What Is a Sentence?

Sentences

Writing a sentence may be an easy task if you have an idea about what you want to communicate. It is common for people to make mistakes by writing in fragments.

What is a sentence?

A sentence can stand on its own and make sense.
A sentence is an idea.

To understand sentence structure, it is a good idea to read a sentence aloud. When it is read loud and clear, ask yourself if it sounds right?

Read the following sentences aloud and put a tick beside those that you think sound correct.

1.Working hard enables me to earn money.

2.Working hard enables me to.

3.I enjoy a good meal.

4.Enjoying food and wine.

5.Putting on a lamp.

6.Dancers who are dancing.

A group of words together that makes sense is not all that makes a complete sentence. What else do we need to know about sentences?

Every sentence has a subject and a predicate.

A sentence can be a statement, a question or a command.

Statement:

I enjoy going for a walk in the morning.

Question:

Do you enjoy going for a walk in the morning?

Command:

Go for a walk in the morning!

Look at the following table for further clarification.

Sentence / Subject / Predicate
I enjoy going for a walk in the morning. / I / the enjoyment of going for a walk in the morning
Jenny enjoys her walk in the morning. / Jenny / the enjoyment of going for a walk in the morning
It is enjoyable to go for a walk in the morning. / It / the enjoyment of going for a walk in the morning

In each of the sentences above, the subject is the person or thing about whom the statement is being made.

I, Jenny, It

The predicate is what the rest of the sentence is about, after we have come to know the subject of the sentence. In this case, each sentence refers to the enjoyment of going for a walk in the morning.

Underline the subject and the predicate in following sentences.

1.Not everyone can run a marathon.

2.Steven likes action movies.

3.It is a rainy day in Victoria.

4.Tom enjoys sitting down to read the weekend newspapers.

5.Being active makes Annabel a positive person to be around.

Now add subjects to the following sentences.

1.______is happy.

2.______is a country in Asia.

3.______is confused.

4.______can make you very happy.

5.______is good friend.

Now write five sentences and underline the subject and predicate in each.

1.______

2.______

3.______

4.______

5.______