The Sentence
Chapter 1
Sentence and Fragment
A sentence is a group of words that contains a subject and a
predicate and contains a complete thought.
A fragment is a group of words that might look like a
sentence but does not contain everything it takes to make it a
sentence!
A sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a
period, question mark, or exclamation point.
A sentence will answer two important questions: Who or
what did it? And What happened?
By answering both of these questions, the sentence
completes a thought.
If both questions are not answered, the thought is not
complete and the group of words is a fragment.
Subjects
The subject of a sentence tells whom or what the sentence is
about.
The subject of a sentence answers the question Who or what
did it? Or About whom or what is something being said.
The subject may come anywhere in the sentence, at the
beginning, in the middle, or at the end.
The subject of a sentence is a word or group of words doing
the job of a noun or pronoun.
The subject will never be found in a prepositional phrase
(those nouns and pronouns are the objects of the
preposition!).
The simple subject is the main word or word group that tells
whom or what the sentence is about.
The simple subject is part of the complete subject.
The complete subject is all of the words needed to tell
whom or what the sentence is about. It is the simple subject
and all of its modifiers.
A modifier is a word or group of word that tells more about
another word or group of words. (PHEW! A lot to
remember isn’t it?!)
Example:
The Good Shepherd sixth grade students are really awesome.
The simple subject is students.
The complete subject is The Good Shepherd sixth grade students
really awesome.
The modifiers are The, Good Shepherd, sixth grade, really, and
awesome.
A compound subject is made of two or more subjects that
are joined by a conjunction (and, or, but) and share the same
verb. (Two or more subjects doing the same thing!) Look for
conjunctions and commas!
Bill, Bob, and Tom are on the football team.
Sally or I will be there to help on Saturday.
Predicates
The predicate of a sentence tells something about the
subject.
The predicate of a sentence answers the question What
happened?
The predicate of a sentence is often the action of the
sentence (something you can do).
The predicate of a sentence will contain a verb.
The complete predicate consists of a verb and all the words
that describe the verb and complete its meaning. In other
words, the verb and all of its modifiers.
The simple predicate, or verb is the main word or word
group in a complete predicate.
Examples:
Martha walked slowly across the room.
The simple predicate is walked.
The complete predicate is walked slowly across the room.
Slowly and across the room are modifiers of the verb walked.
A compound verb is made up of two or more verbs joined
by a conjunction (and, or, but). (A subject doing two or more
things!)
Example:
Martha hopped, skipped, and jumped all the way to her
grandmother’s house.
“Hopped, skipped, and jumped” is a compound verb.
The predicate of a simple sentence usually comes after the
subject, but in some sentences the subject may be in the
middle of the predicate. This is especially true if the
sentence is a question.
Examples:
Quickly all of the children left for lunch.
The complete predicate is quickly left for lunch.
The simple predicate is left.
In the sky were beautiful stars.
The complete predicate is in the sky were.
The simple predicate is were.
Have you finished your homework?
The subject, you, interrupts the verb. The predicate is have
finished.
*Helpful Hint When the sentence is a question, (interrogative
sentence) turn it around to make a statement (declarative sentence).
That usually makes it easier to find the subject and the predicate
(verb).
Example:
Did you have a good day today?
You did have a good day today!
The predicate is the verb phrase did have.
Kinds of Sentences:
Declarative Sentence
A declarative sentence makes a statement.
A declarative sentence ends with a period.
Examples:
You are doing a good job.
Homework is not fun.
*Hint Remember Aunt Sadie “I declare,” said Aunt Sadie.
Imperative Sentence
An imperative sentence gives a command or makes a request.
Requests or tells someone to do something.
Most imperative sentences end with a period.
A strong command may end with an exclamation point. (It all
depends upon how excited the speaker really is!
The subject of an imperative sentence is always YOU even
though the word you never appears in the sentence. This is
called the understood subject or the understood YOU.
Examples:
Get ready to go to bed. (YOU) Get ready to go to bed.
(That is what mom says at 8:30.)
Get to bed right now and I mean it!
Don’t make me come up there!
(YOU) Go to bed right now!
(YOU) Don’t make me come up there!
(This is what mom says at 10:45.)
Interrogative Sentence
An interrogative sentence asks a question.
An interrogative sentence ends with a question mark.
Example:
How many more notes are there, Mrs. Murray?
Is this going to be on the test?
*Hint Remember CSI; they interrogate the suspects by asking
questions.
Exclamatory Sentences
An exclamatory sentence shows excitement or expresses
strong feeling.
An exclamatory sentence ends with an exclamation point.
*Use with care in your writing. Overuse will result in loss of
effectiveness! Read the sentence and make sure it is not an
imperative sentence.
Example:
Finally! The end of the chapter notes is here!
I thought this lesson would never end!
Good-bye!