View largerSubjects and predicates
Knowing that a sentence has a subject (who or what) and a predicate (what they do or are)
1 page38 KB
Subject and Predicate Worksheets
Find, sort, and build the two parts of every sentence: who or what it is about, and what they do or are.
Download the subjects and predicates worksheets
2nd grade: Who or What, and What They Do
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View all 2 pagesFind the subject and predicate
Finding the subject (who or what) and the predicate (what they do or are) in a sentence
Answer key on page 2
2 pages56 KB
View all 2 pagesMatch the subject and predicate
Joining a subject and a predicate to build a complete sentence
Answer key on page 2
2 pages39 KB
View all 2 pagesSubject and predicate cut and paste
Joining a subject and a predicate to build a complete sentence (cut and paste)
Answer key on page 2
2 pages65 KB
View all 2 pagesFinish the sentence
Adding a subject or a predicate to make a complete sentence
Answer key on page 2
2 pages46 KB
View all 2 pagesExpand the sentence
Expanding simple sentences with words that tell who, what kind, where and when
Answer key on page 2
2 pages42 KB
3rd grade: Complete Subjects and Predicates
View all 2 pagesFind the complete subject
Finding the complete subject: all the words that tell who or what the sentence is about
Answer key on page 2
2 pages56 KB
View all 2 pagesFind the complete predicate
Finding the complete predicate: the verb and all the words that tell what the subject does or is
Answer key on page 2
2 pages56 KB
View all 2 pagesSubject or predicate Missing?
Telling whether a sentence fragment is missing its subject or its predicate, and fixing it
Answer key on page 2
2 pages52 KB
View all 2 pagesSubject or predicate sort
Sorting sentence parts into subjects and predicates
Answer key on page 2
2 pages49 KB
View all 2 pagesSubject or predicate Sort: cut and paste
Sorting sentence parts into subjects and predicates (cut and paste)
Answer key on page 2
2 pages65 KB
View all 2 pagesWhat job does the noun Do?
Explaining the job of a noun in a sentence: subject or object
Answer key on page 2
2 pages60 KB
View all 2 pagesSubjects joined by and
Making verbs agree with compound subjects joined by and
Answer key on page 2
2 pages54 KB
4th grade: Simple, Complete, and Compound
View largerSubjects and predicates
Knowing complete and simple subjects and predicates, and compound subjects and predicates
1 page41 KB
View all 2 pagesFind the simple subject and predicate
Finding the simple subject (the main noun) and the simple predicate (the verb and any helping verbs)
Answer key on page 2
2 pages57 KB
View all 2 pagesCompound subjects and predicates
Combining sentences with a compound subject or a compound predicate
Answer key on page 2
2 pages41 KB
View all 2 pagesWrite and label the parts
Writing complete sentences and labeling the subject, predicate, simple subject, and simple predicate
Answer key on page 2
2 pages46 KB
View all 2 pagesSentence or Fragment?
Telling complete sentences from sentence fragments
Answer key on page 2
2 pages56 KB
View all 2 pagesFix the fragments
Correcting fragments by adding a subject, a predicate, or a complete thought
Answer key on page 2
2 pages39 KB
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About these subjects and predicates worksheets
Every complete sentence has two parts. The subject tells who or what the sentence is about, and the predicate tells what the subject does or is. In "The little brown dog ran across the yard," the subject is "The little brown dog" and the predicate is "ran across the yard." In "My dog is sleepy," the subject is "My dog" and the predicate is "is sleepy." A quick trick: ask "Who or what?" to find the subject, then "What did it do?" or "What is it?" to find the predicate.
In 2nd grade, children learn to spot the two parts and put them together: they circle subjects and predicates, match a subject to the predicate that makes sense (with a cut-and-paste version), and finish sentences by adding the missing part.
In 3rd grade, they find the complete subject and the complete predicate, sort sentence parts into the right group, and see what happens when one part is missing: a fragment. They name the missing part and fix it.
In 4th grade, children go deeper: the simple subject is the main noun, the simple predicate is the verb with any helping verbs, and compound subjects and compound predicates let them join two short sentences into one smooth one. Every practice page comes with an answer key.
Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.1.FProduce, expand, and rearrange complete simple and compound sentences (e.g., The boy watched the movie; The little boy watched the movie; The action movie was watched by the little boy).CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.1.AExplain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.1.IProduce simple, compound, and complex sentences.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.FProduce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.
How to use them
- Start with the anchor chart for your grade. Read the examples aloud and ask "Who or what?" and "What did it do?" for each one.
- Use the circling pages next. Have your child read each sentence out loud first, then find the part the heading asks for.
- Move on to the building pages: matching, sorting, finishing sentences, and fixing fragments, so children use the parts, not just find them.
- Finish with a writing page, then check the answer key together and talk about any part that was tricky.
Teaching tips
- Try a quick split: say the subject, pause, then say the predicate. If both halves make sense, the split is right.
- Remember that the subject can be more than one word. "The girl in the green coat" is all one subject.
- When a sentence has a helping verb, like "was singing" or "will paint," both words belong to the simple predicate.
- Have your child write a sentence about their own day and label its two parts. Real sentences stick better than practice ones.
Questions teachers and parents ask
What is the difference between a subject and a predicate?
The subject tells who or what a sentence is about. The predicate tells what the subject does or is. In "Grandma planted roses," Grandma is the subject and "planted roses" is the predicate.
What is the difference between a complete subject and a simple subject?
The complete subject is all the words that tell who or what: "The tiny brown hamster." The simple subject is just the main noun or pronoun in it: "hamster." In the same way, the complete predicate is the verb and all the words that go with it, and the simple predicate is the verb plus any helping verbs.
What are compound subjects and compound predicates?
A compound subject is two or more subjects that share one predicate, like "Snow and ice covered the road." A compound predicate is two or more verbs that share one subject, like "Leo washed the car and dried it with a towel." Both help children join short, choppy sentences.
What grade learns subjects and predicates?
Children usually meet the idea of a complete sentence in 1st and 2nd grade, find complete subjects and predicates in 3rd grade, and work with simple and compound subjects and predicates in 4th grade, when they also fix fragments and run-ons.
Do these worksheets have answer keys?
Yes. Every practice page has an answer key on the second page. Pages where children write their own sentences show example answers.