Identifying Complete Subjects and Complete Predicates

• ELA

Identifying Complete Subjects and Complete Predicates

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to identify the complete subject and complete predicate of a sentence.

Introduce the learning objective of the lesson.

What do you already know
about the subject
and predicate of a sentence?

Subject and Predicate

Every sentence has a subject and a predicate. The subject tells us what the sentence is about, and the predicate tells us what the subject is doing.

Define what a subject and predicate are in a sentence. Use examples to illustrate.

Complete Subject

The complete subject is the subject plus any words that describe it. It includes all the words in the sentence that relate to the subject.

Define what a complete subject is in a sentence. Use examples to illustrate.

Examples of Complete Subjects

• The big, fluffy dog
• My sister and her friends
• The red sports car with the black interior

Provide examples of complete subjects. Ask students to identify the complete subject in each example.

Complete Predicate

The complete predicate is the predicate plus any words that describe it. It includes all the words in the sentence that relate to the predicate.

Define what a complete predicate is in a sentence. Use examples to illustrate.

Examples of Complete Predicates

Example 1: Ran quickly to the store

Example 2: Is studying for her test

Example 3: Ate a sandwich with chips and a pickle

Provide examples of complete predicates. Ask students to identify the complete predicate in each example.

Identifying Complete Subjects and Complete Predicates

• To identify the complete subject of a sentence, ask yourself who or what the sentence is about (Subject).
  
  
• To identify the complete predicate of a sentence, ask yourself what the subject is doing (Predicate).

Explain how to identify the complete subject and complete predicate of a sentence. Use examples to illustrate.

What is the complete subject in the sentence: The old, rusty bike with the flat tire is in the garage?

1. The old, rusty bike with the flat tire
2. Is in the garage
3. The old, rusty bike
4. The flat tire

What is the complete predicate in the sentence: My dad and his friend went fishing on the lake?

1. Fishing on the lake
2. My dad and his friend
3. Went fishing on the lake
4. Went fishing

What is the complete subject in the sentence: The tall, skinny girl with the glasses won the race?

1. The tall, skinny girl
2. The tall, skinny girl with the glasses
3. The glasses
4. Won the race

Compound Subjects

A compound subject is when there are two or more subjects in a sentence. The complete subject includes all the words that describe both subjects.

Define what a compound subject is in a sentence. Use examples to illustrate.

Examples of Compound Subjects

Example 1: My brother and sister play soccer after school.

Example 2: The cat and the dog are best friends. 

Example 3: My mom and dad went on a trip to Hawaii.

Provide examples of compound subjects. Ask students to identify the complete subject in each example.

Compound Predicates

A compound predicate is when there are two or more predicates in a sentence. The complete predicate includes all the words that describe both predicates.

Define what a compound predicate is in a sentence. Use examples to illustrate.

Examples of Compound Predicates

Example 1: The cat meowed and purred loudly. 

Example 2: My grandma cooked dinner and baked a pie for dessert. 

Example 3: The car screeched to a halt and honked its horn.

Provide examples of compound predicates. Ask students to identify the complete predicate in each example.

Review: Identifying Complete Subjects and Complete Predicates

Summarize the main points of the lesson. Provide a few practice sentences for students to identify the complete subject and complete predicate.

What is a complete subject?

1. The main noun or pronoun in a sentence.
2. The adverb in a sentence.
3. The verb in a sentence.
4. The preposition in a sentence.

What is a complete predicate?

1. The preposition in a sentence.
2. The verb and all its modifiers.
3. The noun in a sentence.
4. The adverb in a sentence.

Identify the complete subject and complete predicate in the sentence: The sun rose slowly over the horizon.

1. Subject: The horizon, Predicate: rose slowly over the sun.
2. Subject: over the horizon, Predicate: The sun rose slowly.
3. Subject: The sun rose, Predicate: slowly over the horizon.
4. Subject: The sun, Predicate: rose slowly over the horizon.

Identify the complete predicate in the sentence: The children played happily in the park.

1. Happily in the park.
2. The children.
3. Played.
4. Played happily in the park.

Identify the complete subject in the sentence: The big brown dog ran in the park.

1. The park.
2. The big brown dog
3. Brown dog.
4. Ran in the park.

Interactive Activity: Complete the Sentence

Create an interactive activity for students to complete the missing part of a sentence.

Complete the sentence with the appropriate predicate: My best friend...

Complete the sentence with the appropriate predicate: The cat...

Complete the sentence with the appropriate subject: ... has a leaky roof.

Complete the sentence with the appropriate subject: ...need water and sunlight.

Write down a complete sentence with both a subject and a predicate

Write down 1 thing you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 1 thing you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.