How to identify the subject in a sentence: An Introduction

I guess a number of students are still struggling with how to identify the subject in a sentence. 

By way of introduction, let me say that there are five elements that can make up a sentence. They are: 

i. Subject;

ii. Verb/Predicator;

iii. Object;

iv. Complement;

v. Adverbial.

It is also important to state that all these elements do not always occur in a sentence at the same time. Let's give some examples: 

i. Sing! 

    vb

ii. They sang. 

     sub.  vb

iii. They sang the national anthem.

      sub.   vb.             obj

iv. They sang the anthem yesterday. 

      sub.   vb.      obj.             adv

v. They sang themselves. 

     sub.  vb.     comp.

vi. They sang the anthem themselves. 

     sub.    vb.      obj.              comp.

                         OR

We can decide to change the verb in example (vi) and have: They composed the anthem themselves.

And you can have all the elements in a single sentence by extending example (vi) thus: 

They sang the anthem themselves yesterday. 

They sang the anthem themselves 

sub.    vb.      obj.              comp.

yesterday. 

adv. 

Please note that the verb or predicator (notice I didn't say, predicate*) is the most important (obligatory) of the five elements. That's why it can be used alone. However, you have to note that not all verbs can stand alone. 

You may also wish to know the difference between the predicator and the predicate. 

Another name for the verb, when used in a sentence, is the predicator. However, once a subject has been identified in a sentence, every other part of the sentence is the predicate. I hope it's clear. Let's take a few examples: 

i. They sang. 

     sub.  vb

To identify the predicate in the sentence above, all you need to do is to remove the subject, 'they'. So, the predicate in the sentence is? 

ii. They sang the national anthem.

      sub.   vb.             obj

To identify the predicate in the sentence above, all you need to do is to remove the subject, 'they'. So, the predicate in the sentence is? 

Sure you can now identify the predicate in the sentences below on your own. 

i. They sang the anthem yesterday. 

      sub.   vb.      obj.             adv

ii. They sang themselves. 

     sub.  vb.     comp.

iii. They sang the anthem themselves. 

     sub.    vb.      obj.              comp.

For questions, comments and any other enquiries, the blogger, Olabanji O. Odurombi, can be contacted on 08037699294 (SMS, Voice call, or WhatsApp).