When people speak or write, they arrange their words in groups to convey their message. Single words, such as land, people, and work, cannot by themselves make much sense. They need to be correctly fitted together to make a sentence.
Example:
The people of Nigeria work mainly on the land.
Now we have a complete message, which tells us a fact.
A sentence is defined as a group of words which makes complete sense.
Table of Contents
Parts of a Sentence
Every sentence is made up of two essential parts. Together, the two parts, called subject and predicate, provide the full meaning of the sentence.
Subject
The subject tells us whom or what the sentence is about.
Predicate
The predicate says something about the subject.
Example
Sentence: The people of Nigeria work mainly on the land.
| Subject | Predicate |
|---|---|
| The people of Nigeria (the persons we are speaking about) | Work mainly on the land (informs us what they do) |
Different Sentence Patterns
Not all sentences are arranged in exactly the same order.
In the south, the dry season lasts from November to February.
| Subject | Predicate |
|---|---|
| The dry season (the thing we are speaking about) | In the south lasts from November to February (informs us where and when it occurs) |
Verbs in Predicates
Each predicate contains a verb or action word (for example, work and lasts).
| Subject | Predicate |
|---|---|
| Ladi | wrote a letter. |
| That dog | is dangerous. |
| Most of the pupils | passed their examination. |
| My grandmother | made a dress for my sister. |
| I | played my favourite record. |
When the Subject Receives the Action
Sometimes the subject of a sentence is not the person or thing carrying out the action, but the person or thing acted upon.
| Subject | Predicate |
|---|---|
| The letter | was written by Ladi. |
| The house | was built by the Benin Construction Company. |
| We | were surprised by his sudden appearance. |
Sentences Without Obvious Action
| Subject | Predicate |
|---|---|
| This book | is Adah’s. |
| The old man | died. |
| Musa | has a fever. |
The Subject Does Not Always Come First
Examples:
Over went the ship.
The ship went over.Down came the rain.
The rain came down.
| Subject | Predicate |
|---|---|
| The ship | went over. |
| The rain | came down. |
Sentences with an Implied Subject
Go to the hospital immediately.
Subject: (You)
Predicate: Go to the hospital immediately.
Sentences with an Implied Predicate
After the riot the enquiry.
Subject: The enquiry
Predicate: (will be held) after the riot.
Setting Out a Sentence
All sentences must:
- Begin with a capital letter.
- End with a full stop (.), question mark (?) or exclamation mark (!).
Examples:
- Thieves came and stole the money.
- Did they get away?
- I’m afraid so!
Types of Sentences
1. Statement
- Adah opened the door.
- Ground nuts are grown in Nigeria.
2. Question
- Why are you here?
- Where is the calabash?
3. Command
- Go and wash your face.
- Press the switch.
4. Request
- Please close the door.
- May I speak to the doctor?
5. Desire or Hope
- I wish I could fly direct from Ikeja.
- He hopes to be back tomorrow.
6. Exclamation
- How smart you look!
- What a terrible storm we had last night!
Phrases
Phrases are not the same as sentences. They are groups of words which, when put together, have some meaning but not a complete meaning. Unlike sentences, phrases cannot be divided into subject and predicate.
Examples of Phrases
- in the morning
- every Tuesday
- surrounded by tall trees
- waiting for a friend
- lonely and miserable
- without a word
- across the desert
- by his side
- heavily loaded
- at the airport
None of these phrases can stand on their own. To have a full meaning, each phrase must become part of a sentence.
Examples:
- The music teacher visits our school every Tuesday.
- We could see a small house surrounded by tall trees.
- The boy said he was waiting for a friend.
- At the airport, some new runways have been built.
Phrases are of various types and perform the functions of nouns, adjectives or adverbs.
Exercises
Exercise 1
Write down the subject of each of these sentences:
- The 1st of October is the anniversary of Nigeria’s independence.
- Here comes the bus.
- When did the war end?
- The police remained calm during the disturbance.
- Will you please lend me your dictionary?
Exercise 2
State what kind of sentence each of the following is:
- Why did you steal from the shop?
- Will you please put the receiver down?
- He was always watching the television.
- I hope to get to my office in forty minutes.
- What a terrible journey we had this morning!
- Come back at once.
Exercise 3
State the subjects and predicates in these sentences:
- Mr Adejo lives at 10, Obalende Street, Lagos.
- Here is the manager.
- Mrs Enogwe bought some mangoes in the market.
- When did you see the doctor?
- Don’t go too near the riverbank.
- Why are you here?
Exercise 4
For each of these subjects, choose the most suitable predicate from those given.
| Subjects | Predicates |
|---|---|
| The mechanic | removed the plugs. |
| Further information | can be obtained from the office. |
| Enugu | is in the East of Nigeria. |
| October | comes after September. |
| The police | help to keep law and order. |
| A triangle | has three sides. |
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