The Parts of the
Sentence
The parts of the sentence
are a set of terms for describing how people construct sentences
from smaller pieces. There is not a direct correspondence between the parts of
the sentence and the parts of speech --
the subject of
a sentence, for example, could be a noun, a pronoun,
or even an entire phrase or
clause.
Like the parts of speech, however, the parts of the sentence form part of the
basic vocabulary of grammar, and it is important that you take some time to
learn and understand them.
Written
by Frances Peck
Subject and Predicate
Every
complete sentence contains two parts: a subject and a predicate. The subject is what (or whom) the
sentence is about, while the predicate tells something about the subject. In
the following sentences, the predicate is enclosed in braces ({}), while the
subject is highlighted.
Judy {runs}.
Judy and her dog {run on the beach every morning}.
To
determine the subject of a sentence, first isolate the verb and
then make a question by placing "who?" or "what?" before it
-- the answer is the subject.
The audience
littered the theatre floor with torn wrappings and spilled popcorn.
The
verb in the above sentence is "littered." Who or what littered? The
audience did. "The audience" is the subject of the sentence. The
predicate (which always includes the verb) goes on to relate something about
the subject: what about the audience? It "littered the theatre floor with
torn wrappings and spilled popcorn."
Unusual Sentences
Imperative sentences
(sentences that give a command or an order) differ from conventional sentences
in that their subject, which is always "you," is understood rather
than expressed.
Stand on
your head. ("You" is understood before "stand.")
Be
careful with sentences that begin with "there" plus a form of the
verb "to be." In such sentences, "there" is not the
subject; it merely signals that the true subject will soon follow.
There were three stray kittens cowering
under our porch steps this morning.
If
you ask who?
or what?
before the verb ("were cowering"), the answer is "three stray
kittens," the correct subject.
Simple Subject and Simple Predicate
Every
subject is built around one noun or pronoun (or
more) that, when stripped of all the words that modify it, is known as the simple
subject.
Consider the following example:
A piece of pepperoni pizza would
satisfy his hunger.
The
subject is built around the noun "piece," with the other words of the
subject -- "a" and "of pepperoni pizza" -- modifying the
noun. "Piece" is the simple subject.Likewise, a predicate has at its centre a simple predicate, which is always the verb or verbs that link up with the subject. In the example we just considered, the simple predicate is "would satisfy" -- in other words, the verb of the sentence.
A sentence may have a compound subject -- a simple subject consisting of more than one noun or pronoun -- as in these examples:
Team pennants, rock posters and family photographs covered the boy's
bedroom walls.
Her uncle and she walked slowly through the
Inuit art gallery and admired the powerful sculptures exhibited there.
The
second sentence above features a compound predicate, a predicate that includes
more than one verb pertaining to the same subject (in this case, "walked"
and "admired").Written by Frances Peck
Objects and Complements
Objects
A
verb may
be followed by an object that completes the verb's meaning. Two
kinds of objects follow verbs: direct objects and indirect objects. To
determine if a verb has a direct object, isolate the verb and make
it into a question by placing "whom?" or "what?" after it.
The answer, if there is one, is the direct object:
Direct Object
The
advertising executive drove a flashy red
Porsche.
Direct Object
Her secret
admirer gave her a bouquet of
flowers.
The
second sentence above
also contains an indirect object. An indirect object (which,
like a direct object, is always a noun or pronoun) is,
in a sense, the recipient of the direct object. To determine if a verb has an
indirect object, isolate the verb and ask to
whom?, to
what?, for
whom?, or for
what? after it. The answer is the indirect object.Not all verbs are followed by objects. Consider the verbs in the following sentences:
The guest
speaker rose from her chair to
protest.
After work,
Randy usually jogs
around the canal.
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Verbs
that take objects are known as transitive verbs. Verbs not followed by
objects are called intransitive verbs.Some verbs can be either transitive verbs or intransitive verbs, depending on the context:
Direct Object
I hope the
Senators win the next game.
No Direct Object
Did we win?
Subject Complements
In
addition to the transitive verb and
the intransitive verb,
there is a third kind of verb called a linking verb. The
word (or phrase)
which follows a linking verb is called not an object, but a subject complement.The most common linking verb is "be." Other linking verbs are "become," "seem," "appear," "feel," "grow," "look," "smell," "taste," and "sound," among others. Note that some of these are sometimes linking verbs, sometimes transitive verbs, or sometimes intransitive verbs, depending on how you use them:
Linking verb with subject complement
He was a radiologist before he became a full-time yoga
instructor.
Linking verb with subject complement
Your
homemade chili smells
delicious.
Transitive verb with direct object
I can't smell anything with this
terrible cold.
Intransitive verb with no object
The interior
of the beautiful new Buick smells
strongly of fish.
Note
that a subject complement can be either a noun ("radiologist",
"instructor") or an adjective
("delicious").
Object Complements
(by David Megginson)
An
object complement is similar to a subject
complement, except that (obviously) it modifies an object rather than a subject.
Consider this example of a subject complement:
The driver
seems tired.
In
this case, as explained above, the adjective "tired" modifies the
noun "driver," which is the subject of the sentence.Sometimes, however, the noun will be the object, as in the following example:
I consider
the driver tired.
In
this case, the noun "driver" is the direct object of the verb
"consider," but the adjective "tired" is still acting as
its complement.In general, verbs which have to do with perceiving, judging, or changing something can cause their direct objects to take an object complement:
Paint it black.
The judge
ruled her out of order.
I saw the
Prime Minister sleeping.
In
every case, you could reconstruct the last part of the sentence into a sentence
of its own using a subject complement: "it is black," "she is
out of order," "the Prime Minister is sleeping."Written by Frances Peck
Review: the Subject
Try
to determine the simple subject
(disregarding any modifiers) in
the following sentences, then
check your answer to see if it was correct.
4. Despite
the storm's destructiveness, the ship, with its crew of amateurs, might have
survived in more experienced hands.
Review: the Predicate
1. His terror of spiders kept him out of the dark basement.
2. There will be three concerts in the arts centre tonight.
3. Would you willingly exchange half your intelligence for
one million dollars?
4. Despite the storm's destructiveness, the ship, with its
crew of amateurs, might have survived in more experienced hands.
5. After the movie, Emma and her brother bought a birthday
present for their mother.
Written
by Frances Peck
Review: Parts of the Sentence
Identify the hilighted word in each of the sentences below as a simple subject, a
verb, a direct object,
an indirect object,
or a subject complement.
1. The old house on the hill gave
Leonora chills and conjured up images of ghosts and monsters and other unknown
beings.
2. Next to the china cabinet, Mrs. Wilkes placed a polished
side table and an antique jug.
3. Despite winning the lottery last week, my cousin still
seems unhappy.
4. They gave the university a
large endowment for the scholarship fund.
5. Some experts believe it
is easy to overstate the role that genes and heredity play in determining a
person's predisposition to alcoholism.
Prepared by SANN RAKSMEY
