In grammar, a sentence consists of two main parts: the subject and the predicate. The subject is the part of the sentence that tells us what or whom the sentence is about, and the predicate is the part that provides information about the subject, such as what the subject is doing or what is happening to it.
The subject can be further divided into two types: the simple subject and the complete subject.
Simple Subject
The simple subject is the main noun or pronoun within the subject of a sentence. It represents the core element that the sentence is focused on.
It is the subject stripped down to its most basic form, without any modifiers or additional words.
For example:
Mary loves to read.
The cat sits on the windowsill.
My sister and I are going to the park.
Complete Subject
The complete subject, on the other hand, includes the simple subject along with all the words that modify or describe it.
It provides a more comprehensive view of what the sentence is about by including any adjectives, articles, or other words that give context to the simple subject.
The complete subject can be a single word or a group of words that together make up the subject of the sentence.
For example:
The tall and friendly girl with curly hair is my best friend.
Many colorful balloons and streamers decorated the party.
In the beautiful and serene garden behind the house, I found peace.
To identify the simple subject in a sentence, you can ask "Who or what is the sentence about?" The answer to that question will typically be the simple subject.
To identify the complete subject, look for all the words that provide more information about the simple subject. Understanding the difference between these two elements helps in analyzing and constructing sentences correctly.
Simple and complete subjects worksheets
In our grade 4 grammar section, we have a set of worksheets for students to practice how to identify simple and complete subjects.
