What are the Parts of a Sentence? An Easy-to-Learn Guide

• Jul 11, 2024
• 5 min read

• Tags: English as a Second Language / ESL, Grammar, Language, Writing Tips

Ever feel like a sentence is a jumbled puzzle? We’ve all been there. But guess what? Understanding the parts of a sentence is like finding the key to unlock clear, confident communication. Together, we will decode what are the parts of a sentence, the meaning of each part, and some insightful examples! 

A sentence structure has mainly 5 important parts. So, what are the parts of a sentence exactly? Let’s break it down:

1. Subject

The subject is the who or what the sentence is about. It’s the noun, pronoun, or phrase that acts as the verb. 

To identify the subject in a sentence, ask yourself, “Who or what is doing the action in this sentence?”

Examples:

The dog barked. (Who barked?)

She loves to read. (Who loves to read?)

2. Predicate

The predicate tells you what the subject is or does. It always includes the verb and any words related to the verb’s action.

To find the predicate in a sentence, look for the verb first. Everything else that helps complete the meaning of the verb is part of the predicate.

Examples:

The dog barked loudly. (What did the dog do?)

She loves to read. (What does she love?)

To make things easier, here are two examples of subject and predicate as parts of the same sentence:

She (subject) laughed (predicate). 

The mischievous puppy (subject) chewed on the furniture (predicate).

3. Object

Objects receive the action of the verb. They add more information to the action of the verb. There are two types of objects:

• Direct object: Receives the action of the verb directly.  To find the direct object in a sentence, ask “What?” or “Whom?” after the verb.

Example:

The chef chopped vegetables. (Chopped what? Vegetables)

He broke the chair. (Broke what? The chair)

• Indirect object: Tells to whom or for whom the action is done. It often comes before the direct object.

Example:

She gave me a book. (Gave to whom? Me)

He danced with her. (Danced with whom? Her)

To find the objects, identify the verb and ask “what?” or “whom?” If you get an answer, it’s a direct object. If you can then ask “To whom?” or “For whom?” about that action, you’ve found the indirect object.

For example:

My sister baked a cake. (Direct object. What did she bake? A cake.)

My sister baked me a cake. (Me = indirect object, cake = direct object)

3. Complement

Complements provide more information about the subject or object. They “complete” the meaning of the sentence.

• Subject complement: Follows a linking verb (like “is,” “am,” “are,” “was,” “were”) and describes or identifies the subject.

Examples: 

The soup is delicious. (Delicious describes the soup)

The book is interesting. (Interesting describes the book)

• Object complement: Follows and describes or renames the direct object.

Examples:

They painted the fence blue. (Blue describes the fence)

We elected her class president. (Class president describes her)

4. Phrases and clauses

Sentences can be short and sweet, but they can also be long and complex. That’s where phrases and clauses come in:

• Phrase: A group of words that work together but don’t have a subject and verb.

Examples:

With a smile, she accepted the award.

She sat under the old oak tree.

• Clause: A group of words that contains a subject and a verb.

Independent clause: Can stand alone as a sentence.

Examples:

The sun was shining and the birds were singing.

She enjoys reading books, but she rarely has the time.

Dependent clause: Cannot stand alone as a sentence; it needs an independent clause to make sense.

Examples:

Because it was raining, we decided to stay indoors.

Although he was tired, he continued to work on the project.

Along with these important 5 parts of a sentence, there is one more important aspect. Let’s have a look at what it is:

5. Modifiers

Modifiers describe or modify other words or phrases in the sentence. While not always listed as a core part of a sentence, modifiers are essential for adding detail and clarity. Modifiers include:

• Adjectives: Describe nouns or pronouns.

Examples:

It’s a beautiful day. (Beautiful describes the noun, day)

What a tall building! (Tall describes the noun, building)

• Adverbs: Describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

Examples:

They ran quickly. (Quickly describes the verb, ran) 

She sings extremely well. (Extremely describes the verb, sings)

• Prepositional phrases: A group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun. 

Examples:

She woke up suddenly in the middle of the night.

They found shelter underneath the old bridge during the storm.

To look for modifiers in a sentence, look for words or phrases that provide more information about other words in the sentence.

Examples:

The small, fluffy kitten slept soundly. (Adjectives)

He walked slowly and carefully across the ice. (Adverbs)

The book on the table is mine. (Prepositional phrase)

By understanding these parts of a sentence, you can build stronger, clearer sentences. Remember, most sentences have at least two parts of a sentence: a subject and a verb. But by adding objects, complements, phrases, and clauses, you can create more interesting and complex sentences.

If you need help polishing your writing to make those sentences shine, PaperTrue provides expert editing and proofreading services to help you communicate with confidence.

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Tanvi

With a foundation in Life Sciences, Tanvi enjoys curating technical writing tips tailored for ESL students. When she's not translating complex concepts into bite-sized nuggets, she can be found playing with dogs or painting landscapes.