Subject and Predicate, Definition, Types, Difference & Examples

Subject and Predicate: In English Grammar, subject and predicate are the parts of sentences. Every sentence is completed only by the formation of these two components. Subject and Predicate form an important part of English grammar. The subject of the sentence is the part that names the person or thing we are speaking about. For eg. “The dog is sleeping in the sun,” the word dog is the subject. And the Predicate is the part of the sentence that tells something about the subject. For eg. “The child threw the ball,” the word“threw the ball” is the predicate. Scroll down to know more about Subject and Predicate.

Definition of Subject and Predicate

Definition of Subject:

According to the Cambridge dictionary, a Subject is defined "as the thing that is being discussed, considered, or studied". According to the definition given by collins dictionary, the subject is, “the subject of a clause is the noun group that refers to the person or thing that is doing the action expressed by the verb”. Traditionally, the subject is the word or phrase which controls the verb in the clause, that is to say with which the verb agrees.

Definition of Predicate:

According to the Merriam-webster dictionary predicate is defined in English grammar as," the part of a sentence or clause that expresses what is said of the subject and that usually consists of a verb with or without objects, complements, or adverbial modifiers". According to the Cambridge dictionary, a"Predicate is the part of a sentence that contains the verb and gives information about the subject".

Subject and Predicate Examples

A subject tells"Who" or “What" in the sentence is all about and the Predicate tells" what the subject “is” or “does”. Below is the table of the examples of subject and Predicate to make your understanding better.

Subject and Predicate Examples
Examples	Subject in the sentence	Predicate in the sentence
I want a new car.	Here"I" is the subject	“Want a new car” is the predicate.
Miss Rupa is taking the class.	Here" Miss Rupa" is the subject	“ Is taking the class” is the predicate.
The umbrella is blue.	Here “The” is the subject	“ umbrella is blue” is the predicate.
They ate pizza for dinner.	Here “They” is the subject	“ate pizza for dinner” is the predicate.
Students are learning English.	Here" Students" is the subject	“ are learning English” is the predicate.
Rohan has a nice collection of marbles	Here “Rohan” is the subject	“has a nice collection of marbles” is the predicate.
She is knitting a sweater.	Here" She" is the subject	“ is knitting a sweater” is the predicate.
Mother is going to the temple.	Here “Mother” is the subject	“is going to the temple” is the predicate.
The child is waiting for his father	Here “The Child” is the subject	“is waiting for his father” is the predicate.
The dog took the ball of thread.	Here"The dog" is the subject	“took the ball of thread” is the predicate.
The lion was hungry.	Here"The lion" is the subject	“was hungry” is the predicate.
The mother and the daughter were happy to hear the news.	Here"The mother and the daughter" is the subject	“were happy to hear the news” is the predicate.
Shyam and Ram have been selected.	Here"Shyam and Ram" is the subject	“have been selected” is the predicate.
You and he should leave this place at once.	Here"You and he" is the subject	“should leave this place at once” is the predicate.
The poor man had nothing to eat.	Here"The poor man" is the subject	“had nothing to eat” is the predicate.
Life means fun.	Here"Life " is the subject	“means fun” is the predicate.
Her grandmother cooks food in the kitchen.	Here"Her grandmother" is the subject	“cooks food in the kitchen” is the predicate.
Diamond cuts diamond.	Here"Diamond" is the subject	“ cuts diamond” is the predicate.
She punched the filthy boy.	Here" She" is the subject	“punched the filthy boy” is the predicate.
Please give me some money.	Here"Please" is the subject	“give me some money” is the predicate.

Types of Subject and Predicate

Types of Subject

The subject is the Part of the sentence that talks about the noun which refers to the person or thing doing the action in the form of verbs. There are three types of subjects, these are:

Simple Subject
Complete Subject
Compound Subject

Types of Subject
Types	Meaning	Example
Simple Subject	Part of the sentence which has only subject	Jhanvi is playing the guitar and singing at the party.
Complete Subject	Part of the sentence has a subject with a modifier.	The old man took a deep breath and then started the story.
Compound Subject	Part of the sentence has two or more subjects joined with the help of a conjunction	Cricket and Football are my favorite sports.

Types of Predicate

The Predicate is the part of the sentence that tells something about the subject. There are three types of Predicate, these are:

Simple Predicate
Complete Predicate
Compound Predicate

Types of Predicate
Types	Meaning	Example
Simple Predicate	Part of the sentence has only a verb.	The dog is running through the empty field.
Complete Predicate	Part of the sentence has verbs with a modifier.	Rohan and his sister Suzanne never wanted costly gifts but preferred simple things.
Compound Predicate	Part of the sentence has two or more verbs with a conjunction.	I love the way he plays the guitar, but his singing makes my ears bleed.

Difference Between Subject and Predicate

In English, sentences are composed of two components, that is, Subject and Predicate. The subject is the things that are being discussed, considered, and studied and the predicate is the part of the sentence which gives information about the subject.

Difference Between Subject and Predicate
Subject	Predicate
Part of the sentence that tells what or whom the sentence is about	Part of the sentence that tells what the subject in the sentence is doing
A subject tells"Who" or “What" in the sentence is all about	The Predicate tells what the subject “is” or “does”.
The subject can only be an object i.e. noun or pronoun	The predicate will contain verbs to tell what the subject is doing.
Types of Subject: Simple Subject (only noun) Complete Subject( noun with a modifier) Compound Subject (two or more nouns joined with a conjunction)	Types of Predicate Simple Predicate (only verb) Complete Predicate (verb with a modifier) Compound Predicate (two or nouns joined with conjunction)

Exercises: Subject and Predicate

Identify the subject and the predicate in the following sentences.

The sun was shining brightly.
The dogs were barking loudly.
The pretty girl was wearing a blue frock.
My younger brother serves in the army.
The man and his wife were working in their garden.
My mother and my aunt are trained, classical dancers.
You don’t have to wait for me.
We will no longer tolerate this.
The little tree was covered with needles instead of leaves.
A rich merchant was passing by the shoemaker’s window.

Answers

The sun (subject) / was shining brightly (predicate).
The dogs (subject) / were barking loudly (predicate).
The pretty girl (subject) / was wearing a blue frock (predicate).
My younger brother (subject) / serves in the army (predicate).
The man and his wife (subject) / were working in their garden (predicate).
My mother and my aunt (subject) / are trained classical dancers (predicate).
You (subject) / don’t have to wait for me (predicate).
We (subject) / will no longer tolerate this (predicate).
The little tree (subject) / was covered with needles instead of leaves (predicate).
A rich merchant (subject) /was passing by the shoemaker’s window (predicate).

Subject and Predicate- FAQs

Ans. The subject of the sentence is the part that names the person or thing we are speaking about. For eg. “The dog is sleeping in the sun,” the word dog is the subject.

Ans. The Predicate is the part of the sentence that tells something about the subject. For eg. “The child threw the ball,” the word“threw the ball” is the predicate.

Ans. There are three types of subject, these are, Simple Subject Complete Subject and Compound Subject.

Ans. There are three types of predicate, these are, Simple Predicate Complete Predicate and Compound Predicate.

Ans. The examples of subject and predicate are discussed in the table above.