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Subject–Predicate–Complement

Recognize how a word or phrase functions in a clause

Charlie-the subject
 

Basic Functions and Content in a Clause

SUBJECT PREDICATE / PREDICATOR COMPLEMENT

The subject is the cause, agent, person or thing doing the action (or undergoing the action in passive voice). It usually takes form as a noun phrase with a head noun, a determiner and possibly some modifiers. It may also take form as a phrase or a clause. (See examples in the sections below.)

The predicate is the action or change in state. It is realized as a verb or a verb group that may include a modal or one or more auxiliaries.  A predicate is also called predicator to distinguish it from the traditional meaning as one of two sentence parts—subject or predicate.

A complement an element or elements required by a word or structure to complete its meaning in the clause. It may be a direct object (He gave a gift.), an indirect object (He gave me a gift.), a predicative complement (He is good.) or some other element. See Complements below.

SUBJECT PREDICATE COMPLEMENT
N / NP / WH-PHRASE / NONFINITE / FINITE CLAUSE AUX / V N / NP / ADJ / PHRASE / CLAUSE

Charlie  (N–proper noun)

rose. 

(none required) 

The boy   (NP–noun w/modifiers)

raised 

his hand  (DO) direct object

My little boy   (NP)

gave

me  (IO) indirect object his hand. (DO)

He    (PRN–pronoun)

is / seems    static verbs

 

happy. (Adj)

Being enthusiastic    (Ger CLS¹)

is  

 

his best quality. (NP)

The boy (N)

raised  (VP)

 

his hand (NP) (complement to verb)

in the air. (PP complements verb and "the air" (NP) complements preposition.)

That he is so enthusiastic (CLS)

surprises  

 

us. (PRN)

He (PRN)

really thinks  (VP)

 

that he is ready to continue. (CLS)

rise (V) – intransitive; does not take an object.

raise (V) – transitive; requires an object.

¹gerund clause – traditionally this was called gerund phrase or infinitive phrase because the structure was not a complete sentence.  However, in current description gerunds (and infinitives) are categorized as nonfinite clauses ("reduced clauses"). The term "phrase" is reserved for NP–noun phrase, VP–verb phrase, AdjP–adjective phrase, AdvP–adverb phrase, PP–Prepositional Phrase.  See  Phrase.

 

Lexical Categories"Word Categories" ("Parts of Speech")

N – noun / pronoun; NP – noun phrase (the girls, the little girl, the girl who won)

V – verb; VP – verb phrase (enjoys very much, hardly ever rests)

Adj – adjective; AdjP – adjective phrase (really sharp, rather expensive)

Adv – adverb; AdvP – adverb phrase (very slowly, much too quickly)

P – preposition; PP – prepositional phrase

Detdeterminersarticles | quantifiers | demonstratives | possessives

 

 

 

 

Subject

A word, phrase or clause and its modifiers

 

The subject is usually the "causer" or agent—the person, thing, entity, or natural force that causes the action to occur.

The subject may take form as:

 

A Noun Phrase 

In general, one-word modifiers (adjectives) are placed before the noun.

MODIFIER MODIFIER HEAD NOUN
ADV ADJ / NP N

Exceptionally, very  (Degree Adv)

clever, enthusiastic, cheerful, eager, helpful, honest, curious, cooperative, humorous

     Charlie Charlie – the subject (head noun)

 

Six-year-old, self-starter, independent-learner, fun-loving, know-it-all, bright-eyed

 

Junior, Master, Mister, Chef, Captain, Officer

 

 

 

A Noun Phrase 

In general, modifying phrases and clauses are placed after the noun.

NOUN MARKER HEAD NOUN MODIFIER
DETERMINER NOUN NP / ADJ / PP / NONFINITE / CLAUSE

The only / youngest / smartest

     child child – the subject (head noun)

present  (Adjectives after the noun are rare.)

A / another

his age / his size 

The / this / that

in kindergarten

Each / every / one

starting kindergarten

Such a clever  

placed in kindergarten

Whichever

who does well in kindergarten

Up to six / Around six / Between four and six

children

in the class 

Head noun – the head noun is the main noun. It is distinguished from other nouns which may function as modifiers or as parts of other phrases.

Pre-head modifiers are placed before the noun.  Post-head modifiers are placed after the noun.

Adjective Order

A prepositional phrase may function as a determiner phrase in a noun phrase in the subject position. ([Just under] the rug is the place where we keep the key.)  (Huddleston 7 §5.3) (See Preposition Uses.)

(Huddleston "The subject" 4 §3, "Complements vs adjuncts"  §1.2, "Complements vs modifiers" 5 §14) (Swan "Sentence Structure" 509)

 

 

 

 

Predicate

A verb or verb group

 

 

The predicate is the action or change in state.

The predicate takes form as:

 

Auxiliary Combinations with a Verb

HEAD NOUN AUXILIARY AUXILIARY AUXILIARY VERB
N / NP MODAL  HAVE  BE  

     Charlie
Charlie – the subject (head noun)

 

 

 

raises  (3rd p. sing.)

 

 

 

raised  (past form)

will 

 

 

raise  (plain form)

will 

 

be

raising (pres. participle)

 

has 

 

raised  (past. participle)

   

has

been

raising 

will 

have

 

raised 

Also see Verb  (primary—tense formed by inflection),  Verb Group (secondary—tense formed by auxiliary).

 

 

 

Auxiliary Determines Next Verb Form

AUXILIARY ⇒ NEXT FORM TYPE PRES / (FUTURE) PAST PERFECT

MODAL PLAIN FORM
— will, would, may, might,can, could, shall, should, ought

Charlie willraise his hand.

Charlie wouldraise his hand.

Charlie wouldhave raised his hand.

PERFECT PAST PARTICIPLE
has, have, had  

Charlie hasraised his hand.

Charlie had raised his hand.

Charlie hadraised his hand. (same as past)

PROGRESSIVE  GERUND-PARTICIPLE
is / are, was / were, been 

Charlie israising his hand.

Charlie wasraising his hand.

Charlie has beenraising his hand.

PASSIVE PAST PARTICIPLE
is / are, was / were, been 
     

His hand israised.

His hand  was ⇒raised

Charlie's hand had beenraised.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Predicative Complements

An element required after be or a static verb

 

 

The subject, here, includes a noun phrase expressing the person, thing, concept (entity) that undergoes or experiences a change in state.

The predicate includes a static verb, which expresses a state of being or a change in state (be, seem, act, looks, appear, become, get). 

The predicate complement completes the meaning expressed by the subject and predicate (verb) with one of the following:

 

Be and Static Verb Complements

SUBJECT PREDICATE – STATIC VERB PREDICATIVE COMPLEMENT 

    Charlie
Charlie – the subject (head noun)

is

happy.   (Adj)    "ascriptive be"

is

a student / nine. (NP) "specifying be"   

is

in trouble / in class / on time. (PP)

seems

better  (Adj) 

appears 

pleased (Participial Modifier) 

became 

angry (Adj)

fell 

asleep (Adj)

*A "be" verb may be followed by an adjective ("descriptive be") or a noun ("specifying be") Specifying vs. Ascriptive "be"

(Aarts 97) (Huddleston 4 §5.4)

 

 

 

 

Complements

Elements required by the subject, the predicate or a preposition to complete its meaning

Complements

Complements are words, phrases or clauses that complete the meaning of another element in the clause. In some cases, the complement is required in order to make sense. In other cases, the complement is not absolutely required but adds important modifying information. (The tall boy, the boy who is tall, the boy in the back)

The complement to the subject and the predicate is often a noun phrase (direct or indirect object) but may also be a prepositional phrase or clause. The complement fills in information about the person affected by the action, the person who is the recipient of the thing acted upon, the instrument of the action, the beneficiary of the action, the path, source, or goal of the action, and so on. See Transitive–Terminology.

Depending on the meaning expressed by the subject and predicate, one of the following may required to complete its meaning:

 

Predicate (Verb) Complements

ADVERB 1 PREDICATE COMPLEMENT (IO) COMPLEMENT (DO) COMPLEMENT

    Charlie
Charlie – the subject (head noun)

raised 

 

his hand (NP)

hurriedly / in a hurry.¹

washed

 

his hands

clean.   (Adj as Comp)

put 

 

his lunch    

away(verb particle)

gave 

me 

his hand    

 

gave 

 

his hand    

to me. (PP)

does

 

 

remarkably well. (Adv) 

loves

 

 

to answer. (INF)

enjoys

 

 

singing.   (GER)

knows

 

 

that he is very clever.   (Sub. CLS)

preposition of place, preposition of time, adjective as complement,  finite/nonfinite clause

Dynamic verb – a verb in which an action takes place (e.g., eat, walk, drive, breathe). This is different from a static verb (e.g., be, seems, appears, acts).

IO—indirect object  core complement  (The person or entity that is the receiver or endpoint of the action.) [Huddleston 4 §1.1]s

DO—direct object  core complement  (The person or entity that is affected by the action of the agent; the thing acted upon.)

to me — "non-core complement"     He gave me the ball. (core complement)   He gave the ball to me. (non-core complement)

¹Short prepositional phrases that express manner, degree, time, place or frequency can be considered as complements in much the same way as their adverb counterparts (hurriedly = in a hurry). If the prepositional phrase is essential to the clause being understood (i.e., adds identifying or important information), then it is a complement. If the clause can easily stand without it, then it is adjunct.

 

 

Other Complements

COMPLEMENT TYPES

A complement is an element or elements required by a word or structure to complete its meaning.   (If the word or clause makes sense without the element, then it is not required.  That is, to say, it is not a complement. See Adjunct.)

COMPLEMENT TO A  NOUN

The front of the room is cold. (preposition)

The boy who was talking was annoying. (relative clause)

Charlie's hand was always raised.  (genitive). 

See Noun + Prepositional Phrase.

COMPLEMENT TO A  PREPOSITION

He ran upstairs¹. (noun included in preposition)

He ran away¹. (understood object)

He ran away from home. (P+PP)  ("double prepositions")

He ran to school(NP)

He ran instead of walking. (P+PP). 

He was excited about going home.

He will go now instead of in the morning.  See Rather than/Instead of.)

See Prep Properties and Prep Complements.

¹Exceptions are: (1) prepositions that include nouns (He walked sideways / forward / downhill / upstairs.); (2) prepositions for which the object is understood.  He walked away (from us).  See Adverb vs. Preposition (traditional grammar).

COMPLEMENT TYPES

A complement may modify, restrict, intensify, specify, and so on.  The main element, for example Noun, is called the "head" and the complement is a "dependent". An element may have more than one dependent.                                              

COMPLEMENT TO A  DETERMINER

One of the students said the answer aloud. 

Most of the class already knew the answer 

Almost all knew it. (See Determiner Phrase.)

COMPLEMENT TO AN  ADJECTIVE

She is unhappy with him. 

He is responsible for the accident.

He is afraid of the dark. 

See Adjective + Prepositional Phrase.

COMPLEMENT TO AN  ADVERB

He works independently of us. 

He will arrive later in the afternoon.

He works quite independently. 

COMPLEMENT TO A  PARTICIPLE

He was amazed at what happened. 

He was overcome with grief.   

See Participle + Prepositional Phrase.

 

Also see A Phrase—adverb phrase, determiner phrase, adjective phrase, etc.—which include "dependents" ( complements).

(Aarts 90-105) (Huddleston & Pullum 213, complement v. adjunct 219)

 

 

 

 

Adjuncts

Elements not required by the subject and predicate

 

Adjuncts are words, phrases or clauses that add optional (nonidentifying, nonessential) information about manner, degree, frequency, timing, and location of the activity or action. Adjuncts are mostly modifiers.  (In this writer's opinion, grammarians vary on what they consider essential or nonessential.)

Adjunct Phrases and Clauses

Depending on the meaning expressed by the subject and verb, one of the following may be (optionally) added:

 

Clause Adjuncts

ADJUNCT ADVERB ADJUNCT ADVERB PREDICATE COMPLEMENT (IO/DO)   ADJUNCT PREP PHRASE
DEGREE ADVERBS ADVERBS V NP PP

rather

quickly

raised 

his hand (DO)

when she asked a question.

all   too 

often 

waves

his hand (DO)

though he doesn't know the answer. 

 

now 

raised 

his hand    (DO)

in the air.*

 

only

lowers

his hand (DO)

for a moment.*

very

confidently

rose (intransitive)

 

upward.*

 

whenever he can

shows   

me (IO) his hand (DO)  to me¹.  (V comp)

 

 

all of a sudden  (suddenly)

stretched   

his hand  

out.*

modifies modifier to verb
"How much?"

modifies verb
"How?"

 

 

modifies verb
"Where?", "When?", "Why?"

rose (V) – stood up

rather quickly (AdvP) – rather modifies quickly, and together they form an adverb phrase.

because, if, whether, when, etc. have been moved to the category of preposition in linguistic descriptions  (They are also known as conjunctions or adverbial prepositions)

*Short prepositional phrases that express manner, degree, time, place or frequency can be considered as complements in much the same way as their adverb counterparts (hurriedly = in a hurry). If the prepositional phrase is essential to the clause being understood (i.e., adds identifying or important information), then it is a complement. If the clause can easily stand without it, then it is Adjunct.

Adverbs include degree, manner, frequency, focus, time, place

¹to me— a prepositional phrase that complements the verb but is not called an indirect object though it may function as "recipient" or "beneficiary".

(Aarts 102) (Huddleson & Pullum 663, complement v. adjunct 219)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplements

Elements that are loosely related to the clause

 

 

Supplements are interpolations (words that interrupt the flow of thought) or appendages (words that are "loosely" attached at the beginning or end of the clause). In writing, they are often set off by commas, dashes, parentheses or colons.   In speech, they are set off by a change in intonation which marks them as distinct or separate from the rest of the clause.

One of the following may be added to the clause for extra information:

 

Clause Supplements

SUBJECT SUPPLEMENT THE REST OF THE CLAUSE

    Charlie
Charlie – the subject (head noun)

— the happiest guy I know—

is only six years old.

, it seems to me,

is loved by his classmates.

(his real name is Charles Alphonso)

walks to school alone.

, if you will,

is a genius.

SUBJECT THE CLAUSE SUPPLEMENT

    Charlie
Charlie – the subject (head noun)

is exceptionally cheerful

— the happiest guy I know!

is loved by his classmates

, or so it seems.

is exceptionally smart

: he was reading at age 2 1/2.

wants to be on Jeopardy too

, if I may add.

SUPPLEMENT SUBJECT THE CLAUSE

Maybe,

    Charlie
Charlie – the subject (head noun)

will be the President.

Fortunately,

he has a few years to decide.

Frankly,

needs to relax and just be a kid.

By the way,

he is an only child.

See Comma-Comments , Dashes and Parentheses

See Stance Adverbs: Adv for EvaluationAdv for Opinion, Adv for Speech Acts, Connective Adverbs and Discourse Markers

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Grammar Notes (Advanced)

Traditional and Linguistic Description

 

 

Traditional/ESL Descriptions and Linguistic Descriptions

TRADITIONAL DESCRIPTION

In traditional grammar, a clause is constructed with a subject and a verb. The subject may consist of additional modifiers: determiner, adjective, prepositional phrase, adjective phrase, etc.  The verb is either dynamic or stative.  Dynamic verbs take adverb modifiers, stative verbs do not. The verb is either intransitive (does not accept an object) or transitive (accepts an object).  If it does accept an object, then the object can also take additional modifiers.

In traditional grammar, when a noun has a modifier, the word "adjective" is used both for the "part of speech" and for the function (modifier). No distinction is made between category (part of speech) and function (a relational concept).  For this reason, in linguistic grammar descriptions, one does not say "adjective clause" (a clause cannot be an adjective, but a clause can function as a modifier) or "a noun used as an adjective" (a noun cannot be an adjective, but a noun can function as a modifier).

REED-KELLOGG DIAGRAM  — SUBJECT

The clever boy next to you raised his hand

REED-KELLOGG DIAGRAM  — PREDICATE

Charlie suddenly raised his hand high in the air

LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION

In current linguistic description, a clause includes a subject and a predicate. The subject is mostly realized with a noun phrase (NP) and a verb phrase (VP).  A NP consists of a head noun and determiners (if required) and modifiers (optional). The head governs (determines) the dependents, elements that can be added to the noun phrase . "The head of a clause (predicate) is realized by a verb phrase VP. And the head of the VP (the predicator) is realized by a verb. The verb thus functions as the ultimate head of the clause, and is the syntactically more important element within it: properties of the verb determine what other kinds of elements are required or permitted."  (See Huddleston & Pullum for a more precise and complete description. "Sentence and Clause" 2.1–8)

  • CATEGORIES:  NP –noun phrase; N – noun; VP – verb phrase; V – verb; Detdeterminer; PP – prepositional phrase; P – preposition; AdvP – adverb phrase; Adv – adverb; AdjP– adjective phrase; Adj – adjective
  • FUNCTIONS: Subject:  Subject,   Predicate: Predicator (V) Complements: (an element or elements required by a word or structure to complete its meaning), Object, Indirect Object, Predicative Complement  Adjuncts: (optional modifiers) Adj, AdjP, Adv, AdvP, PP.
TREE DIAGRAM — SUBJECT

The clever boy next to you… 

TREE DIAGRAM — PREDICATE

suddenly raised his hand high in the air.

The prepositional phrase in the air could function as a modifier to the predicate or as a complement to high.

 

 

Works Cited

  • Aarts, Bas. Oxford Modern English Grammar. Oxford UP, 2011.
  • Huddleston, Rodney D., and Geoffrey K. Pullum. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge UP, 2002.
  • Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2005.

 

 

 

 

Practice 1

Proverbs

curious cat
 

 

Read Context

Curiosity killed the cat. — Wanting to know too much can get a person into serious trouble.
Two wrongs don't make a right. — This is a warning to a person who wants revenge.
Absence makes the heart grow stronger. — When a person we love is away, we tend to love them more. (A proverb we say to people who spend too much time together.)

Too many cooks spoil the broth.  — We say this when it is better to have one person fully in charge of doing something (to avoid a situation in which everyone puts salt in the soup.)
A squeaking wheel gets oiled. — We tell this to a person who needs to keep on asking or complaining until the problem is properly fixed.

absence (N) – not being present, not being there)

broth (N) – soup

in charge of (verb phrase) – ;responsible for managing something

proverb (N) – a short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin, that expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought

get oiled (V) – has received oil to make something work

revenge (N) – something a person does in order to punish someone who has hurt or offended the person or loved ones

spoil (V) – ruin, make bad

tend (V) – be more likely,

squeak (N) – a high pitch sound made by a mouse or equipment that needs oil

 

 

 

 

Identify the subject in each proverb (saying) below.

  1. Select the word or words that make up the subject of the sentence (noun + modifiers)
  2. Read the feedback box to check your answer, or click the "Check 1-5" button at the bottom.

 

1.
Curiosity killed the cat.






2.
Two wrongs don't make a right.








3.
Absence makes the heart grow stronger.   








4.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.






5.
A squeaking wheel gets oiled.   








 

 

 

 

 

Practice 2

Proverbs (more)

a bird in the hand
 

Read the Context

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. – It's better to have a small real advantage than the possibility of a greater one.

Haste makes waste. – Hurrying causes a person to make mistakes.

A man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client. – literal meaning (exactly as each word reads)

A stitch in time saves nine. – A timely effort will prevent more work later.

Ask a silly question and you'll get a silly answer. – literal meaning

advantage (N) – benefit, good point, plus

client (N) – person who receives a service in a business.

dominate (V) – take control of something or someone

fool (N) – a stupid person, or a person who has done something stupid

haste (N) – the action of hurrying

in time (expr.) – before it is too late; at a time the desired action is still possible

lawyer (N) – attorney, someone whose job is to advise people about laws, write formal agreements, or represent people in court

literal (Adj) – each word has its own, original meaning  (opposite: expression)

stitch (N) – a short piece of thread that has been sewn into a piece of cloth, or the action of the thread going into and out of the cloth

wag (V) – move from side to side, especially the tail of a dog

 

 

 

 

Identify the predicate and complement in these proverbs (sayings).

  1. Select the word or words that make up the predicate and its modifiers [verb + object phrase + modifiers.]
  2. Read the feedback box to check your answer, or click the "Check 6-10" button at the bottom.

 

6.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.





7.
Haste makes waste.  





8.
A man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client.





9.
A stitch in time saves nine.




10.
Ask a silly question and you'll get a silly answer. 






 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice 3

Saturday at the Movies

audience
 

 

Read the Context

— How is the movie so far?

— Well…

The girl behind me is throwing popcorn.

The guy wearing a blue shirt is chewing bubble gum.

The guy wearing glasses is kicking the side of my chair.

The guy to my left is feeling bored with the movie.

The curly-haired woman next to me is humming along with the movie.

A kid walking down the aisle of the theater is carrying a freshly-popped bag of popcorn.

A crazy woman standing in the aisle is dancing along with the people in the movie.

Another guy keeps making wise cracks during the love scenes.

Actually, the movie is not very good.

Watching the audience is more entertaining than watching the movie.

aisle (N) – a walkway between or along sections of seats in a theater, classroom, or the like.

chew (V) – crush with the teeth

hum (V) – to sing with closed lips, without saying words

wise cracks (expression) – jokes; making fun of something

 

 

 

 

Identify the function of the sentence part.

  1. Select the option that is the best description for the words in red.
  2. Read the feedback box to check your answer or click the Check 11-20 button at the bottom.

 

11.
The girl behind me is throwing popcorn.

noun
noun

(element required to complete the meaning of a word or structure)
(not required by the verb)

12.
The guy wearing a blue shirt is chewing bubble gum.


noun

(element required to complete the meaning of a word or structure)
(not required by the verb)

13.
The guy wearing glasses is kicking the side of my chair.


noun

(element required to complete the meaning of a word or structure)
(not required by the verb)

14.
The guy to my left is feeling bored with the movie.



(element required to complete the meaning of a word or structure)
(not required by the verb)

15.
The curly-haired woman next to me is humming along with the movie. 


noun

(element required to complete the meaning of a word or structure)
(not required by the verb)

16.
A  kid walking down the aisle is carrying a freshly-popped bag of popcorn. 


noun

(element required to complete the meaning of a word or structure)
(not required by the verb)

17.
A crazy woman standing in the aisle is dancing along with the people in the movie. 


noun

(element required to complete the meaning of a word or structure)
(not required by the verb)

18.
Another guy keeps making wise cracks during the love scenes




(element required to complete the meaning of a word or structure)

19.
Actually, the movie is not very good.




(required element to complete its meaning)
(not required by the verb)

20.
Watching the audience is more entertaining than the movie. 


noun

(element required to complete the meaning of a word or structure)
(not required by the verb)