Subject and Predicate, Definition, Types, Difference & Examples

Subject and Predicate: In English Grammar, subject and predicate are the parts of sentences. Every sentence is completed only by the formation of these two components. Subject and Predicate form an important part of English grammar. The subject of the sentence is the part that names the person or thing we are speaking about. For eg. “The dog is sleeping in the sun,” the word dog is the subject. And the Predicate is the part of the sentence that tells something about the subject. For eg. “The child threw the ball,” the word“threw the ball” is the predicate. Scroll down to know more about Subject and Predicate.

Definition of Subject and Predicate

Definition of Subject:

According to the Cambridge dictionarya Subject is defined “as the thing that is being discussed, considered, or studied”. According to the definition given by collins dictionarythe subject is, “the subject of a clause is the noun group that refers to the person or thing that is doing the action expressed by the verb”. Traditionally, the subject is the word or phrase which controls the verb in the clause, that is to say with which the verb agrees.

Definition of Predicate:

According to the Merriam-webster dictionary predicate is defined in English grammar as,” the part of a sentence or clause that expresses what is said of the subject and that usually consists of a verb with or without objects, complements, or adverbial modifiers”. According to the Cambridge dictionarya”Predicate is the part of a sentence that contains the verb and gives information about the subject”.

Subject and Predicate Examples

A subject tells”Who” or “What” in the sentence is all about and the Predicate tells” what the subject “is” or “does”. Below is the table of the examples of subject and Predicate to make your understanding better.

Types of Subject and Predicate

Types of Subject

The subject is the Part of the sentence that talks about the noun which refers to the person or thing doing the action in the form of verbs. There are three types of subjects, these are:

1. Simple Subject
2. Complete Subject
3. Compound Subject

Types of Predicate

The Predicate is the part of the sentence that tells something about the subject. There are three types of Predicate, these are:

1. Simple Predicate
2. Complete Predicate
3. Compound Predicate

Difference Between Subject and Predicate

In English, sentences are composed of two components, that is, Subject and Predicate. The subject is the things that are being discussed, considered, and studied and the predicate is the part of the sentence which gives information about the subject.

Exercises: Subject and Predicate

Identify the subject and the predicate in the following sentences.

1. The sun was shining brightly.
2. The dogs were barking loudly.
3. The pretty girl was wearing a blue frock.
4. My younger brother serves in the army.
5. The man and his wife were working in their garden.
6. My mother and my aunt are trained, classical dancers.
7. You don’t have to wait for me.
8. We will no longer tolerate this.
9. The little tree was covered with needles instead of leaves.
10. A rich merchant was passing by the shoemaker’s window.

Answers

• The sun (subject) / was shining brightly (predicate).
• The dogs (subject) / were barking loudly (predicate).
• The pretty girl (subject) / was wearing a blue frock (predicate).
• My younger brother (subject) / serves in the army (predicate).
• The man and his wife (subject) / were working in their garden (predicate).
• My mother and my aunt (subject) / are trained classical dancers (predicate).
• You (subject) / don’t have to wait for me (predicate).
• We (subject) / will no longer tolerate this (predicate).
• The little tree (subject) / was covered with needles instead of leaves (predicate).
• A rich merchant (subject) /was passing by the shoemaker’s window (predicate).