SUBJECT AND PREDICATE

The Subject and the predicate are the two major divisions of any sentence in English. 

THE SUBJECT

Eg:

Raju is packing a bottle.

Here, RAJU is the subject and IS PACKING A BOTTLE is the predicate.

The subject refers to who or what in a sentence. It appears before its verb. It controls the action of a verb.

Let us find a few examples to make sure of this idea.

Eg:

Birds fly.

The wind blew softly.

Her mother is a doctor.

The lesson to understand is not in simple explanation.

As you notice above lines the subject may have one word or more than one word.

When there are many words that suggest the subject as a whole, there must be a single main word known as the subject word. 

In the above sentences wind, mother, the lesson is the subject words.

In some cases, a subject word is qualified by an adjective. It is known as enlargement.

Eg: 

Bad boys fight in class.

bad = enlargement

boys = subject-word

bad boys = subject

Eg:

Shankar's sister is a lawyer.

Shankar's = enlargement

sister = subject-word

Shankar's sister = subject

Eg:

Rama, my brother, won the race.

Rama = subject-word

my brother = enlargement

Rama, my brother, = subject

Usually, subjects in sentences are nouns, noun phrases, noun clauses, pronouns, gerunds , gerund phrases, infinitives, infinitive phrases.

Eg:

Rajesh can top the class. (noun)

A man I know owned a car. (noun phrase)

Whoever knows the truth should tell all. (noun clause)

She is helping the poor. (pronoun)

Smoking is injurious to your health. (gerund)

Talking too much is a bad habit. (gerund phrase)

To forgive is divine. (infinitive)

To work vigorously is highly appreciable. (infinitive phrase)

In a declarative statement, the subject is at the beginning.

Eg: 

Vishal works hard to get success.

Vishal = subject.

Sometimes the subject appears after the predicate.

Eg:

Here comes the bus.

the bus = subject.

In a question, the subject is in the middle or at the end.

Eg:

Why are they playing here?

they = subject

What is your father?

your father = subject

In imperative sentences, the subjects are implied.

Eg:

(You) Open the door.

You = subject (implied)

In a statement with there is / there are or here is / here are, the subject follows the verb is/are.

Eg:

There are some books on the shelf.

some books = subject

Sometimes, the subject in the passive voice causes a little bit confusion. Observe the following sentence carefully:

Eg:

Raju is counting the coins. (active voice)

Here, Raju is the subject and the agent of the verb counting. 

The coins are being counted by Raju. (passive voice)

Here, even 'the coins' is the subject of the sentence, Raju, becomes the object of the prepositional phrase by Raju, which modifies the verb is 'being counted'.

When a subject agrees with its verb, we see some changes in a sentence. For example with the verb to be, singular verb takes is or was with a singular subject and are or were with the a plural subject. 

My father is back from office.

My friend was in a great depression.

We are unhappy with the current government policies.

These traditions were useless for the present generation.

With the simple present tense, when the subjuct is in third person singular, the main verb  will have to take s,es or ies to its end.

Eg:

Raju works hard to reach his goal.

Rani teaches English.

Shilpa cries all the day without any reason.

Similarly, the helping verbs do and have go along  with the plural subject and does and have go along with the  singular subject.

Eg:

My father does run his own company.

My parents do attend all the parties.

My friend has a nice car.

We have no facilities to read in the evening.

THE PREDICATE

Once you notice the subject in a sentence, consider remaining part of the sentence is the predicate. This is a rough and ready rule to know the predicate.

The predicate reveals what is done by the subject. 

Have you noticed the predicates in the first four examples? The predicate may contain one word or more than one word in a sentence. 

A predicate part of a sentence must contain a finite verb.

From the first four examples fly, blew, is, isn't are the finite verbs of the predicate parts.

The verb in the predicate in some cases qualified by an adverb. It is called an extension.

Eg: 

She went home.

went = verb

home = extension(adverb)

Notice the following sentence.

Harini seems happy.

seems = intransitive verb

happy = complement

In the above sentence verb (seems) requires some word or words to see the predicate complete. Here happy became a complement. This complement describes the subject. It is called a subjective complement.

We need an object for a transitive verb in a predicate to complete its sense.

Eg: 

We hate lazy people.

hate = verb

lazy = attribute

People = object

Sometimes transitive verbs can take two objects in a predicate; a direct object and an indirect object.

Eg:

 I gave her a book.

gave = verb

book = direct object

her = indirect object

Sometimes a transitive verb in a predicate requires a complement along with the object.

Eg: 

We made Somesh, the class leader.

made = verb

Somesh = object

class leader = objective complement

The complement (class leader) describes the object. It is called an objective complement.

Notice the following sentence.

We made a toy car.

 Here, the object (a toy car) doesn't require any complement.

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