SUBJECT AND PREDICATE 27 and stationed a good distance apart then Clark deployed his men behind the low hills near the town the flags were seen but not the men the people of Vincennes counted the flags and trembled, for they thought a great army was upon them. FANNY E. COE― Makers of the Nation 2. Most men are born poor, but no man who has average capacities and tolerable luck need remain so the farmer's calling, though proffering no sudden leaps, no`ready short cuts to opulence, is the surest of all ways from poverty and want to comfort and independence other men must climb the temperate, frugal, diligent, provident farmer may grow into competence and happiness each year of his devotion to his homestead may find it more valuable, more attractive than the last, and leave it better still. HORACE GREELEY - Forest Preservation 3. There are rivers in the sea they are of such magnitude that the mightiest streams of the land are rivulets compared to them they are either of warm or cold water, while their banks and beds are water of the opposite temperature for thousands of miles they move through their liquid channels unmixed with the confining waters these movements are called currents. M. F. MAURY- Physical Geography Subject and Predicate.-When we look closely at any sentence we find that it is made up of two separate parts. For example, in the sentence "The birds are beginning to fly south," the birds tells what the sentence is about. Are beginning to fly south tells what the birds are doing. In the sentence "The musician's daughter played beautifully," the musician's daughter, which we call the subject, tells what the sentence is about. Played beautifully tells what is said about the subject, and is called the predicate. In "The little lame bird could not fly," what words does the sentence tell about? What words tell what is said about the subject? What words form the subject? the predicate? The complete subject of a sentence is the word or the group of words about which the sentence tells. The complete predicate of a sentence is the word or the group of words that tells about the subject. EXERCISE In the following sentences select the complete predicates and the complete subjects: 1. The two travelers were very tired. 2. Lucy and her little brother raced down the hill. 3. A swift mountain stream rushed over the cliff. 4. A slow, steady rain was falling. 5. We brought you some apples. 6. You and I are invited to the party. 7. The news soon spread through the country. 8. It was a violent storm. 9. A pleasant wind drove us southward. Words That Express Action. You are looking out of the window, watching the rain. You say to some one in the room: "The rain drenches the pavement." Which word in the sentence carries your meaning? Certainly not the, for it is merely a helping word. Pavement is not the most important image, for you think of pavement merely as the object that is drenched. Now of the two remaining words, rain and drenches, which is the more important? It is easy to see that these two words go together in the thought—one helps the other. Drenches tells what the action is; rain tells what causes the action. If we think of the happenings of daily life, which are the more important, actions or things? Are not things in themselves of little value unless they are in action? Are not the actions themselves really the important forces in the day's life? THE SUBJECT SUBSTANTIVE EXERCISE 29 Read the following paragraph and select the words that express action: The young man walked along the base of the cliff until he found a stout tree growing up against it. He climbed the tree and leaned out till he could seize with one hand a little ledge of slate. As he held to this ledge the young girl on the cliff used his arm as a bridge over which she stepped from the cliff into the tree. The Predicate Verb. These words of action form the framework or skeleton of the picture. Without them the picture falls to pieces, as we may discover by omitting them from the paragraph. All the movement and life of writing and speaking depend on these words that express action. They are the predicate verbs of the sentence. What is the predicate verb of the sentence "The rain drenches the pavement"? The verb that asserts or tells something about the subject is the predicate verb. The Subject Substantive. - We may have sentences of only one word in which the subject is understood but not expressed, such as Look, Hush, Come, Stop, Listen. Each of these predicate verbs expresses a command which is a complete thought with the subject you understood. Usually, however, the predicate verb tells about a subject that is expressed. In the sentence "The rain drenches the pave ment," drenches tells about rain. In the sentence "The young man walked along the base of the cliff," about what does walked tell? In the sentence "He climbed a tree," about what does climbed tell? The subject substantive of a sentence is the part that names what the predicate verb tells about. EXERCISE In the following sentences select the complete subjects and the complete predicates; also the predicate verbs and the subject substantives: 1. The mother smiled at the child. 2. The wind whistled through the trees. 3. The dog barked. 4. He banged the trunk on the floor. 5. He entertained the crowd with stories. 9. Washington led the American army to victory. In the usual order of English prose the predicate follows the subject, but in poetry this order is often reversed, and the predicate comes first. EXERCISE In each of the following sentences select the predicate and the subject. Notice which comes first: 1. Over the roof tops race the shadows of clouds. 2. The sunlight flashes on the tin dinner pails. 3. Loud roars the wind. 4. Thy cities shall with commerce shine. 5. To thee belongs the rural reign.. 6. At a table in the center of the hall sat the hero. 7. The singing stopped suddenly. 8. Rivulets dance their wayward round. 9. Adown the glen rode armed men. Modifiers. Although the predicate verb and the subject substantive are the two essential parts of the sentence, other words are often needed to express the thought completely. In the sentence "The sunlight flashes on the tin dinner pails," the sunlight flashes makes sense, but it does not give us a particular picture. If, however, we add the phrase (or group of words) on the tin dinner pails, we have a very clear picture of the sun flashing on particular objects. In the sentence "Adown the glen rode armed men," the essential words are men rode; but to get a clearer picture of where they were we need the phrase adown the glen. Again, the word armed gives us a clear idea of what kind of men rode down the glen. These words and phrases that make clearer and more particular the subject substantive and the predicate verb are called modifiers. If the modifier describes or points out the subject substantive, it is said to modify the subject substantive; if it tells how, when, where, or in what manner the action is performed, it modifies the predicate verb. Later we shall find that words may modify other modifiers. EXERCISES A. In each sentence on page 30, pick out the words or phrases that modify the subject substantive and those that modify the predicate verb. B. Write sentences in which you use the following words as predicate verbs. Add an s or a d to some of the words if you wish. |