one word (Dogs), or it can be a group of words (The bright yellow sun).

2. The Predicate

The Predicate is the part of the sentence that tells us something about the subject. It contains the verb (the action or state of being) and everything else that completes the thought.

• Example 1: Dogs bark loudly at strangers. (What do the dogs do? They bark loudly at strangers.)
• Example 2: The bright yellow sun shines brightly. (What does the sun do? It shines brightly.)

A Quick Visual Breakdown

Complete Sentence	Subject (Who/What)	Predicate (Action/Information)
Birds fly.	Birds	fly.
My best friend loves pizza.	My best friend	loves pizza.
The old clock ticked loudly.	The old clock	ticked loudly.

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3. Step-by-Step: How to Find the Subject and Predicate

If you are ever confused about how to split a sentence, follow these two simple steps:

1. Find the Verb: Look for the action word or the "being" word (is, am, are, was, were).
2. Ask "Who?" or "What?" before the verb: The answer is your Subject. Everything else, including the verb, is your Predicate.

Let's try it together: The little boy ate an apple.

Step 1: The verb is ate.

Step 2: Ask, "Who ate?" The answer is The little boy.

Result: Subject = The little boy | Predicate = ate an apple.

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4. Important Rules and Exceptions

While the subject usually comes first, English grammar likes to keep us on our toes! Here are two major exceptions you must know.

Exception A: Inverted Order (Predicate First)

Sometimes, for poetic effect or to add emphasis, a sentence is flipped backward. The predicate comes first, and the subject hides at the end.

• Normal: The bus comes here.
• Inverted: Here comes the bus. (What comes? The bus. Subject: the bus)
• Normal: The uses of adversity are sweet.
• Inverted: Sweet are the uses of adversity. (What is sweet? The uses of adversity. Subject: the uses of adversity)

Exception B: Imperative Sentences (Commands/Requests)

When you give an order or make a request, the subject is usually entirely invisible! Because you are speaking directly to someone, the subject "You" is understood, even though it isn't written.

• Sentence: Sit down.
• Explanation: The sentence actually means "(You) sit down." The subject is the hidden word You, and the predicate is sit down.
• Sentence: Thank him.
• Explanation: Subject = (You) | Predicate = Thank him.

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5. Common Mistakes & Tips to Avoid Them

• Mistake: Thinking the subject is always just one word.
  Tip: The subject includes the main noun AND all the words describing it. In "The old haunted house on the hill is scary," the entire phrase "The old haunted house on the hill" is the subject.
• Mistake: Including the verb in the subject.
  Tip: The verb ALWAYS marks the beginning of the predicate.
• Mistake: Forgetting to rearrange inverted sentences.
  Tip: Always turn questions and poetic sentences into normal statements first. "Over the hill ran the dog" should become "The dog ran over the hill" before you look for the subject.

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6. Quick Summary

• Sentence = Subject + Predicate.
• Subject = The "who" or "what" the sentence is about.
• Predicate = What the subject does, or what is said about the subject (always contains the verb).
• Commands = The subject is always a hidden "You".

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7. Solutions to the Chapter Exercise

Here are the step-by-step solutions for the original 27 sentences.

No.	Subject	Predicate	Note / Explanation
1	The cackling of geese	saved Rome.	Ask: What saved Rome?
2	The boy	stood on the burning deck.	Ask: Who stood?
3	Tubal Cain	was a man of might.	"Was" is the verb.
4	Stone walls	do not make a prison.	Ask: What do not make a prison?
5	The singing of the birds	delights us.	"Delights" is the verb.
6	Miss Kitty	was rude at the table one day.	Ask: Who was rude?
7	He	has a good memory.	"Has" is the verb.
8	Bad habits	grow unconsciously.	Ask: What grows?
9	The earth	revolves round the sun.	Ask: What revolves?
10	Nature	is the best physician.	"Is" is the verb.
11	Edison	invented the phonograph.	Ask: Who invented?
12	The sea	hath many thousand sands.	"Hath" is old English for "has".
13	We	cannot pump the ocean dry.	Ask: Who cannot pump?
14	Borrowed garments	never fit well.	Ask: What never fits?
15	The early bird	catches the worm.	Include "The early" with the bird.
16	All matter	is indestructible.	Ask: What is indestructible?
17	Islamabad	is the capital of Pakistan.	Ask: What is the capital?
18	We	should profit by experience.	"Should profit" is the verb phrase.
19	All roads	lead to Rome.	Ask: What leads?
20	A guilty conscience	needs no excuse.	Ask: What needs no excuse?
21	The beautiful rainbow	soon faded away.	"Faded" is the verb.
22	No man	can serve two masters.	Include "No" as part of the subject.
23	A sick room	should be well aired.	Ask: What should be well aired?
24	The dewdrops	glitter in the sunshine.	Ask: What glitters?
25	I	shot an arrow into the air.	Ask: Who shot?
26	the shepherd	hears a barking sound.	Inverted! Normal order: The shepherd hears a barking sound.
27	a hermit	lives on the top of the hill.	Inverted! Normal order: A hermit lives on the top of the hill.

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8. Additional Practice Exercises

Test your understanding with these new challenges. Separate the Subject and Predicate.

1. The angry black dog barked at the mailman.
2. Under the bridge lives an old troll.
3. Please close the window.
4. My mother and father are traveling to Japan.
5. Out of the woods came a giant bear.

Solutions to Additional Practice

No.	Subject	Predicate	Explanation
1	The angry black dog	barked at the mailman.	Ask: Who barked? The angry black dog.
2	an old troll	lives under the bridge.	Inverted sentence.
3	(You)	Please close the window.	Imperative sentence with an understood subject.
4	My mother and father	are traveling to Japan.	Compound subject.
5	a giant bear	came out of the woods.	Inverted sentence.

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9. Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. What are the two main parts of a sentence?

   1. Noun and Verb
   2. Subject and Predicate
   3. Subject and Object
   4. Adjective and Adverb

   Answer: B

   Explanation: Every complete sentence requires a subject and a predicate to form a complete thought.

2. Which part of the sentence names the person or thing we are speaking about?

   1. The Predicate
   2. The Verb
   3. The Subject
   4. The Object

   Answer: C

   Explanation: The subject is the "who" or "what" of the sentence.

3. Identify the subject in this sentence: "The tall green trees swayed in the wind."

   1. The tall
   2. trees swayed
   3. swayed in the wind
   4. The tall green trees

   Answer: D

   Explanation: The subject includes the main noun and all its describing words.

4. Identify the predicate in this sentence: "My little sister paints beautiful pictures."

   1. My little sister
   2. paints beautiful pictures
   3. beautiful pictures
   4. sister paints

   Answer: B

   Explanation: The predicate starts with the verb and includes everything after it.

5. Which word is the subject in the sentence: "Up into the sky flew the rocket"?

   1. Up
   2. sky
   3. flew
   4. the rocket

   Answer: D

   Explanation: This is an inverted sentence.

6. Identify the subject in the sentence: "Wash your hands."

   1. Wash
   2. hands
   3. your
   4. (You)

   Answer: D

   Explanation: Commands have an understood subject "You".

7. In the sentence "A flock of birds flew south for the winter," what is the predicate?

   1. A flock of birds
   2. flew south
   3. flew south for the winter
   4. for the winter

   Answer: C

   Explanation: The predicate begins with the verb "flew".

8. Which of the following is true about a predicate?

   1. It always comes before the subject.
   2. It never contains a verb.
   3. It tells something about the subject.
   4. It is only one word long.

   Answer: C

   Explanation: The predicate tells us something about the subject.

9. Identify the subject: "In the middle of the night, the baby started crying."

   1. In the middle
   2. of the night
   3. the baby
   4. started crying

   Answer: C

   Explanation: The introductory phrase is not the subject.

10. Identify the subject: "Listen to me."

    1. Listen
    2. to me
    3. me
    4. (You)

    Answer: D

    Explanation: The subject is understood as "You".

11. What is the predicate in: "The dusty old book on the top shelf belongs to my grandfather."

    1. The dusty old book
    2. belongs to my grandfather
    3. on the top shelf
    4. my grandfather

    Answer: B

    Explanation: Everything beginning with the verb belongs to the predicate.

12. Identify the subject: "There goes my bus!"

    1. There
    2. goes
    3. my bus
    4. my

    Answer: C

    Explanation: This is an inverted sentence.

13. In the sentence "Reading books improves your vocabulary," what is the subject?

    1. Reading books
    2. improves
    3. your vocabulary
    4. books improves

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The activity "Reading books" acts as the subject.

14. True or False: The subject always consists of just one noun or pronoun.

    1. True, subjects cannot be more than one word.
    2. False, subjects can include modifiers and be a group of words.
    3. True, unless it is an imperative sentence.
    4. False, but only in inverted sentences.

    Answer: B

    Explanation: Subjects may consist of several words.

15. Identify the predicate: "Yesterday, it rained heavily."

    1. Yesterday
    2. it
    3. rained heavily
    4. Yesterday, it

    Answer: C

    Explanation: The predicate begins with the verb "rained".

16. Identify the subject: "Deep in the cave slept a fierce dragon."

    1. Deep in the cave
    2. slept
    3. a fierce dragon
    4. cave slept

    Answer: C

    Explanation: This is an inverted sentence.

17. What is the predicate in: "My computer crashed again."

    1. My computer
    2. crashed
    3. crashed again
    4. again

    Answer: C

    Explanation: The predicate contains the verb and the adverb.

18. In the sentence "Both the teacher and the students were happy," what is the subject?

    1. Both the teacher
    2. the students
    3. were happy
    4. Both the teacher and the students

    Answer: D

    Explanation: This is a compound subject.

19. Which sentence has an understood subject of "You"?

    1. You are my best friend.
    2. Please pass the salt.
    3. Do you know the answer?
    4. He left early.

    Answer: B

    Explanation: Requests and commands have an understood subject.

20. Identify the subject: "The smell of fresh cookies filled the room."

    1. The smell of fresh cookies
    2. fresh cookies
    3. filled the room
    4. The smell

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The complete noun phrase is the subject.