English Subject and Predicate

While the subject and predicate are important to sentence structure in both spoken and written English, they may be less formally emphasized in spoken language, especially in casual conversation. However, in written English, the subject and predicate are more clearly defined and often form the foundation of clear and concise writing.

Here are some books to study Subject and Predicate in detail:

Here are some examples:

President Obama was a successful leader.

Subject: President Obama

Predicate: was a successful leader

The dog is sitting on the table.

Simple subject: Dog

Simple predicate: sitting on table  

Subject and Predicate are crucial parts of a sentence, that bring clarity and meaning in communication. The subject identifies who or what the sentence is about, while the predicate explains what the subject does or is. Thus, understanding about these two is important for effective writing, and clear comprehension.

Misidentification of the subject or predicate, and incorrect verb agreement with the subject are the common errors in the topic. Sentence fragments, which are incomplete sentences missing a subject or predicate, can also lead to errors in this area of English grammar.

Largely, there are three types of subject and predicate in English grammar. They are: 

·       Simple subject and predicate

·       Compound subject and predicate

·       Complete subject and predicate

A sentence can have more than one subject and predicate. It can be a compound subject/predicate. In other case it can be two completely different subjects performing various actions in the same context. Sentences with compound subjects have more than one simple subject but may have only one predicate. Sentences with compound predicates have more than one simple predicate but may have only one subject.

The predicate tells what the subject does or is. It includes the verb and any other words that complete the meaning of the sentence. It is the latter part of the sentence that gives information about the subject or the action that is being performed.

The subject, includes word or group of words that tell what or who the sentence is about. They can be noun or pronoun. In other words, subject is a person or thing that is being considered, shown or talked about in the sentence. It is the main focus of the sentence.