{"id":207,"date":"2016-08-08T20:05:17","date_gmt":"2016-08-08T20:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/styleguide\/?post_type=chapter&p=207"},"modified":"2023-07-31T17:52:05","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T17:52:05","slug":"text-basic-parts-of-a-sentence","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-guidetowriting\/chapter\/text-basic-parts-of-a-sentence\/","title":{"raw":"Basic Parts of a Sentence","rendered":"Basic Parts of a Sentence"},"content":{"raw":"
I like the construction of sentences and the juxtaposition of words\u2014not just how they sound or what they mean, but even what they look like.\r\n

\u2014Don DeLillo<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

Subject and Predicate<\/h2>\r\nEvery complete, standardized sentence has\u00a0a subject and a predicate. You were probably taught some time in elementary school that the subject<\/strong> of a sentence is often the noun, pronoun, or phrase or clause the sentence is about, and certainly there is a large overlap between the grammatical<\/em> concept of a subject and this sense of it as a topic<\/em>. In most clear sentences, the subject of your sentence will also answer the \"who\" of the basic narrative question we ask of sentences, \"Who does what?\" However, it's more accurate to define the subject of a sentence not as its topic but as the more strictly grammatical issue of what the verb in the sentence agrees with in number<\/em>. Let's look at one typically sophisticated college-level sentence to illustrate these ideas:\r\n
    \r\n \t
  • Einstein's general theory of relativity has been subjected to many tests of validity over the years.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nA too-quick answer to \"who does what?\" in this sentence might pick up Einstein<\/em>, a particularly famous \"who,\" as the subject. But the grammatical unit that agrees with the verb form \"has been subjected\" is not \"Einstein,\" but rather \"Einstein's general theory of relativity.\" That's the grammatical subject of this sentence, but, even so, the sentence is not really \"about\"\u00a0Einstein's general theory of relativity. Rather, the sentence is about subjecting that theory to many tests of validity. Here, then\u2014and in many sentences complex enough to appear in college-level writing\u2014the grammatical\u00a0subject<\/strong> of the sentence is only tangentially what the sentence is about. To put that another way, the conceptual subject of this sentence is not the grammatical subject of this sentence. Many writers will find it easier to think about the conceptual subject than the grammatical subject, but if you want to get good at negotiating and forming college-level sentences, you'll appreciate being able to focus on the grammatical subject as\u00a0what the verb in the sentence agrees with in number. <\/em>\r\n\r\nJust as the \"has been subjected\" verbal element helps us to identify the grammatical subject of this sentence, it would also lead us to a more pertinent answer to \"who does what?\" here; i.e., who<\/strong> has subjected<\/em> Einstein's theory to such testing? The answer to the \"who\" question is something like \"scholars\" or \"skeptics\" or \"scientists at CERN.\" The reason those characters don't appear in this sentence, leaving us unsure exactly who is performing the action signaled by the verb, is because this sentence is in the passive voice\u2014we'll cover that idea later in this module.\r\n\r\nA further point about the grammatical subject in this sentence is that you can distinguish a simple subject<\/em> from a whole subject\u00a0<\/em>(there's a reason we don't define subjects this way when you first encounter them in elementary school!). \"Einstein's general theory of relativity\" is the whole subject<\/em> of this sentence: the element that is most fully predicated by the verb. The simple subject<\/em> is the part of the whole subject that determines whether the verb will be singular or plural. In our example, the simple subject is \"theory.\" You could change \"Einstein\" to a different singular or even a plural noun without affecting the verb and \/ or you could change the nature of the theory without affecting the verb (although of course you would thereby alter the meaning of the sentence; we're making a grammatical point here, not a conceptual one):\r\n
      \r\n \t
    • Newton's<\/em> theory of gravity<\/em> has been subjected<\/strong> to many tests of validity over the years.<\/li>\r\n \t
    • Copernican thinkers'<\/em> theory of heliocentrism<\/em> has been subjected<\/strong> to many tests of validity over the years.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nYou cannot, however, change \"theory\" to \"theories\" without affecting the form of the verb, so \"theory\" is the simple subject here:\r\n
        \r\n \t
      • Einstein's general theories<\/strong> of relativity have<\/strong> been subjected to many tests of validity over the years.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nHere are a couple more examples of subjects in action:\r\n
          \r\n \t
        • Although a majority of caffeine drinkers think of it as a stimulant, heavy users of caffeine say the substance relaxes them.\r\n
            \r\n \t
          • whole subject that agrees with the verb \"say\" = \"heavy users of caffeine\"<\/li>\r\n \t
          • simple subject that determines the plural verb form = \"users\"<\/li>\r\n \t
          • Notice that the introductory phrase, \"Although a majority of caffeine drinkers think of it as a stimulant,\" is not a part of the subject or the predicate of the complete sentence.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
          • In a secure landfill, the soil on top and the cover block storm water intrusion into the landfill.\r\n
              \r\n \t
            • There are two subjects in this sentence: soil<\/em> and cover<\/em>. This is a\u00a0compound subject, <\/em>making up the whole subject of \"the soil on top and the cover.\"<\/li>\r\n \t
            • Notice that the characters in this sentence (the answer to \"who does what?\") are not human agents, but rather the inanimate objects \"soil\" and \"cover.\" Although humans are social creatures who gravitate toward what other humans are doing as interesting narratives\u2014think about how many of your private conversations revolve around \"who does \/ did what?\"\u2014we easily understand non-human agents when we can clearly see them performing some action; i.e., What do soil and a cover do here? They block storm water intrusion.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
            • Surrounding the secure landfill on all sides are impermeable barrier walls<\/strong>.\r\n
                \r\n \t
              • In an inverted sentence<\/em>, the predicate comes before the subject. You won't run into this sentence structure very often as it is pretty rare in standardized, academic English.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThe predicate<\/strong> is the rest of the sentence after the subject. Given how we have defined subject<\/em> above, you won't be surprised to see that the predicate begins with the form of the verb that agrees with the whole subject. A common definition of a grammatically complete sentence in standardized English is that it has a subject and a verb, e.g. \"Water evaporates.\" In this case, the predicate is synonymous with the verb. However, predicate<\/strong> also includes the material attached to a verb, known as the complement<\/em>. In those very common cases, verb + complement = predicate<\/em>. In other terms you might be familiar with, a\u00a0predicate\u00a0can include the verb, a direct object, and an indirect object.\r\n
                  \r\n \t
                • The pressure in a pressured water reactor varies from system to system.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n \t
                • In contrast, a boiling water reactor operates at constant pressure.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n \t
                • The pressure is maintained at about 2250 pounds per square inch<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>then lowered to form steam at about 600 pounds per square inch.<\/strong> (compound predicate)<\/em>\r\n
                    \r\n \t
                  • There are two predicates in this sentence: \"is maintained at about 2250 pounds per square inch\" and \"lowered to form steam at about 600 pounds per square inch\"<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
                    \r\n

                    Practice<\/h3>\r\nIdentify the subject and predicate of each sentence (paraphrased from Stacy Clifford Simplican's The Capacity Contract<\/em>, pp. 86-87). Identify the whole and simple subjects where relevant. Identify the verb in each predicate:\r\n
                      \r\n \t
                    1. Charles Mills's treatment of race and social contract theory offers fruitful inroads for a project on disability.<\/li>\r\n \t
                    2. Mills specifically targets Rawls's depoliticized construction of rational capacity.<\/li>\r\n \t
                    3. For Mills, Rawls's reliance on a depoliticized theory sustains the systematic omission of racial oppression from discussions of disability and neglects inequalities in cognitive capacities.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"4\"][\/practice-area]\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"510252\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"510252\"]\r\n
                        \r\n \t
                      1. \"Charles Mills's treatment of race and social contract theory\" is the subject. The rest of the sentence, \"offers fruitful inroads for a project on disability,\" is the predicate.\u00a0\"Charles Mills's treatment of race and social contract theory\"\u00a0is the whole subject, and \"treatment\" is the simple subject that agrees with the verb \"offers.\"<\/li>\r\n \t
                      2. \"Mills\" is the subject. The rest of the sentence, \"specifically targets Rawls's depoliticized construction of rational capacity,\" is the predicate, with \"targets\" as the verb.<\/li>\r\n \t
                      3. \"Rawls's reliance on a depoliticized theory\" is the whole subject and \"reliance\" is the simple subject.\" The rest of the sentence, \"sustains the systematic omission of racial oppression from discussions of disability\u00a0and neglects inequalities in cognitive capacities,\" is the predicate. This\u00a0is a compound predicate: it has two different actions in it, headed by the verbs \"sustains\" and \"neglects.\"\r\n
                          \r\n \t
                        • sustains the systematic omission of racial oppression\u00a0from discussions of disability<\/li>\r\n \t
                        • neglects inequalities in cognitive capacities<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n

                          Direct Object<\/h2>\r\nA direct object\u2014a noun, pronoun, phrase, or clause acting as a noun\u2014follows and receives the action of the main verb. To put that another way, the direct object is \"acted on\" by the verb, so a direct object can be identified by putting what?<\/em>, which?<\/em>, or whom?<\/em> in its place.\r\n
                            \r\n \t
                          • Copernicus refutes Ptolemy.\r\n
                              \r\n \t
                            • Whom does Copernicus (the subject) refute<\/em> (the verb)? Answer: Ptolemy (the direct object). Ptolemy is acted on by, or receives, the refutation Copernicus offers.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                            • Lavoisier used curved glass\u00a0discs<\/strong>\u00a0fastened together at their rims, with wine filling the space between, to focus the sun's rays to attain temperatures of 3000\u00b0 F.\r\n
                                \r\n \t
                              • The action (used<\/em>) is directly happening to the object (discs<\/em>); i.e., What did Lavoisier use? He used discs.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                              • The housing assembly of a mechanical pencil contains its\u00a0workings<\/strong>.\r\n
                                  \r\n \t
                                • The action (contains<\/em>) is directly happening to what? Answer: to the mechanical pencil's\u00a0workings<\/em>, so workings<\/em> is the direct\u00a0object.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                • A 20 percent fluctuation in average global temperature could reduce biological activity<\/strong>, shift weather patterns<\/strong>, and ruin agriculture<\/strong>.\u00a0(compound direct object)<\/em>\r\n
                                    \r\n \t
                                  • The actions (what the fluctuation could do<\/em>) are\u00a0directly happening to what? To multiple\u00a0objects: the fluctuation could\u00a0reduce activity<\/em>, could\u00a0shift patterns<\/em>, and could\u00a0ruin agriculture<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                  • On Mariners 6 and 7, the two-axis scan platforms provided much more capability<\/strong> and flexibility<\/strong> for the scientific payload than those of Mariner 4.\u00a0(compound direct object)<\/em>\r\n
                                      \r\n \t
                                    • The action (provided<\/em>) is directly happening to multiple\u00a0objects (capability\u00a0<\/em>and flexibility<\/em>); i.e. What did the two-axis platforms provide? They provided much more capability and flexibility.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nNot all verbs take a direct object. Remember that a direct object is some form of a noun. You can't create a direct object for the verb \"to sleep,\" for example (\"I sleep bed\" or \"I sleep Thomas\"). Such verbs that don't take a direct object are called intransitive verbs<\/em>. Verbs that do take a direct object are called transitive<\/em> verbs.\r\n

                                      Indirect Object<\/h2>\r\nAn indirect object\u2014a noun, pronoun, phrase, or clause acting as a noun\u2014receives the action expressed in the sentence. It can be identified by inserting to<\/em> or for<\/em>.\r\n
                                        \r\n \t
                                      • The company is designing\u00a0senior citizens<\/strong> a new walkway to the park area.\r\n
                                          \r\n \t
                                        • The company is not designing new models of senior citizens; they are designing a new walkway\u00a0for<\/em> senior citizens. Thus, senior citizens<\/em> is the indirect object of this sentence.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                        • Walkway<\/em>\u00a0is the direct object of this sentence, since it is the thing being designed.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                        • Please\u00a0send\u00a0the personnel office<\/strong> a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 so we can further review your candidacy.\r\n
                                            \r\n \t
                                          • You are not being asked to send the office somewhere; you're being asked to send a r\u00e9sum\u00e9\u00a0to<\/em> the office. Thus, the personnel office<\/em> is the indirect object of this sentence.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                          • R\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/em>\u00a0is the direct object of this sentence, since it is the thing you should send.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
                                            \r\n\r\nNote:\u00a0<\/strong>Objects can belong to any verb in a sentence, even if\u00a0the verbs aren't in the main clause. For example, let's look at the sentence\u00a0\"When you give your instructor your assignment, be sure to include your name and your class number.\"\r\n
                                              \r\n \t
                                            • Your instructor<\/em>\u00a0is the indirect object of the verb\u00a0give.<\/em><\/li>\r\n \t
                                            • Your assignment<\/em> is the direct object of the verb\u00a0give<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                            • Your name<\/em> and\u00a0your class number<\/em> are the direct objects of the verb\u00a0include<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
                                              \r\n

                                              Practice<\/h3>\r\nIdentify the grammatical objects in the following sentences. Are they direct or indirect objects?\r\n
                                                \r\n \t
                                              1. The cooler temperatures brought about by nuclear war might end all life on earth.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                              2. On Mariners 6 and 7, the two-axis scan platforms provided the scientific payload much more capability and flexibility than those of Mariner 4.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                              3. In your\u00a0application letter, tell the potential employer that a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 accompanies the letter.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"4\"][\/practice-area]\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"963665\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"963665\"]\r\n
                                                  \r\n \t
                                                1. The cooler temperatures<\/strong> brought about by nuclear war might end all life<\/strong> on earth.\r\n
                                                    \r\n \t
                                                  • All life<\/em> is the\u00a0direct object of the verb form\u00a0might end<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                  • The cooler temperatures<\/em> is the direct object of the verb form brought about<\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                  • On Mariners 6 and 7, the two-axis scan platforms provided the scientific payload\u00a0<\/strong>much more capability<\/strong> and flexibility<\/strong> than those of Mariner 4.\r\n
                                                      \r\n \t
                                                    • Capability<\/em> and\u00a0flexibility<\/em> are the direct objects of the verb\u00a0provided<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                    • The scientific payload<\/em> is the indirect object of the verb\u00a0provided<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                    • In your\u00a0application letter, tell the<\/strong> potential employer<\/strong> that a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 accompanies the letter<\/strong>.\r\n
                                                        \r\n \t
                                                      • Potential employer<\/em> is the indirect object of tell<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                      • The letter<\/em> is the direct object of the verb\u00a0accompanies<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"

                                                        I like the construction of sentences and the juxtaposition of words\u2014not just how they sound or what they mean, but even what they look like.<\/p>\n

                                                        \u2014Don DeLillo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

                                                        Subject and Predicate<\/h2>\n

                                                        Every complete, standardized sentence has\u00a0a subject and a predicate. You were probably taught some time in elementary school that the subject<\/strong> of a sentence is often the noun, pronoun, or phrase or clause the sentence is about, and certainly there is a large overlap between the grammatical<\/em> concept of a subject and this sense of it as a topic<\/em>. In most clear sentences, the subject of your sentence will also answer the “who” of the basic narrative question we ask of sentences, “Who does what?” However, it’s more accurate to define the subject of a sentence not as its topic but as the more strictly grammatical issue of what the verb in the sentence agrees with in number<\/em>. Let’s look at one typically sophisticated college-level sentence to illustrate these ideas:<\/p>\n

                                                          \n
                                                        • Einstein’s general theory of relativity has been subjected to many tests of validity over the years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                                          A too-quick answer to “who does what?” in this sentence might pick up Einstein<\/em>, a particularly famous “who,” as the subject. But the grammatical unit that agrees with the verb form “has been subjected” is not “Einstein,” but rather “Einstein’s general theory of relativity.” That’s the grammatical subject of this sentence, but, even so, the sentence is not really “about”\u00a0Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Rather, the sentence is about subjecting that theory to many tests of validity. Here, then\u2014and in many sentences complex enough to appear in college-level writing\u2014the grammatical\u00a0subject<\/strong> of the sentence is only tangentially what the sentence is about. To put that another way, the conceptual subject of this sentence is not the grammatical subject of this sentence. Many writers will find it easier to think about the conceptual subject than the grammatical subject, but if you want to get good at negotiating and forming college-level sentences, you’ll appreciate being able to focus on the grammatical subject as\u00a0what the verb in the sentence agrees with in number. <\/em><\/p>\n

                                                          Just as the “has been subjected” verbal element helps us to identify the grammatical subject of this sentence, it would also lead us to a more pertinent answer to “who does what?” here; i.e., who<\/strong> has subjected<\/em> Einstein’s theory to such testing? The answer to the “who” question is something like “scholars” or “skeptics” or “scientists at CERN.” The reason those characters don’t appear in this sentence, leaving us unsure exactly who is performing the action signaled by the verb, is because this sentence is in the passive voice\u2014we’ll cover that idea later in this module.<\/p>\n

                                                          A further point about the grammatical subject in this sentence is that you can distinguish a simple subject<\/em> from a whole subject\u00a0<\/em>(there’s a reason we don’t define subjects this way when you first encounter them in elementary school!). “Einstein’s general theory of relativity” is the whole subject<\/em> of this sentence: the element that is most fully predicated by the verb. The simple subject<\/em> is the part of the whole subject that determines whether the verb will be singular or plural. In our example, the simple subject is “theory.” You could change “Einstein” to a different singular or even a plural noun without affecting the verb and \/ or you could change the nature of the theory without affecting the verb (although of course you would thereby alter the meaning of the sentence; we’re making a grammatical point here, not a conceptual one):<\/p>\n

                                                            \n
                                                          • Newton’s<\/em> theory of gravity<\/em> has been subjected<\/strong> to many tests of validity over the years.<\/li>\n
                                                          • Copernican thinkers’<\/em> theory of heliocentrism<\/em> has been subjected<\/strong> to many tests of validity over the years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                                            You cannot, however, change “theory” to “theories” without affecting the form of the verb, so “theory” is the simple subject here:<\/p>\n

                                                              \n
                                                            • Einstein’s general theories<\/strong> of relativity have<\/strong> been subjected to many tests of validity over the years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                                              Here are a couple more examples of subjects in action:<\/p>\n

                                                                \n
                                                              • Although a majority of caffeine drinkers think of it as a stimulant, heavy users of caffeine say the substance relaxes them.\n
                                                                  \n
                                                                • whole subject that agrees with the verb “say” = “heavy users of caffeine”<\/li>\n
                                                                • simple subject that determines the plural verb form = “users”<\/li>\n
                                                                • Notice that the introductory phrase, “Although a majority of caffeine drinkers think of it as a stimulant,” is not a part of the subject or the predicate of the complete sentence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                                                                • In a secure landfill, the soil on top and the cover block storm water intrusion into the landfill.\n
                                                                    \n
                                                                  • There are two subjects in this sentence: soil<\/em> and cover<\/em>. This is a\u00a0compound subject, <\/em>making up the whole subject of “the soil on top and the cover.”<\/li>\n
                                                                  • Notice that the characters in this sentence (the answer to “who does what?”) are not human agents, but rather the inanimate objects “soil” and “cover.” Although humans are social creatures who gravitate toward what other humans are doing as interesting narratives\u2014think about how many of your private conversations revolve around “who does \/ did what?”\u2014we easily understand non-human agents when we can clearly see them performing some action; i.e., What do soil and a cover do here? They block storm water intrusion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                                                                  • Surrounding the secure landfill on all sides are impermeable barrier walls<\/strong>.\n
                                                                      \n
                                                                    • In an inverted sentence<\/em>, the predicate comes before the subject. You won’t run into this sentence structure very often as it is pretty rare in standardized, academic English.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                                                      The predicate<\/strong> is the rest of the sentence after the subject. Given how we have defined subject<\/em> above, you won’t be surprised to see that the predicate begins with the form of the verb that agrees with the whole subject. A common definition of a grammatically complete sentence in standardized English is that it has a subject and a verb, e.g. “Water evaporates.” In this case, the predicate is synonymous with the verb. However, predicate<\/strong> also includes the material attached to a verb, known as the complement<\/em>. In those very common cases, verb + complement = predicate<\/em>. In other terms you might be familiar with, a\u00a0predicate\u00a0can include the verb, a direct object, and an indirect object.<\/p>\n

                                                                        \n
                                                                      • The pressure in a pressured water reactor varies from system to system.<\/strong><\/li>\n
                                                                      • In contrast, a boiling water reactor operates at constant pressure.<\/strong><\/li>\n
                                                                      • The pressure is maintained at about 2250 pounds per square inch<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>then lowered to form steam at about 600 pounds per square inch.<\/strong> (compound predicate)<\/em>\n
                                                                          \n
                                                                        • There are two predicates in this sentence: “is maintained at about 2250 pounds per square inch” and “lowered to form steam at about 600 pounds per square inch”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                          \n

                                                                          Practice<\/h3>\n

                                                                          Identify the subject and predicate of each sentence (paraphrased from Stacy Clifford Simplican’s The Capacity Contract<\/em>, pp. 86-87). Identify the whole and simple subjects where relevant. Identify the verb in each predicate:<\/p>\n

                                                                            \n
                                                                          1. Charles Mills’s treatment of race and social contract theory offers fruitful inroads for a project on disability.<\/li>\n
                                                                          2. Mills specifically targets Rawls’s depoliticized construction of rational capacity.<\/li>\n
                                                                          3. For Mills, Rawls’s reliance on a depoliticized theory sustains the systematic omission of racial oppression from discussions of disability and neglects inequalities in cognitive capacities.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n