English Grammar : Sentences

English Grammar

Chapter 1: Sentences

What is a Sentence?

A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. It begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop (.), a question mark (?), or an exclamation mark (!).

Examples

• I play cricket.
• Birds fly in the sky.
• She is reading a book.
• Where are you going?
• What a beautiful flower!

Not a Sentence

• Playing in the park.
• Because it was raining.
• The red ball.

These groups of words do not express a complete idea.

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Parts of a Sentence

Every sentence has two main parts.

1. Subject

The subject tells us who or what the sentence is about.

Examples:

• Riya sings well.
• The dog barked loudly.
• My friends are playing.

2. Predicate

The predicate tells us what the subject does or what happens to it.

Examples:

• Riya sings well.
• The dog barked loudly.
• My friends are playing.

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Characteristics of a Good Sentence

A good sentence:

• Begins with a capital letter.
• Has a subject.
• Has a predicate.
• Makes complete sense.
• Ends with the correct punctuation mark.

Example:

• The children are studying.

Incorrect:

• the children are studying

Correct:

• The children are studying.

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Types of Sentences

1. Declarative (Statement)

It tells something.

Ends with a full stop (.).

Examples:

• I like mangoes.
• The sun rises in the east.
• We go to school every day.

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2. Interrogative (Question)

It asks a question.

Ends with a question mark (?).

Examples:

• What is your name?
• Where do you live?
• Are you ready?

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3. Imperative (Command or Request)

It gives an order, advice, request, or instruction.

Examples:

• Close the door.
• Please help me.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Stand in a line.

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4. Exclamatory Sentence

It expresses strong feelings.

Ends with an exclamation mark (!).

Examples:

• What a lovely day!
• Hurray! We won the match!
• Oh no!
• Wow! That's amazing!

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Sentence Structure

Most English sentences follow this pattern:

Subject + Verb + Object

Examples:

• Rohan plays football.
• My mother cooks food.
• The teacher explained the lesson.

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Word Order

Correct:

• The cat chased the mouse.

Incorrect:

• Chased the mouse the cat.

Correct word order helps others understand the sentence.

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Complete and Incomplete Sentences

Complete:

• The baby is sleeping.

Incomplete:

• Sleeping in the room.

Complete:

• We visited the museum.

Incomplete:

• Because we visited.

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Positive and Negative Sentences

Positive:

• She is happy.
• They play football.

Negative:

• She is not happy.
• They do not play football.

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Common Mistakes

❌ plays Rahul cricket.

✔ Rahul plays cricket.

❌ she is my sister.

✔ She is my sister.

❌ Where are you going.

✔ Where are you going?

❌ wow this is beautiful.

✔ Wow! This is beautiful!

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Examples

1. The lion roared loudly.
2. We enjoy reading books.
3. My brother is a doctor.
4. Can you swim?
5. Please switch off the fan.
6. What a clever boy!
7. Birds build nests.
8. The flowers smell sweet.
9. Open your notebook.
10. How wonderful!

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Quick Revision

• A sentence expresses a complete thought.
• It begins with a capital letter.
• It ends with proper punctuation.
• Every sentence has a subject and a predicate.
• There are four main types of sentences:
  • Statement
  • Question
  • Command/Request
  • Exclamation

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Practice

A. Identify the type of sentence.

1. Please sit down.
2. Where is your school?
3. The train arrived on time.
4. Hurray! We won.
5. Do you like music?

B. Underline the subject.

1. My father drives a car.
2. The birds are singing.
3. The teacher is explaining.
4. Rohan likes chocolate.
5. The children are laughing.

C. Underline the predicate.

1. The cat slept on the sofa.
2. We visited the zoo.
3. My sister paints beautifully.
4. The baby smiled.
5. The bell rang loudly.

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Chapter 2: Subject and Predicate

Every sentence has two main parts:

1. Subject
2. Predicate

Understanding these helps us write correct and meaningful sentences.

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Subject

The subject is the person, place, animal, or thing that the sentence is about.

Examples

Subject	Predicate
The dog	barked loudly.
Riya	is dancing.
My brother	studies hard.
The birds	are flying.
We	love ice cream.

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Predicate

The predicate tells us something about the subject. It always contains a verb.

Examples:

• The baby is sleeping.
• My father works in a bank.
• The train arrived late.

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Simple Subject

The main word in the subject.

Examples:

• Boy → The tall boy won the race.
• Teacher → Our English teacher explained the lesson.
• Birds → Many birds are flying.

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Complete Subject

The complete subject includes all the words that tell us who or what the sentence is about.

Example:

• The little girl with curly hair won the prize.

Simple Subject:

• girl

Complete Subject:

• The little girl with curly hair

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Simple Predicate

The main verb or verb phrase.

Example:

• The dog barked.

Simple Predicate:

• barked

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Complete Predicate

Everything in the sentence except the subject.

Example:

• The dog barked loudly at the stranger.

Complete Predicate:

• barked loudly at the stranger.

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Examples

1. The monkey climbed the tree.

Subject: The monkey

Predicate: climbed the tree.

2. My grandparents live in Delhi.

Subject: My grandparents

Predicate: live in Delhi.

3. The baby cried loudly.

Subject: The baby

Predicate: cried loudly.

4. Our team won the match.

Subject: Our team

Predicate: won the match.

5. The stars shine brightly.

Subject: The stars

Predicate: shine brightly.

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How to Find the Subject

Ask: Who or what is this sentence about?

Example: The elephant drank water.

Who drank water?

Answer: The elephant

Subject: The elephant

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How to Find the Predicate

Ask: What did the subject do?

Example: The elephant drank water.

What did the elephant do?

Answer: Drank water.

Predicate: drank water.

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Common Mistakes

❌ Runs fast.

(No subject)

✔ The horse runs fast.

❌ My father.

(No predicate)

✔ My father works in a hospital.

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More Examples

Sentence	Subject	Predicate
The sun rises in the east.	The sun	rises in the east.
My sister sings beautifully.	My sister	sings beautifully.
The baby laughed.	The baby	laughed.
The children are playing football.	The children	are playing football.
Our class won the competition.	Our class	won the competition.

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Quick Revision

• Every sentence has a subject and a predicate.
• The subject tells who or what the sentence is about.
• The predicate tells what the subject does or what happens to it.
• The predicate always contains a verb.
• Subjects and predicates can be simple or complete.

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Practice

A. Underline the subject.

1. The tiger roared.
2. My mother cooks delicious food.
3. The students are reading.
4. The moon shines at night.
5. Our school has a library.

B. Underline the predicate.

1. The dog chased the cat.
2. We visited the museum.
3. My uncle lives in Jaipur.
4. The flowers bloom in spring.
5. The baby slept peacefully.

C. Divide each sentence into subject and predicate.

1. The rabbit jumped over the fence.
2. My best friend loves music.
3. The train reached the station.
4. The teacher praised the students.
5. The little bird built a nest.

Answer Key

Chapter 1

A. Types of Sentences

1. Imperative
2. Interrogative
3. Declarative
4. Exclamatory
5. Interrogative

B. Subjects

1. My father
2. The birds
3. The teacher
4. Rohan
5. The children

C. Predicates

1. slept on the sofa
2. visited the zoo
3. paints beautifully
4. smiled
5. rang loudly

Chapter 2

A. Subjects

1. The tiger
2. My mother
3. The students
4. The moon
5. Our school

B. Predicates

1. chased the cat
2. visited the museum
3. lives in Jaipur
4. bloom in spring
5. slept peacefully

C. Subject and Predicate

1. Subject: The rabbit | Predicate: jumped over the fence.
2. Subject: My best friend | Predicate: loves music.
3. Subject: The train | Predicate: reached the station.
4. Subject: The teacher | Predicate: praised the students.
5. Subject: The little bird | Predicate: built a nest.