Sentences

A sentence is a group of words that express a complete thought. It has two main parts: a subject and a predicate. The subject includes the noun or pronoun that tells what the subject is about. The predicate includes the verb that describes what the subject is doing. Here are some examples of complete sentences.

• You stop!
• New York City is called the Big Apple'.
• Alice is my friend.
• She is a doctor.
• The milk turned sour.

To be a sentence, a group of words must have a subject and a predicate. It must also express a complete thought.

Being able to recognize the subject and the verb in a sentence will help you make sure that your sentences are complete and clear. Remember that in most sentences, the subject will come before the verb. Not so with questions. In a question, the verb often comes before the subject. Here are some examples.

• Is the cat on the roof? (The subject of the sentence is cat. )
• Are you coming with us? (The subject of the sentence is you.

It can be tricky to find the subject in sentences that start with here or there. Remember that here or there never function as the subject of a sentence.

For example:

• Here is your cat. (The subject of the sentence is cat. )

Sections in this article

Sentence agreement
Sentence agreement: plural subjects
Sentence agreement: collective nouns
Sentence agreement: indefinite pronouns