Sentence Structure Explanation and Practice: Simple Sentences

Examples of Simple Sentences

John ran.
The dog ate.
Stop!
People laugh.
The young lady wore one purple shoe and one pink shoe with her delicately ruffled prom dress.
No one in the house could find the dust-covered computer.

Simple Sentence Characteristics - The Rules

1. Simple sentences can be short or long.
2. Each simple sentence will include a simple subject and a simple predicate.
3. Simple sentences are also called independent clauses.
4. A simple sentence is a complete sentence. It expresses a complete thought.

Steps for Identifying Simple Subjects and Simple Predicates

1. Identify the verb (action word in the sentence)
2. Ask who or what did the action

For example:

John ran to the store.

What is the action in this sentence? Running!
Who or what ran? John!

Simple Subject = John
Simple Predicate = Ran

It has a subject and predicate; thus, it is a simple sentence, a complete sentence or a complete thought.

Here is a more difficult example:

The old man and young woman at the grocery store found and ate a dirty piece of gum on the floor.

What is the action in this sentence? Found, Ate
Who or what is doing the action? Man, Woman

Simple Subject = Man, Woman
Simple Predicate = Found, Ate

You might have compound subjects and/or compound verbs in simple sentences, like the above example.

Assignment:

1. Write ten simple sentences in a Word document. Highlight (yellow) the simple predicate (verb/action word) and highlight (light blue) the simple subject (person, place, or thing doing the action). Email the document to me as an attachment.

2. In the comments section of this post, explain what a compound subject and/or verb is. An educated guess is encouraged, welcomed, and appreciated!

3. Identify the COMPLETE subject and COMPLETE predicate in the following sentences:
 
The dog ate pizza for breakfast and lunch.

Stop!
People at the comedy club laugh all night.
The young lady with a genuine smile wore one purple shoe and one pink shoe with her delicately ruffled prom dress.
No one in the house could find the dust-covered computer.

4. What is the difference between a complete subject/predicate and a simple subject/predicate?