Sentence Parts and Phrases

Sentence

• A group of words that has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.

Sentence Fragment

•When a group of words DOES NOT contain a subject and a verb or DOES not express a complete thought

Subject

• Tells whom or what the sentence is about

• ****CAN NEVER BE IN A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE***

• COMPLETE SUBJECT: is the subject (nouns, pronoun, gerund, or infinitive) and all of its modifiers

• SIMPLE SUBJECT (s): the main word or group of words in the complete subject

Predicate

• Tells something about the subject

• COMPLETE PREDICATE: verb plus all of its modifiers

• SIMPLE PREDICATE (av, lv, or hv): the verb or verb phrase (main verb plus its helping verbs)

SIMPLE SUBJECT (s)• The “who” or “what” of the verb• Ex: the dog with spots likes to bark loudly. (dog is

the simple subject)• Must be noun (n), pronoun (pro), gerund (ger), or

infinitive (inf)• Can never be in a prepositional phrase• THERE and HERE are never the subject of a sentence• The subject can be an “understood you”. Ex: Bring

me the remote control, please. (YOU is who brings it.)

COMPLETE SUBJECT (underlined once)

• Simple subject plus its modifiers• Ex: The dog with spots likes to bark

loudly.• Dependent clauses modifying the

subject are part of the complete subject of the independent clause. (Ex: The dog that has spots likes to bark.)

SIMPLE PREDICATE/VERB• Transitive verb (vt): takes a direct

object (ex: We love English.)• Intransitive verb (vi): does not

take a direct object (ex: Please sit down.)• All linking verbs (lv) are

intransitive

COMPLETE PREDICATE (underline twice)

• Verb plus its modifiers• Ex: The dog with spots likes to bark

loudly.• Dependent clauses modifying the verb

are part of the complete predicate of the independent clause.

• Ex: The dog likes to bark when I’m asleep.

COMPLEMENT• Completes the meaning of the subject and

verb• Types:– Direct object (do)– Indirect object (io)– Predicate nominative (pn)– Predicate adjective (pa)

DIRECT OBJECT (do)• Is a noun or pronoun and is never in

a prepositional phrase• Follows an action verb• To find it, say “subject, verb, what?”

or “subject, verb, whom?”• Ex: I like English. “I like what?”

English is the direct object

INDIRECT OBJECT (io)• Is a noun or pronoun and is never in a

prepositional phrase• Comes before a direct object and after

the verb• To find it, say “subject, verb, direct

object, to or for whom or what?”• Ex: He gave me the paper. “He gave

paper to whom?” Me is the indirect object.

PREDICATE NOMINATIVE (pn)• Is a noun or pronoun• Follows a linking verb and renames

subject• To find it, say “subject, verb, what or

who?”• Ex: He is a nice guy. “He is what?”

Guy is the predicate nominative

PREDICATE ADJECTIVE (pa)• Is an adjective• Follows a linking verb and describes

the subject• To find it, say “subject, linking verb,

what?”• Ex. He is nice. “He is what?” Nice is

the predicate adjective.

APPOSITIVE (app)• Noun or pronoun that follows

and renames another noun or pronoun• Ex. My son Beck likes trains.

Beck is an appositive.

APPOSITIVE PHRASE (app ph)

• Noun or pronoun (along with modifiers) that follows and renames another noun or pronoun• Ex. Ansley, my daughter, loves to

dance. My daughter is the appositive phrase.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE (prep ph)

• Group of words beginning with a preposition and ending with a noun or pronoun

• Can act as and adjective (ex: I want a room with a view.) or adverb (ex: His house is on the lake.)

• Must be next to the noun or pronoun it modifies.

OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION (op)

• Follows preposition and tells “what?” or “whom?”

• Ex: The key is under the rug. “Under what?” Rug is the object of the preposition.

• If there is no object, it is NOT a preposition. Ex. Please stand up. (Up is an adverb.)

NOUN OF DIRECT ADDRESS (nda)

• Person being spoken to in a sentence• Ex: Mom, I’m hungry. Mom is the

nda.• Ex: Go clean your room, Rebekah.

Rebekah is the nda.

INFINITIVE PHRASE (inf ph)

•Infinitive plus its modifiers and objects•Ex: He likes to eat pepperoni pizza.

OBJECT OF THE INFINITIVE (obj inf)

• Follows infinitive and tells “what?”• Ex: I want to eat pizza. “to eat

what?” Pizza is the object of the infinitive.