Identifying Sentences and Fragments

A group of words containing a subject and a predicate, expressing a complete thought.

A phrase lacking a subject, predicate, or both, not expressing a complete thought.

A part of a sentence that cannot stand alone and needs to be connected to another clause or sentence.

The part of a sentence that names who or what the sentence is about.

The part of a sentence that tells what the subject does or is.

The part of a sentence that comes before the main clause and provides additional information.

A sentence that asks a question.

A sentence that expresses strong emotion.

The part of a sentence that tells who or what is doing the action.

The part of a sentence that tells what the subject does, is, has, or feels.

All the words in a sentence that describe the person or thing performing the action. It includes the simple subject.

The main word or words in the complete subject, the one performing the action.

The verb or verb phrase, along with all the words modifying it, that tells what the subject does, is, has, or feels.

The verb or verb phrase in a sentence, indicating the action or state of being.

Words that are never the subjects of sentences. Instead, look for the subject after the verb.

A phrase that NEVER contains the subject. It tells more about the subject or the verb, but not the doing of an action.

A sentence where the subject comes AFTER the verb, creating a different sentence structure.

To find the subject in a question, change it into a statement.

A command or request without an explicitly stated subject. 'You' is the understood subject.

A word or group of words that identifies a specific person, place, thing, or idea.

A word that shows action or a state of being. It is the heart of the predicate.

A word that describes a noun or pronoun. It adds more information about the subject or object.

A word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb.

Two or more subjects joined by conjunctions (and, or, but) that share the same verb.

Two or more verbs joined by conjunctions (and, or, but) that share the same subject.

A word or phrase that tells who or what receives the action of the verb.

A noun, pronoun, or group of words that tells who or what receives the action of the verb.

When two or more verbs share the same subject and are joined by conjunctions (and, or, but), they form a compound verb. This helps combine sentences and make writing more concise.

When two or more subjects share the same verb and are joined by conjunctions (and, or, but), they form a compound subject. This allows you to combine sentences and make writing more concise.

Subjects and verbs must agree in number. Singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs.

When a compound subject is joined by "or", the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.

Most compound subjects joined by "and" take a plural verb.

Sentences with more than one direct object can be combined to create more concise writing.

A noun, pronoun, or group of words that tells who or what receives the action of the verb.

Sentences with action verbs can have a direct object. Action verbs describe actions taken by the subject.

A sentence might have more than one direct object, especially if it has multiple action verbs.

Sentences with linking verbs (is, are, was, were) do not have direct objects.

A group of words that expresses a complete thought and includes a subject and a predicate.

A group of words that lacks either a subject or a predicate, or both, and does not express a complete thought.

Words that come before the main part of the sentence and provide additional information, such as time or place.

A sentence that asks a question.

A sentence that expresses strong emotion.

A sentence that gives a command or request.

A word that connects a subject to its predicate.

A word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence.

A word or phrase that follows a linking verb and identifies or describes the subject.

A noun or pronoun that renames the subject.

Sentences with two or more direct objects following the verb.

An adjective that describes the subject.

A group of words that is part of a sentence and cannot stand alone. It needs to be connected to another clause or a sentence.

The part of a sentence that names who or what the sentence is about.

The part of a sentence that tells what the subject does or is.

The part of a sentence that comes before the main clause and provides additional information.

A word that connects words, phrases, or clauses. They show how these parts of a sentence are related.

A group of words that contains a subject and predicate but does not express a complete thought.

A group of words that contains a subject and predicate and expresses a complete thought.

An abrupt change in thought or direction within a sentence.

A grammatical error that occurs when a sentence lacks a complete thought.

A linking verb connects the subject of a sentence to a noun or adjective that renames or describes the subject. The linking verb doesn't show an action, but rather a state of being.

A subject complement is a noun or adjective that follows a linking verb and clarifies or describes the subject. There are two types: predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives.

A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that renames the subject. It clarifies what the subject actually is.

A predicate adjective is an adjective that describes the subject. It modifies the subject's qualities.

Linking verbs need a subject complement to complete the thought. Without it, the sentence is incomplete.

Common linking verbs include 'be' (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been), appear, become, feel, grow, look, remain, seem, smell, sound, and taste.

Finding a predicate nominative often involves identifying the subject and linking verb first. The subject complement will be directly after the linking verb.

Finding a predicate adjective also involves identifying the subject and linking verb first. The subject complement will be directly after the linking verb.

To help you distinguish between direct objects and predicate nominatives, analyze the verb in the sentence. If it's an action verb, the word is a direct object. If it's a linking verb, the word is a predicate nominative.