The Ultimate Guide to Subjects and Predicates for Grade 7

Have you ever been told that your sentence is a "complete thought" or, conversely, a "sentence fragment"? Understanding subjects and predicates is the key to knowing what that means. These two parts are the fundamental building blocks of every complete sentence you write, for every subject, in every grade.

Master Subjects and Predicates for Grade 7! Learn the two essential parts of a complete sentence with our easy guide, fun examples, and activities.

Imagine every sentence as a tiny movie. The subject is the main character—the who or what the story is about. The predicate is the action sequence—what the character does or what happens to them. You can't have a good movie without both a main character and some action, and you can't have a complete sentence without both a subject and a predicate .

What is a Subject?

The subject of a sentence is the person, place, thing, or idea that is doing or being something. It is the main noun or pronoun that the sentence is about. To find the subject, ask yourself, "Who or what is this sentence about?"

There are a few different types of subjects:

Simple Subject: The main noun or pronoun without any describing words.
Complete Subject: The simple subject along with all its modifiers (like adjectives).
Compound Subject: Two or more simple subjects joined by a conjunction (like 'and' or 'or').

Examples of Subjects in Sentences:

`The new student` raised her hand. (Complete Subject: The new student; Simple Subject: student)
`She and her friend` worked on the project. (Compound Subject: She and her friend )`
Running a marathon` requires dedication. (The gerund phrase "Running a marathon" is the subject)

What is a Predicate?

If the subject is the "who," the predicate is the "what." It is the part of the sentence that contains the verb and tells us what the subject is or does. The predicate always includes a verb and can include other words that complete the thought, like objects or prepositional phrases .

Just like subjects, predicates come in different forms:

Simple Predicate: The main verb or verb phrase of the sentence.
Complete Predicate: The simple predicate along with all its modifiers, objects, and other related words.
Compound Predicate: Two or more verbs that share the same subject and are joined by a conjunction .

Examples of Predicates in Sentences:

The cat `slept`. (Simple Predicate: 'slept')
The cat `slept peacefully on the warm sofa`. (Complete Predicate: slept peacefully on the warm sofa)
The cat `stretched and yawned`. (Compound Predicate: stretched and yawned )

Putting It All Together: A Quick-Reference Table

This table helps you see how the different parts of a sentence work together.

Sentence	Simple Subject	Simple Predicate	Complete Subject	Complete Predicate
The tall tree fell.	tree	fell	The tall tree	fell.
My brother finished his homework.	brother	finished	My brother	finished his homework.
Dogs and cats sometimes fight.	Dogs, cats	fight	Dogs and cats	sometimes fight.
She laughed and cried.	She	laughed, cried	She	laughed and cried.

Level Up: Compound Predicates vs. Compound Sentences

This is a common point of confusion in 7th grade, but it's easy to master once you know the trick. The key difference lies in the number of subjects.

Compound Predicate: One subject doing two or more things.

Example: `Kara` finished her essay and celebrated with her friends. (One subject, "Kara," is doing two actions).

Compound Sentence: Two or more subjects each doing their own action, connected to form one sentence.

Example: `Kara` finished her essay, and `her friends` celebrated with her. (Two subjects, "Kara" and "her friends," each with their own predicate) .

Fun Activity: Be a Sentence Ninja!

A fun way to practice is to "chop" sentences in half. Get into a ninja stance and follow these steps :

1. Read a sentence aloud.

2. Ask, "Who or what is this sentence about?" The answer is the complete subject. CHOP! (Make a chopping motion with your hand to separate the subject from the predicate).

3. Ask, "What is the subject doing or being?" The answer is the complete predicate.

4. Now, within the complete subject, find the most important noun (the simple subject).

5. Within the complete predicate, find the main verb (the simple predicate).

Try it with this sentence: "The clever fox jumped over the fence."

Who is it about? The clever fox (Complete Subject)
What did it do? jumped over the fence (Complete Predicate)
Most important noun? fox (Simple Subject)
Main verb? jumped (Simple Predicate)

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

1. Sentence Fragments: This happens when you forget either the subject or the predicate.

Incorrect: "The book on the table." (What about the book? No predicate.)
Correct: "The book on the table is mine."

2. Subject-Verb Agreement: The verb must match the subject in number (singular/plural).

Incorrect: "The list of items are long." ("list" is singular)
Correct: "The list of items is long."

3. Using the Wrong Pronoun Case: Use subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) as subjects and object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) as objects.

A trick: Remove the other noun to check. "My sister and 'I' went to the store." (You would say "I went," not "Me went.")

Mastering subjects and predicates is like learning the secret code to powerful writing. It helps you construct clear, effective sentences that your readers will understand easily. So the next time you write, remember to give every sentence a "who" and a "what"!

📝 The Ultimate Guide to Subjects and Predicates (Grade7)

Section 1: Identifying Simple and Complete Parts

Instructions: In each sentence, first identify the Simple Subject (the main noun or pronoun) and the Simple Predicate (the main verb). Then, draw a vertical line (|) to separate the Complete Subject from the Complete Predicate.

Example: The small brown dog | wagged its tail happily.

Simple Subject: dog | Simple Predicate: wagged

1. A brilliant scientist discovered a new element.

Simple Subject: ____________________