Unit 2: Grammar and Usage

Grammar Rules: Nouns, Verbs and Subject-Predicate Agreement

THE SUBJECT OF A SENTENCE

The basic unit in all writing is called a sentence. To express a complete thought, a sentence must have a subject and a predicate. The subject is the word about which something is said. The predicate is the word that does the telling or makes the action.

In the first line of examples above, the subject of each sentence refers to just one person. These subjects are singular subjects. In the second line the subject refers to more than one person or thing. Therefore these subjects are called are plural subjects.

Most sentences contain more words than just a subject and a predicate. Words which expand or modify the meaning of the bare subject are called modifiers. A bare subject and all of its modifiers is called the complete subject.

THE SENTENCE AND ITS PREDICATE

The predicate of a sentence tells what the subject is or does. It can show action, possession, existence, or state.

Very few sentences contain bare predicates. Words are usually added to expand or to modify the meaning of a bare predicate. In the above sentences, the verbs wrote, has, and is are the bare predicates. Words which follow these verbs modify or expand its meaning. A bare predicate with its modifiers is called the complete predicate.

When the subject if a sentence is singular, the predicate must also be singular. If the subject is plural, the predicate must also be plural. This fact in grammar is called making sure that there is always an agreement of the predicate and the subject. The bare subject will determine whether the predicate should be singular or plural.

Here’s a list of four predicate forms. They are often incorrectly used in sentences.

Please remember there is no such word as ain’t. You are to avoid it at all times. And, the word English is always written with a capital first letter.