The subject and predicate are the two main parts of a sentence.

• The subject is what or whom the sentence is about. It names the person, place, thing, or idea performing the action or being described. For example, in the sentence "The cat is sleeping in the sun," the subject is "The cat"

• The predicate is the part of the sentence that tells what the subject is doing or what is happening to the subject. It includes the verb and all other words that describe the action or state of being. In the same example, "is sleeping in the sun" is the predicate, telling what the cat is doing

Examples

Sentence| Subject| Predicate
---|---|---
The dog is sleeping in the sun.| The dog| is sleeping in the sun
I want a new car.| I| want a new car
Miss Rupa is taking the class.| Miss Rupa| is taking the class
They ate pizza for dinner.| They| ate pizza for dinner
The umbrella is blue.| The umbrella| is blue

Key Points

• The subject answers "Who?" or "What?" the sentence is about.
• The predicate answers "What is the subject doing?" or "What is happening to the subject?"
• The subject is usually a noun or pronoun.
• The predicate always contains a verb and may include objects, complements, or modifiers

In summary, every complete sentence has a subject and a predicate working together to convey a complete thought.