Class 11 unit 15 Parts of a sentence

Parts of a sentence

1. Subject

The subject is the person, thing, or idea that performs the action or is being described.

Examples:

• Ram plays football.
• The students are studying hard.

Question to find subject: Who or what + verb?

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2. Predicate

The predicate tells something about the subject. It includes the verb and the rest of the sentence.

Examples:

• Ram plays football.
• The students are studying hard.

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3. Object

An object receives the action of the verb.

a) Direct Object

Answers what or whom after the verb.

Example:

• She bought a book.

b) Indirect Object

Tells to whom or for whom something is done.

Example:

• He gave me a pen.
  (me = indirect object, pen = direct object)

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4. Complement

A complement completes the meaning of the subject or object.

a) Subject Complement

Follows a linking verb (is, are, was, seems, becomes).

Example:

• She is a teacher.

b) Object Complement

Gives more information about the object.

Example:

• They elected him president.

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5. Modifier

A modifier describes or gives more information about another word.

a) Adjective (modifies a noun)

• She has a beautiful dress.

b) Adverb (modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb)

• He runs fast.

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6. Phrase

A phrase is a group of words without a finite verb.

Examples:

• in the morning (prepositional phrase)
• very happy (adjective phrase)

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7. Clause

A clause has a subject and a verb.

a) Independent Clause

Can stand alone as a sentence.

• She works hard.

b) Dependent Clause

Cannot stand alone.

• Because she works hard.

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8. Sentence

A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought.

Example:

• She passed the exam because she worked hard.

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Quick Summary Table

Part	Function
Subject	Who/what the sentence is about
Predicate	What the subject does/is
Object	Receives the action
Complement	Completes meaning
Modifier	Describes another word
Phrase	Group of words without verb
Clause	Group of words with subject + verb

 a. The children are playing now.

The children – Subject (S)

are playing – Verb (V)

now – Adverbial (A)

Structure: S + V + A

b. Srijana will be reading a story.

Srijana – Subject (S)

will be reading – Verb (V)

a story – Object (O)

Structure: S + V + O

c. Bimala is a very beautiful girl.

Bimala – Subject (S)

is – Verb (V)

a very beautiful girl – Complement (C)

Structure: S + V + C

d. She usually wears glasses.

She – Subject (S)

usually wears – Verb (V)

glasses – Object (O)

Structure: S + V + O

(“usually” is part of the verb phrase)

e. They elected him President.

They – Subject (S)

elected – Verb (V)

him – Object (O)

President – Complement (C)

Structure: S + V + O + C

f. Rabin is laughing.

Rabin – Subject (S)

is laughing – Verb (V)

Structure: S + V

g. He has a big house in Butwal.

He – Subject (S)

has – Verb (V)

a big house – Object (O)

in Butwal – Adverbial (A)

Structure: S + V + O + A

h. The man who lives next door is a professor.

The man who lives next door – Subject (S)

is – Verb (V)

a professor – Complement (C)

Structure: S + V + C

(“who lives next door” is a relative clause modifying “man”)

i. Her uncle has been living in Kathmandu for fifteen years.

Her uncle – Subject (S)

has been living – Verb (V)

in Kathmandu – Adverbial (A)

for fifteen years – Adverbial (A)

Structure: S + V + A + A

j. The girl with long hair asked me a question last week.

The girl with long hair – Subject (S)

asked – Verb (V)

me – Indirect Object (O)

a question – Direct Object 

(O)

last week – Adverbial (A)

Structure: S + V + O + O + A