ParaPro Writing Study Guide: Sentence Parts

In this section of our ParaPro Study Guide, we will be breaking down sentences into smaller units. You will learn how to define and identify subjects, predicates, and direct and indirect objects in preparation for the ParaPro exam.

Subjects and predicates

Sentences are composed of two main parts: the subject and the predicate.

The subject is who or what the sentence is about. The subject will be performing the action of the sentence. Look at the following sentences:

• The bird flew away from the dog.
• After scoring the winning shot, Matthew celebrated with his teammates.
• The cars raced by.
• The game-winning touchdown was scored by Jack.

The bolded words are all the subjects. They are the main topic of the sentence and are conducting the action.

As you can see in the second and fourth sentences, the subject doesn’t have to be at the beginning of the sentence; it is always whoever or whatever is performing the main action. Matthew is who celebrated and Jack is who scored, so they are the subjects.

If you can identify the subject, then you can also identify the predicate.The predicate is everything else in the sentence. It explains what the subject is doing.

You may see predicates divided into two smaller categories as well: simple predicates and complete predicates. The simple predicate is only the verb or the verb phrase (the action of the sentence). The complete predicate is every word outside of the subject and its modifiers, if any. Look at the following sentences:

• Gina handed out the awards.
• The boat left the dock because the storm had abated.
• In most cases, dogs learn how to play by watching others.
• I had sent the message even though she told me not to respond.

The complete predicate is bolded while the simple predicate is underlined. The subject is what is left. As with subjects, the predicate does not have to be in a certain place in the sentence; it’s about the function it serves, not where it’s found.

Further, there can be more than one predicate if a sentence has more than one clause. The second sentence has two parts divided by the conjunction “because.” Thus, the subject of the first clause is “the boat” and the predicate describes the boat’s action, and the subject of the second clause is “the storm” and the predicate describes the storm’s action.

Objects

The subject doesn’t have to be the only person or “thing” in a sentence. Many sentences also have objects. The object gives meaning to the verb; it is the who or what is being acted upon.

“John drove” is a complete sentence, as it has a subject and a predicate. We can, however, be more specific and say “John drove his car,” which introduces an object. The car is the object of the sentence because it is what is being acted upon.

There are two types of objects: direct and indirect objects. The example above uses a direct object. An indirect object tells the reader to whom, for whom, or for what is the object.

If we were to expand our sentence, we could say “John drove his car to the mall.” His car is the direct object (the object being acted upon) and the mall is the indirect object (why the action is being completed or to where the object is going).

As with subjects and predicates, it is easy to confuse objects when the sentence structure is complex! Take the following sentences:

• The ball was thrown by Annie to Sophia.
• I bring my coworkers fresh cookies every week.

In the first sentence, Annie is completing the action, the ball is being acted upon, and Sophia is receiving the ball, making Annie the subject, the ball the direct object, and Sophia the indirect object, despite the order in which they appear.

In the second sentence, I am completing the action, the cookies are being acted upon (being brought), and my coworkers are receiving the direct object. Thus, I am the subject, cookies are the direct object, and my coworkers are the indirect object.

You can also easily differentiate between the subject and object if they are referred to with pronouns. Pronouns like “I,” “he,” “she,” and “they” are subject pronouns while those like “me,” “him,” “her,” and “them” are object pronouns, meaning the former are used to refer to subjects and the latter are used for objects. It’s why we would write “I threw the ball to him” instead of “Me threw the ball to he.”

Now that you know how to break a sentence down into its parts, test your skills with the quick review below to prepare for the kinds of questions you may see on the official exam.

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Sentence Parts Review Test

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