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I have always read that:

the "subject" is the doer in the sentence and everything except the subject is the "predicate."

But being a learner I have never been able to understand the significance of this classification into subjects and predicates.

While other classifications like gender, number, parts of speech are very obvious.

What is the thing that makes a subject stand out from all others in a sentence?

Thanks in advance.

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    You need to read more about the syntax of English, and then you'll have a better idea of those things.
    – Lucian Sava
    Commented Sep 23, 2020 at 10:56
  • @LucianSava I have read quite a lot but things seem confusing. Your words may help me a lot.
    – user100323
    Commented Sep 23, 2020 at 11:17
  • You've already given one reason, i.e. that it is denotes the actor (your 'doer' of the action). Another, of course, is that the actor controls the verb.
    – BillJ
    Commented Sep 23, 2020 at 12:09

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Predicates are important because they contain the most crucial part of the sentence - a verb.

I love walking on lawns and humming a song

Here, subject is I and the verb is love but with those two words, the sentence is incomplete and half baked.

Predicate helps us understand the sentences and reveal what the subjects do. With subjects doing nothing, the sentence looks cracked.

Harry drew his car to the mechanic for a quick fix

In no time you see that the verb is 'drew' referring to Harry, the subject. Predicate is all other words (including the verb) except the subject. Now, you have a clear idea about the 'action' of the subject, the whole scene.

That's why, predicate are the most important part of a sentence. In fact, without predicate, there is no sentence!

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  • Is this the case for big complex sentences also?
    – user100323
    Commented Sep 23, 2020 at 11:09
  • An adverb describes a 'verb' not the 'subject' is it still a predicate?
    – user100323
    Commented Sep 23, 2020 at 11:12
  • Your English, @Maulik V, is not very good.
    – BillJ
    Commented Sep 23, 2020 at 12:08

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