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Sentence and Its Components

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10 views3 pages

Sentence and Its Components

Uploaded by

cyberexpert997
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is a Sentence?

 A set of words that is complete in itself, typically containing a


subject and predicate, conveying a statement, question,
exclamation, or command, and consisting of a main clause and
sometimes one or more subordinate clauses.
 When we speak or write we use words. We generally use these
words in group; as, Little Jack Homer sat in a corner.
 A group of words like this, which makes complete sense, is called
a Sentence.
Kind of Sentence
Sentence are of four kinds:-
1. Declarative or Assertive: Sentences which make statements or
assertion; as, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
2. Interrogative: Questioning sentences, or sentences that ask
questions; as, Where do you live?
3. Imperative: Sentences that expresses a command, request or an
entreaty; as, Have mercy upon us.
4. Exclamatory: Sentences that express strong feelings; as, what a
shame!

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
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").

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