Subject and Predicate: Definition, Examples and How to Find Them
Every complete sentence in English has two main parts: a subject and a predicate. The subject is the person, animal, place or thing that the sentence is about (or that does the action). The predicate is everything that tells us what the subject does or is: it always contains the verb.
In The little girl sang a song, The little girl is the subject and sang a song is the predicate. Once you can split a sentence this way, grammar topics such as subject-verb agreement, sentence types and punctuation become much easier.
Sentence = Subject + Predicate.
The subject tells us who or what the sentence is about.
The predicate tells us what the subject does, or what is said about it. It starts with the verb.
✅ Anita | plays the violin.
✅ The monsoon clouds | covered the whole city.
✅ My grandfather | is a retired headmaster.
What Is a Subject?
The subject is the noun or pronoun (with any words that describe it) that the sentence is about. To find it, find the verb first, then ask "Who?" or "What?" before the verb.
The bus to Pune leaves at six.
Verb: leaves. Who or what leaves? The bus to Pune. That is the subject.
Simple Subject and Complete Subject
The simple subject is the main noun or pronoun, without the words that describe it. The complete subject is the simple subject together with all the words that describe it.
✅ The tall boy in the blue shirt won the race. Complete subject: The tall boy in the blue shirt. Simple subject: boy.
✅ My favourite cricketer from Chennai retired last year. Simple subject: cricketer.
What Is a Predicate?
The predicate is the part of the sentence that says something about the subject. It begins with the verb and includes any objects, complements and adverbs that go with it.
Simple Predicate and Complete Predicate
The simple predicate is the verb or verb phrase alone (for example is reading, has finished). The complete predicate is the verb with everything that completes it.
✅ Ravi is reading an interesting novel in the library. Complete predicate: is reading an interesting novel in the library. Simple predicate: is reading.
✅ The students have finished their projects. Simple predicate: have finished.
| Sentence | Simple subject | Complete subject | Simple predicate | Complete predicate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The old clock rang loudly. | clock | The old clock | rang | rang loudly |
| My mother is cooking dinner. | mother | My mother | is cooking | is cooking dinner |
| The price of vegetables has risen. | price | The price of vegetables | has risen | has risen |
Compound Subjects and Compound Predicates
A subject can have more than one noun or pronoun joined by and, or: this is a compound subject. A predicate can have more than one verb that share the same subject: this is a compound predicate.
✅ Priya and her sister play badminton. (compound subject: Priya, sister)
✅ Ramesh opened the window and looked outside. (compound predicate: opened, looked)
✅ Tea and coffee are served and cleared by the staff. (both)
Finding the Subject in Tricky Sentences
In most statements the subject comes first. But in questions, commands and some other sentences, the subject is harder to see.
Questions
In a question, part of the verb often comes before the subject. Turn the question into a statement to see the subject.
✅ Where is your brother going? → Your brother is going where. Subject: your brother.
✅ Did Meera finish the work? → Meera did finish the work. Subject: Meera.
✅ Who broke the window? Here who is the subject, because it replaces the person who did the action.
Commands (Imperative Sentences)
In a command the subject is usually not written. It is the hidden you (called the "understood" subject).
✅ Close the door. → (You) close the door. Subject: you (understood).
✅ Please sit down. Subject: you (understood).
✅ Rohit, open your books. Here Rohit is only the person spoken to. The subject is still the understood you.
Inverted Sentences
Sometimes the verb comes before the subject, especially after here, there or a phrase of place. Look for the noun that does the action or is being described.
✅ Here comes the bus. Subject: the bus.
✅ In the garden stood a tall mango tree. Subject: a tall mango tree.
✅ There are three apples in the basket. Subject: three apples. (There only fills the empty first place.)
Prepositional Phrases Are Not the Subject
The subject is never inside a prepositional phrase (a phrase starting with of, in, on, from and so on). Ignore these phrases when you look for the simple subject.
✅ One of the boys is absent. Simple subject: One, not boys.
✅ Several students from Class 9 won prizes. Simple subject: students, not Class 9.
Passive Sentences
In a passive sentence the subject receives the action, so it is the person or thing the sentence is about.
✅ The cake was baked by my aunt. Subject: The cake. Predicate: was baked by my aunt.
Always find the verb first, then ask Who? or What? before it. If a word sits inside a phrase starting with of, in, on or from, it is not the subject.
Subject and Predicate in Different Types of Sentences
All four kinds of sentences have a subject and a predicate, though in commands and short exclamations one may be left out. Stop! is a one-word command: the subject you is understood. Fragments such as "Running down the road." have no subject and no complete verb, so they are not complete sentences. Subjects and predicates are also the first step in studying sentence patterns like SVO and SVC, where the predicate is divided further into verb, object, complement and adverbial.
Common Mistakes
| ❌ Mistake | ✅ Correct |
|---|---|
| In "The box of chocolates is on the table", saying the subject is chocolates. | The simple subject is box; of chocolates is a prepositional phrase. |
| In "Close the door", saying there is no subject. | The subject is the understood you. |
| In "Here comes the bus", saying here is the subject. | The subject is the bus; here is an adverb. |
| Writing "Because it was raining." as a sentence. | It has a subject and verb but is incomplete. Write: "We stayed home because it was raining." |
✍️ Quick Practice — Divide into Complete Subject and Complete Predicate
- The little girl in the red frock sang a song.
- My uncle from Kochi arrived this morning.
- Priya and her sister play badminton.
- The old temple near our school is closed today.
- Ramesh opened the window and looked outside.
Answers: 1. The little girl in the red frock | sang a song | 2. My uncle from Kochi | arrived this morning | 3. Priya and her sister | play badminton | 4. The old temple near our school | is closed today | 5. Ramesh | opened the window and looked outside
✍️ Quick Practice — Find the Simple Subject
- The price of tomatoes has gone up.
- Close the door quietly.
- Where is your brother going?
- In the garden stood a tall mango tree.
- Several students from Class 9 won prizes.
- There are three apples in the basket.
Answers: 1. price | 2. you (understood) | 3. brother | 4. tree | 5. students | 6. apples
For more practice you can print the Subject and Predicate worksheet with answers.
Summary
- A sentence has two parts: the subject (who or what it is about) and the predicate (what is said about the subject, starting with the verb).
- The simple subject is the main noun or pronoun; the complete subject adds its describing words. Likewise, the simple predicate is the verb and the complete predicate is the verb with everything that completes it.
- Compound subjects have two or more subjects; compound predicates have two or more verbs.
- In commands the subject is the understood you; in inverted sentences, look after the verb; the subject is never inside a prepositional phrase.