What are the parts of a sentence?

Why is sentence structure important?

If you want to write clearly, it’s important to pay attention to sentence structure. It tells the reader what you’re talking about, who the subject is, and why this topic is worth writing about. Using just a subject and predicate can make your writing repetitive. If you challenge yourself to improve your sentence structure, you can pull the reader in and write interesting, informative pieces.

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What are the different parts of a sentence?

The different parts of a sentence are a subject, predicate, object, complement, and modifier. These different parts of a sentence can add variety to your writing style—and depending on where you place each part, they can change the meaning of your words.

Subject

The subject of a sentence tells your reader who or what the sentence is about. This can be a person, pronoun, place, or thing. There are typically three types of subjects you can use in your writing.

• Simple subject. This is a one-word subject that is typically a noun or pronoun. An example of this type of subject is: He ate the pizza. He is the simple subject in that sentence.
• Complete subject. This includes the simple subject along with additional adjectives or modifiers that describe the person, place, or thing. For example: The neighbor’s black cat drank the milk. In this example, the neighbor’s black cat is the complete subject.
• Compound subject. A compound subject includes multiple simple subjects. For example, you could write: Sam and Lisa went shopping for clothes. There are two simple subjects, or one compound subject, in this sentence: Sam and Lisa.

Predicate

This next part of a sentence describes what your subject is doing. You can use an action verb or a linking verb to tell your reader what actions your subject takes. There are also three types of predicates that you can incorporate in your sentence structure. These predicates are:

• Simple predicate. This is a one-word predicate that is an active verb. If you want to use a simple predicate, you could write: Jill danced. In this example, Jill is a simple subject, and danced is the simple predicate.
• Complete predicate. A complete predicate includes a linking verb and either a direct or indirect object or phrase. For example, you could write: The pilot flew the plane. While flew is the simple predicate and a linking verb, flew the plane is the complete predicate because it tells the reader what the pilot flew.
• Compound predicate. A subject and at least two verbs or actions form a compound predicate. For example, you could write: Lisa bought shoes and ate lunch at the mall. In the example, Lisa is the simple subject. Bought shoes and ate lunch at the mall are the compound predicate because they describe two actions Lisa takes.

Objects

Although you only need a subject and predicate to form a complete sentence, there are other parts of a sentence that you can use to beef up your writing. Direct and indirect objects are nouns that follow your predicate and describe what or who the subject took the action upon. Consider these examples:

• Lisa bought shoes. This sentence uses a direct object to describe what Lisa bought.
• He gave his sister a hug. This example includes a direct object, a hug, and an indirect object, his sister. The direct object describes what he gave, and the indirect object describes who he gave it to.

Complements

There are two types of complements you can use to add description to your sentences. These complements describe your subject or object. They are typically nouns, pronouns, phrases, or adjectives and follow the verb. For example, you could write:

• The man is tall. Tall is a complement, or adjective, that describes the man.
• Her hair was long before she cut it. Long describes the subject: her hair.
• They painted their house black. Black is an object complement that describes the color they painted their house.

Modifiers

The modifiers you use in your sentences are adjectives and adverbs that describe your subject or predicate. While they’re not required parts of a sentence, they do add layers to your writing. For example, you could write:

• The big dog jumped on my bed. In this example, big describes the dog.
• They walked slowly. Slowly describes how the subjects are walking.
• Her backpack was small and pink. This is a compound modifier because both small and pink describe the backpack.

How to incorporate different sentence parts in your writing

Use these grammatical elements when you want to add interesting detail and rhythm to your writing. When you want to keep your sentences short and sweet, use a subject and predicate to avoid having a sentence fragment. When you want to describe your subject or predicate, incorporate modifiers. Use objects to describe what or who your subject is doing something to or for.

Experimenting with sentence structures can ensure that your writing is clear, direct, and conveys the meaning you want to give your readers—while adding variety to your writing style. If you’re looking to strengthen your overall writing skills, check out more grammar and writing tips.