##  [Subject and predicate](/hypergrammar-2/subject-and-predicate)

##  Avertissement

Ce contenu est offert en anglais seulement.

Every complete sentence contains two parts: a <a id="subject">subject</a> and a <a id="predicate">predicate</a>. The subject is what (or whom) the sentence is about, while the predicate tells us something about the subject. In the following sentences, the predicate is enclosed in braces ({}), while the subject is highlighted.

- *Judy* {runs}.
- *Judy and her dog* {run on the beach every morning}.

To determine the subject of a sentence, first isolate the [verb](what-is-a-verb#whatisverb) and then ask a question by placing *who?* or *what?* before the verb—the answer is the subject.

In the following sentence,

- The audience littered the theatre floor with torn wrappings and spilled popcorn.

the verb is *littered*. Who or what littered? The audience did. *The audience* is the subject of the sentence. The predicate (which always includes the verb) relates something about the subject: what about the audience? It *littered the theatre floor with torn wrappings and spilled popcorn*.

## Unusual Sentences

[Imperative sentences](the-purpose-of-a-sentence#imperativesentence) give a command or an order and differ from conventional sentences in that their subject (which is always *you*) is understood rather than expressed. In the following example,

- Stand on your head.

*you* is understood before *stand*.

Be careful with sentences that begin with *there* plus a form of the verb *to be*. In such sentences, *there* is not the subject; it merely signals that the true subject will soon follow, as in the following example:

- There were *three stray kittens* cowering under our porch steps this morning.

If you ask *who*? or *what?* before the verb (*were cowering*), the answer is *three stray kittens*, the correct subject.

## Simple Subject and Simple Predicate

Every subject is built around a [noun](what-is-a-noun#noun) or [pronoun](what-is-a-pronoun#whatispronoun) that, when stripped of all the words that modify it, is known as the <a id="simplesubject">simple subject</a>. Consider the following example:

- A *piece* of pepperoni pizza would satisfy his hunger.

The subject is built around the noun *piece*, with the other words of the subject—*a* and *of pepperoni pizza*—modifying the noun. *Piece* is the simple subject.

Likewise, a predicate has at its centre a <a id="simplepredicate">simple predicate</a>, which is always the verb or verbs that link up with the subject. In the pepperoni pizza example, the simple predicate is *would satisfy*—in other words, the verb of the sentence.

A sentence may have a compound subject —a simple subject consisting of more than one noun or pronoun—as in these examples:

- Team *pennants*, rock *posters* and family *photographs* covered the boy’s bedroom walls.
- *She* and her *uncle* walked slowly through the Inuit art gallery and admired the powerful sculptures exhibited there.

The second sentence above also features a compound predicate, a predicate that includes more than one verb pertaining to the same subject (in this case, *walked* and *admired*).

##  Avis de droit d’auteur pour l’outil HyperGrammar 2

© Département d’anglais, Faculté des arts, Université d’Ottawa
Un outil mis en ligne par le Bureau de la traduction, Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada

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## Liens connexes

- [HyperGrammar 2](/fr/hypergrammar-2/index-fra) (page d’accueil)
- [Outils d’aide à la rédaction](/fr/outils-tools/index-fra)
- [Navigateur linguistique](/fr/navigateur-navigator) (permet de trouver rapidement des conseils linguistiques)
- [TERMIUM Plus®](http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-fra.html?lang=fra)
- [Communiquer avec le Portail linguistique du Canada](/fr/apropos-about-fra#a8)