Transcript Subjects and Predicates

Simple Subjects and
Predicates
Understanding and Finding Simple
Subjects and Simple Predicates
Chapter One in your Language book.
What is the simple predicate?
The simple predicate is the verb or verb
phrase in a sentence:
Brandi and Catherine help Mrs. Todd
during second period.
help
They have been helping her since
Thursday.
have been helping
Verb Phrase
A phrase is a group of words that functions
as a unit (works together to do something) in
the sentence.
The verb phrase is made up of the main verb
(the last verb in the phrase) and the helping
verbs.
Ben was singing the helping verbs song.
main verb: singing
helping verb: was
Helping Verbs
Jingle Bells
Helping Verbs! Helping Verbs! There are
23....
Am, is are! Was and were! Being, been,
and be!
Have, has, had! Do, does, did! Shall,
should, will, and would!
There are 5 more helping verbs: may,
might, must, can, and could!
Action Verb Phrase
The verb phrase tells…
what and when something is happening
These sentences describe a physical action:
Michael is writing neatly.
is writing
happening now
Michael will be writing neatly tomorrow.
will be writing
will be happening in the future
Action Verb Phrase
These sentences describe a mental action:
I was hoping for a good day.
was hoping
happened in the past
I believe in my students.
believe
happening now
Verb or Verb Phrase
2.
Tells that something is, was, or is going to exist. There
is no real action in this type of verb phrase. In this verb
phrase, the main verb is always a form of be.
Ally is a good student.
is
Ally is existing as a good student but is not
doing anything in this sentence.
She has been a good student for years.
has been
Ally has been existing as a good student but
has not been doing anything in this sentence.
Forms of Be
Camptown Ladies
Am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being,
being,
Am, is, are, was, were, be, been, Oh!
Being verbs.
Linking Verbs
Linking verbs join a describing word (adjective) or
renaming word (noun or pronoun to the subject. The
word that is linked tells more about the subject. These
verbs do not show action.
I feel sick.
feel
I am sick.
Frank looks confused.
looks
Frank is confused.
To see if a verb is linking, replace it with a form of be (is,
am, are, was, were, be, been, being).
Compound Simple Predicate
Sometimes there is more than one verb or
verb phrase in a sentence. This happens
when the subject is, was, or will be doing or
being more than one thing.
Joey is singing and will be playing the
guitar.
is singing will be playing
Sarah plays piano and studies Mozart.
plays
studies
Finding The Simple Subject
Find the simple predicate (verb or verb
phrase) first and then ask the question “Who
or what_____?” in front of the simple
predicate to find the subject.
Jon is the detail person in our group.
Who is the detail person? Jon is.
Jon finds the errors in most documents.
Who finds the errors? Jon finds them.
The Simple Subject
The simple subject is a naming word, a noun or
pronoun:
Noun- person, place, thing, idea or emotion
Lancaster became a great glass-making town.
Who or what became? Lancaster
Pronoun - These words take the place of nouns.
It became prosperous because of the glass
industry.
Who or what became? It
Pronouns
Here are examples of pronouns that can
be subjects:
He, She, It, We, They, You
Who, What, All, None, Both, Many
Everybody, Everyone, Everything
The Subject in an Imperative
Sentence.
An imperative sentence is a request or
command.
Please start the daily edit.
Who or what starts? You start.
Put the snake down!
Who or what puts? You put.
The subject word is invisible in an imperative
sentence. The subject is “you,” the person who
is being addressed in the sentence.
Compound Subject
Sometimes there is more than one noun or
pronoun doing or existing in the sentence.
Joey and Dillon will be playing the guitar.
Joey, Dillon
Sarah and Blake plays piano and studies
Mozart.
Sarah, Blake
Compound Subject and Predicate
Some sentences have both compound subjects and
predicates:
J oey and Dillon play the guitar and sing.
Joey, Dillon
play, sing
Sarah and Blake read music and play the piano.
Sarah, Blake
read, play
Why is it important to know about
the simple subject and predicate?
•
You probably want to do well on the
chapter test.
• Learning the basics of English grammar
can help you with learning a foreign
language.
• Finding the subject and predicate helps
you determine if the group of words is a
grammatically complete sentence.
Why is it important to know about
the simple subject and predicate?
• Knowing about subjects and predicates
can help you correct sentence fragments
and can lead to better communication.
• Educated people probably should know
how their own language is structured and
how to use it.
• Writing correct (standard) English makes a
good impression.
Online Help and Practice
Websites for Subjects and Predicates:
The Guide to Grammar and Writing.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
http://www.quia.com/cb/40392.html
http://www.dowlingcentral.com/MrsD/quizzes/grammar/AlphaExer/co
mpsubandpre.htm
http://www.quia.com/rr/36765.html
http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001177.shtm
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