CBSE Class 4 English Subject and Predicate Notes Set 01

What is a sentence?

A sentence is a group of words that makes complete sense. It begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, a question mark or an exclamation mark. Every sentence tells us about someone or something, and then says something about that person or thing. These two jobs are done by the subject and the predicate.

Kinds of sentences, in brief

1. A declarative sentence makes a statement.

2. An interrogative sentence asks a question.

3. An imperative sentence gives an order, request or advice.

4. An exclamatory sentence shows strong feeling, such as joy or surprise.

The subject

The subject is the part of the sentence that tells us who or what the sentence is about. It is the person, animal or thing that does something. A subject can be one word or a group of words.

1. The owl hooted in the night.

2. The students in the class read the passage.

3. Jane and Alice are sisters.

To find the subject, put who or what before the verb and ask the question. In "The owl hooted in the night", ask "Who hooted?" The answer, "the owl", is the subject.

The predicate

The predicate is the part that tells us something about the subject. It always contains the verb. It may say what the subject does or what the subject is.

1. The owl hooted in the night.

2. The students in the class read the passage.

3. Jane and Alice are sisters.

Expanding subject and predicate

We can add more words to either part to give more detail.

1. The girl sings.

2. The girl in white sings.

3. The girl in white sings for the school choir.

In the first sentence, the subject is "the girl". In the third, the subject grows to "the girl in white" and the predicate to "sings for the school choir".

Special cases

1. Subject after the predicate. Usually the subject comes first, but not always. In "Down the road skipped the girl", the subject is "the girl". Ask "Who skipped?" to find it.

2. Questions. In "Are the books kept in the cupboard?", the subject "the books" comes after the first verb.

3. Commands. In "Stand up" or "Come here", no subject is written. The subject is understood to be "you".

Worked examples

Example 1. Find the subject of "The child in the yellow hat is running on the beach." Ask "Who is running?" The subject is "the child in the yellow hat".

Example 2. Complete "The clock ______." One possible predicate is "struck twelve", giving "The clock struck twelve."

Example 3. Split "Rita and Sita are twins." The subject is "Rita and Sita" and the predicate is "are twins".

Why it matters

Knowing the subject and predicate helps you write complete sentences. A group of words with no subject, like "Went to the park", or with no predicate, like "My little brother", is only a fragment and does not make complete sense. Check every sentence you write for both parts.

Remember

The subject tells who or what. The predicate tells what is said about the subject, and it holds the verb. A complete sentence must have both parts, except in commands where the subject "you" is understood.

Quick Check Questions