The Basic Sentence

There are two main parts of a sentence. They are:

1. Subject
2. Predicate

The subject is that part of a sentence about which something is said in the sentence. The subject may be a person, place or thing. It can be a noun or a pronoun, in singular or plural form, depending upon the nature of the sentence.

The predicate is that part of a sentence which provides information about the subject. It can be a single word or a number of words.

The main parts of a sentence can be named as the subject, the verb, the direct object and the complement of the verb.

• Subject – it is the performing person or thing and has been dealt with briefly.
• Verb – it is the doing word. It indicates the action performed by the subject.
• Direct Object – it is the word, which receives the action performed by the subject.
• Complement – it is the word that completes the sense left incomplete by the copulative (or linking) verbs expressing the state of being, seeming, appearing and feeling. Such verbs are: be, seem, appear, taste become, grow, act, sound, etc,. They actually do not indicate any action, but only the state of being or existing.

On the basis of the essential elements and word order, it is possible to determine the basic sentences. These sentences are called basic, because all the other sentences are derived from them.

Basic Sentences

i. Subject + verb
Birds fly

ii. Subject + verb + adjunct (place)
The pen is on the table

iii. Sub + Verb + complement(s)
He is angry

iv. Sub + verb + object (D)
He shot the tiger

v. Sub + verb + obj + adjunct.
He put the book on the table

vi. Sub + verb + obj + complement (O)
They made him angry.

vii. Sub + verb + obj (i) + obj (d)
They gave him the book



A simple sentence in formal speech or writing has a subject and a predicate; the predicate part has a verb. The subject is generally a noun/a noun phrase or a pronoun.