Parts of the Sentence

1. Parts of the Sentence Introduction to Literature - A

2. Complete sentences • A sentence is a group of words with two main parts: • Complete subject • Complete predicate • Together, the complete subject and the complete predicate form a complete thought.

4. Identifying complete subjects and predicates • The tired nurse completed her rounds. • Nurses teach preventative care and rehabilitation. • Most nurses work in hospitals. • Other nurses provide their services in health agencies, nursing homes, offices, schools, and industries. • Nurses can be educators, administrators, or supervisors. • Most nursing was done at home in the nineteenth century.

5. Identifying Simple subjects and predicates • The simple subject is the essential noun, pronoun, or group of words. • The simple predicate is the essential verb or verb phrase • All other words add extra information. • Two of his friends studied law enforcement. • Sick in bed, she had missed her job interview. ***The simple subject is NEVER THE OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION!

6. Recognizing simple subjects and predicates. • A friend of mine visited the police barracks. • The police are government agents. • They protect citizens from unlawful acts. • The US police establishment operates at several levels. • The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the largest and most important department. • Two other federal departments are the Secret Service and the Customs Service.

7. Compound Subjects • A compound subject is two or more subjects that have the same verb and are joined by a conjunction such as and or or. • You and she took the exam yesterday. • Either the actor or the tailor will talk next. • Snow, ice, and flooding made the roads dangerous.

8. Compound Verbs • A compound verb is two or more verbs that have the same subject and are joined by a conjunction such as and or or. • I neither want nor need your help. • The little children hopped, skipped, and jumped. A sentence can have a compound subject and a compound verb: The boys and girls danced and laughed at the party.

9. Hard-to-find subjects • Subjects in orders and directions: • Usually is the understood you (you) • Look at the bird on the branch. • (You) Look at the bird on the branch. • Michael, come here. • Michael, (you) come here.

10. Hard-to-find subject practice • During the autumn, enjoy the scenery. • Ted, plan on having different chores each season. • In the fall, rake the leaves and put them into special leaf bags. • In the winter, cover the tender plants to protect them from the cold. • Fertilize your soil and plant your annual flowers in the spring. • When summer at last arrives, remember to water your plants!

11. Subjects in Question • In questions, the subject usually follows the verb • To find the verb, mentally rephrase the question into a statement. • Are the sunflowers very tall? • The sunflowers are very tall • Have you collected the seeds? • You have collected the seeds. • Is dinner ready? • Dinner is ready.

12. Sentences beginning with “here” and “there” • Some inverted sentences begin with here or there. • The subject of a sentence is never here or there. • In sentences with here or there, the subject is after the verb. • Rephrase into a statement again. • Here are photographs of the palm trees. • Photographs of the palm trees are here. • There goes the tree specialist to fertilize the tree. • The tree specialist goes there to fertilize the tree. • There are many types of trees. • Many types of trees there are. • There they are. • Note: Don’t need to rearrange this sentence!!

13. Other inverted sentences • Sometimes, the subject is placed after the verb to give it greater emphasis. • This creates a type of suspense. • High on the cliff overlooking the rugged landscape was an eagle. • An eagle was high on the cliff overlooking the rugged landscape • Bright is her smile, but heavy is her heart. • Her smile is bright, but her heart is heavy • Soon after the sound of the drums came the marchers.