The basic building blocks of sentences are subjects, verbs, and complements.
The umpire, Satch Davidson, threw it out, and the first base umpire, Frank Pulli, tossed Downing another one of the specially marked infrared balls.
—from "I Had a Hammer" written by baseball great Hank Aaron
In the sentence, subjects are in blue, verbs in red, and complements in green.
A sentence has two main parts: a complete subject that names what the sentence is about and a complete predicate that includes a verb that tells something about the subject's actions or existence. Together these parts express a complete thought.
The simple subject is the essential noun, pronoun, or group of words acting as a noun that cannot be left out of the complete subject. The simple predicate is the essential verb or verb phrase that cannot be left out of the complete predicate.
Subjects or verbs can be compound. A compound subject is two or more subjects that have the same verb. A compound verb is two or more subjects that have the same subject.
In sentences that give orders or directions, the subject is often understood to be you.
(You) Turn right at the next corner.
In questions, the subject often follows the verb or parts of the verb.
Where is the picnic?
Can we eat now?
In sentences that begin with there or here, the subject usually follows the verb.
Here comes the circus parade.
In some inverted sentences, the subject is placed after the verb in order to give it greater emphasis.
After the elephants came the clowns.
A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of a transitive action verb.
| V | DO | |||
| Mom | bought | new | curtains | for my bedroom. |
An indirect object is a noun or pronoun that appears with a direct object and names the person or thing that something is given to or done for.
| V | IO | DO | ||
| The clerk | sold | me | the wrong size | shoes. |
A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and renames, identifies, or explains the subject of a sentence.
| S | LV | PN | |
| Jackson | became | a | superstar. |
A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and describes the subject of a sentence.
| S | LV | PA | |
| The | pizza | smelled | delicious. |
An objective complement is an adjective or noun that appears with a direct object and describes or renames it.
| DO | OC | |
| The gift made | me | happy. |
| DO | OC | |
| We chose | Paulette | captain. |
