What is a Sentence?
A sentence is a group of words that makes complete sense. It usually has a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a predicate (what the subject does or is).
The 2 Parts of a Sentence:
1
Subject
The person, place, thing, or idea the sentence is about
2
Predicate
Tells what the subject does or is
Examples:
Example 1
The dog / barked loudly.
Subject: The dog
Predicate: barked loudly
Example 2
Anna / is reading a book.
Subject: Anna
Predicate: is reading a book
Example 3
The children / played in the park.
Subject: The children
Predicate: played in the park
Examples:
The cat sleeps.
Subject: "The cat"
Verb: "sleeps"
→ It tells us something complete.
I love pizza.
Subject: "I"
Verb: "love"
→ This makes sense on its own.
Not a sentence:
Running through the park.
It doesn't tell us who is running – it's just part of a sentence.
This is a sentence fragment
Missing the subject (who is running?)
Cannot stand alone and make complete sense
Tip for students:
To test if something is a sentence, ask:
"Can this stand alone and make sense?"
Complete Sentence
Has both subject and predicate
Makes Sense
Expresses a complete thought
Test It
Can it stand alone?