The Subject and The Predicate: Definition and Examples
The Subject and The Predicate: Definition and Examples
Introduction
Every sentence has two main parts: the Subject and the Predicate. Understanding these two parts helps students form correct and meaningful sentences in English.
What is a Subject?
The Subject is the person, place, animal, or thing that performs the action or about which something is said.
Examples
Ram plays cricket.
The dog barks.
My brother studies hard.
In these sentences, "Ram", "The dog", and "My brother" are the subjects.
What is a Predicate?
The Predicate is the part of a sentence that tells something about the subject. It contains the verb and other information.
Examples
Ram plays cricket.
The dog barks loudly.
My brother studies hard.
In these sentences, "plays cricket", "barks loudly", and "studies hard" are the predicates.
Examples of Subject and Predicate
| Sentence | Subject | Predicate |
|---|---|---|
| Ram plays cricket. | Ram | plays cricket |
| The dog barks loudly. | The dog | barks loudly |
| She sings beautifully. | She | sings beautifully |
| The children are playing. | The children | are playing |
Identifying the Subject
Ask the question "Who?" or "What?" before the verb.
Example
The boy is running.
Question: Who is running?
Answer: The boy
Subject = The boy
Identifying the Predicate
Everything in the sentence except the subject is the predicate.
Example
The boy is running in the park.
Subject = The boy
Predicate = is running in the park
More Examples
Sentence 1
Birds fly in the sky.
Subject = Birds
Predicate = fly in the sky
Sentence 2
The teacher teaches English.
Subject = The teacher
Predicate = teaches English
Sentence 3
The sun rises in the east.
Subject = The sun
Predicate = rises in the east
Practice Questions
Identify the Subject and Predicate
The cat is sleeping on the sofa.
My father works in a bank.
The students are reading books.
The train arrived on time.
Answers
Subject: The cat | Predicate: is sleeping on the sofa.
Subject: My father | Predicate: works in a bank.
Subject: The students | Predicate: are reading books.
Subject: The train | Predicate: arrived on time.
Conclusion
The Subject and Predicate are the two basic parts of every sentence. Learning them helps students understand sentence structure and improve their English grammar skills.