Chapter 14: The Sentence
By Mrs. Anderson
Definition of a Sentence
•	a group of words
•	contains a subject and a verb
•	expresses a complete thought
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Subject and Predicate
•	A sentence consists of two parts:
•	The subject
•	The predicate
•	Example:

Simple Predicate and Complete Predicate
•	The principal word or group of words in the complete predicate is called the simple predicate, or the verb.
•	Spiders snare their prey in an intricate web.
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Verb Phrase
•	A verb may consist of more than one word:
•	Are walking, will walk, might have walked.
•	Has Sally helped you?
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Simple Subject and Complete Subject
•	The main word or group of words in the complete subject.
•	A dog with his pedigree is usually nervous.
•	Caution: remember that noun and subject do not mean the same thing.
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How to Find the Subject
•	Always pick out the verb first:
•	The shutters on that house are painted green.
•	Verb = are painted
•	Ask: Who or what are painted?
•	Shutters = subject.
•	The subject is never in a prepositional phrase.
•	One of my relatives has taken a trip.
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Subject in Unusual Place
•	When a sentence begins with here or there:
•	There are two apples in the refrigerator.
•	Ask: who or what are in the refrigerator?  Answer = Apples (subject)
•	Sentences that ask questions:
•	Were your friends early?
•	Turn them into statements:
•	Your friends were early.
•	Subject = friends		Page 364
Sentences without Subject 
•	Requests or commands leave the subject out:
•	Rake the yard.
•	Pick up the fallen branches.
•	The subject is understood to be you.
•	(You) Rake the yard.
•	(You) Pick up the fallen branches.
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Compound Subjects
•	Two or more subjects connected by and or or and having the same verb are called compound subjects.
•	Mr. Oliver and his daughter planted a vegetable garden.

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Compound Verbs
•	Two or more verbs joined by a connecting word and having the same subject are called compound verb.
•	We danced the rumba and sampled the meat pies.

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Fragments
•	Sentences must have a subject, verb, and a complete thought.
•	Frag: “Because she concentrates.”
•	Complete thought: “She does well in tennis because she concentrates.”

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Complements
•	A word or group of words that completes the meaning begun by the subject and verb.
     S        V             C
“Snow covered the hillside.”
•	Ask: snow covered what?
•	The hillside = complement
•	A complement is never part of a prepositional phrase, nor is it an adverb.
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The Subject Complement
•	A noun, pronoun, or adjective that follows a linking verb.
•	It identifies, describes, or explains the subject.
•	If it is a noun or pronoun, then it is a predicate nominative:
•	Jerry is a soccer player.
•	If it is a adjective, then it is a predicate adjective:
•	Susan seems confident.
Linking Verbs
•	Common linking verbs:
•	Be, become, feel, smell, taste, look, grow, seem, appear, remain, sound, stay.
•	And any form of to be:
•	Is, was, were, have been, will be, can be, etc.

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Distinguishing Between Subject and Complement
             S                      V                    C
Martin Luther King, Jr., is a national hero
   V    S        C
Was he a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize?
Becomes:  He was a recipient of the Nobel . . .
                        C                      S              V
What a fine speaker the Reverend King was!
Becomes: The Reverend King was a fine speaker.

Anything following a form of to be is a predicate nominative or a predicate adjective.       Page 372

Direct Objects
•	A word or group of words that directly receives the action expressed by the verb or shows the results of the action.  It answers to the question: what? Or whom? after an action verb.
            S            V         DO
The mechanic fixed our car.
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Indirect Objects
•	A noun or pronoun in the predicate that precedes the direct object.  It tells to whom or for whom the action of the verb is done.
  S      V      IO     A       DO
Jeff served me fresh vegetables.
•	Indirect objects are never in prepositional phrases, nor adverbs.
Sentence Classifications
•	Declarative: makes a statement
•	A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
•	Imperative: gives a command
•	Pass the turkey.  Speak softly.
•	Interrogative: asks a question.
•	Who is the new student?
•	Exclamatory: expresses feeling
•	It is so windy today!      Page 376