Writer's Choice Grade 7

Unit 8: Subjects, Predicates, and Sentences

Overview

A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. Every sentence has a subject—the part that tells whom or what the sentence is about—and a predicate—the part that tells what the subject does, has, is, or is like. If either part is missing, the group of words is called a sentence fragment.

The complete subject includes all of the words in the subject, including articles and adjectives. The complete predicate includes the verb and any adverbs and objects that go with it. The simple subject is only the main word or group of words in the complete subject. The simple predicate is only the main word or group of words in the complete predicate. A simple sentence has one subject and one predicate. A compound sentence contains two or more simple sentences joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction or by a semicolon.

Different kinds of sentences have different purposes. They also have different punctuation. A declarative sentence makes a statement. It ends with a period. An interrogative sentence asks a question. It ends with a question mark. An exclamatory sentence expresses strong feeling. It ends with an exclamation point. An imperative sentence gives a command or makes a request. It ends with a period or an exclamation point.