Basic Sentence

Basic Sentence

Idemtify subject and predicate of a sentence, verbs and complete thoughts

The Basic Sentence

There are many kinds of sentences. Some are short, others are long,. Some are simple, and others are more complex. In order to be considered complete, a sentence must have two things: a subject and a verb. Every sentence, regardless of its lenght, must have a subject and a verb. A complete sentence contains a subject and a verb and expresses complete thoughts.

The Subject

A sentence must have a subject. Most subjects are nouns or pronouns. The subject is usually but not always, found near the beginning of the sentence

The subject of a sentence is the word or group of words that names the person, place, thing, or idea that performs the action or is described. It answers the question Who? or What? before the verb.

Examples: The pantry is full. Mr. Harrison broke his new mug. He knows how to fix it. Glue will fix the mug.

The Verb

1. As one of the basic parts of a sentence, the verb tells something about the subject.
2. The verb in a sentence tells what the subject does, what is done to the subject, or what the condition of the subject is.

Examples: My sister won first place. Her speech was presented at the ceremony. She seemed nervous.

Using subjects and verbs to express Complete Thoughts

Every basic sentence must express a complete thought.A sentence is a group of words with a subject and a verb that expresses a complete thought and can stand by itself and still make sense. Example: The pasta is in the pantry in the kitchen. (this group of words can stand by itself) Incomplete thought: in the pantry in the kitchen Incomplete thoughts are often called fragments.