English grammar

11. Just as the subject of a sentence may consist of only one word, so may the predicate. Hence it is that a declarative sentence may contain only two words, one being the subject and the other the predicate; as in the sentence, “Water runs.” Here the noun water names the thing about which something is told, and the word runs tells something about water.

12. In every predicate, no matter how long it is, there is always one word, or a little group of words, which does more of the telling than all the rest of the predicate. In fact, without this word or group of words, there would be no statement at all. In the sentence, “A red sash with fringes of gold wraps his waist several times,” the predicate consists of five words, but the one word that counts for most in making the statement is the word wraps. This word is called a verb. A verb is a part of speech.

A verb, being the essential part of a predicate, is called the simple predicate.

13. Sometimes a verb consists of two, or three, or even four words. What is the verb in each of the following sentences?—

All the cherries had been picked from the trees near the house.

The watchman on the roof was listening for the first sounds of day.

A tall, dark figure might have been seen at the end of the avenue.

14. When the verb in a given sentence has been found, the subject may be discovered by asking the question formed by placing the word who or what before the verb. For example, in the sentence, “The parrot’s story, with the various pauses and interruptions, occupied a good deal of time,” occupied is the verb because it is the telling word. Asking the question what occupied? we get the answer, the parrot’s story, with the various pauses and interruptions, hence this group of words is the subject. What is the simple subject?

15. In grammar we often use the word assertion instead of statement, and the word assert instead of make a statement.

Summary.—A verb is an asserting word.

A verb may consist of one word, two, three, or four words, but never of more than four words.

A verb is the necessary part of every predicate, hence it is called the simple predicate.

To find the subject of a verb, ask the question made by using the word who or what before the verb.

Exercise.—Divide the following sentences into subject and predicate. Select the predicate verb, and tell why it is a verb. Find the simple subject of each sentence. Tell what part of speech it is, and why.

1. The procession moved from the palace to the church with great pomp.

2. The blue eyes of the Greek sparkled.

3. The magnificent buildings of the hospital stand on level land near the river.

4. The gentle young bride was frightened by the silent, mysterious ways of the old Indian.

5.

The poorest twig on the elm tree

Was ridged inch deep with pearl.

6. The great hall of the palace was illuminated with a thousand lamps.

7. His anvil makes no music on Sunday.

8. The raccoon’s story was received with general approbation.

9. This old hunter must have told many tales.

10. Our conference under the peepul tree had been growing noisier and noisier.

11. One great name can make a country great.

12. The camels slept.

13. No European could have made five miles a day over the ice rubbish and the sharp-edged drifts.

14. The cows should have been milked before sundown.

15.

The deep waters of the bay

Stir with the breath of hurrying day.

16. Wully could not have imagined any greater being than his master.

17. Everything out of doors was sheathed in silver mail.

18. The duck mother would have liked the eel’s head herself.

In sentence 18 is herself in the subject or in the predicate?