Unit 6

What Are Our Connections to the Past?

Activity

Subjects and Predicates

As you write, think about how to build sentences.

 Sentences are composed of two parts.  If one part of a sentence is missing, the sentence remains incomplete.

The subject of a sentence is who or what the sentence is about (a noun or pronoun). The simple subject does the action.

Example: Mr. Morton
    Mr. Morton walked. (simple subject)

The complete subject includes all the words that tell about the "who" or the "what" that does the action. In the example, what words tell about Mr.  Morton?

Example: Lonely Mr. Morton walked. (complete subject)
The predicate, or verb, does the action. This verb, or action word, is called the simple predicate.

Example: Lonely Mr. Morton walked around the block and opened his mailbox. (simple predicate or verb)
The complete predicate is all the words that tell what the subject is or does.

Example: Lonely Mr. Morton walked around the block and opened his mailbox. (complete predicate)


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Identifying Subjects and Verbs

Watch this video to learn more about identifying subjects and predicates.

Subject and verb agreement means that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number.

In other words, the subject and verb both must be singular or they both must be plural.

A. Singular and plural subjects, or nouns, are usually straightforward. In most cases, the plural  form of a noun has an "s" at the end.

Singular (one in number, 1): car, light, puzzle, apple

Plural (more than one in number, 2+): cars, lights, puzzles, apples
B. Verbs do not follow this pattern. Adding an "s" to a verb does not make a plural. Most often, s on a verb fits the singular subject!

Singular (one in number, 1): He or she walks
Plural (more than one in number, 2+): They walk
Singular subject Singular verb
Plural subject Plural verb

A singular subject does not match a plural verb, or a plural subject does not match a singular verb.