English · Suggested Class 5 · school sequences vary
“The tiny boat beside the reeds drifted away.” The sentence is about the boat, but its subject is more than one word. Split the sentence where the main verb begins.
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In a basic statement, the subject names who or what the sentence is about; the predicate says something about that subject and includes the verb.
Original BananaLearn guide · 7 November 2026
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In “The small dog barked loudly”, the complete subject is “The small dog” and the complete predicate is “barked loudly”. The main subject word is dog. The verb barked begins the information given about it.
The complete subject can include describing words and phrases. Taking only the first word would leave “The” as the subject, which does not identify what the sentence is about.
Look for the verb or verb group, then ask who or what goes with it. In “Three children have finished the model”, the verb group is have finished and its subject is Three children.
Do not split the verb group in half. Here the predicate is “have finished the model”, not only “finished the model”. Helping verbs belong with the main verb.
In “The blue bicycle near the gate needs a new tyre”, the complete subject is “The blue bicycle near the gate”. The simple subject is bicycle. The phrase near the gate describes which bicycle.
School instructions may ask for either the complete subject or the simple subject. Name the kind in your answer. This avoids marking two answers as contradictory when they describe different levels of the sentence.
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In “The parcel was delivered”, the subject is The parcel even though it did not deliver anything. In “My sister is tired”, My sister is the subject and is tired is the predicate; tired describes her state.
Use the doer question as a helpful starting point for simple action sentences, not a rule that covers every sentence. Linking verbs and passive sentences show why grammar and real-world action are not identical.
“Asha and Ben carried the box” has the joined subject Asha and Ben. “Asha lifted the lid and checked the contents” has one subject and two joined actions inside its predicate.
A sentence can therefore have more than one subject word or more than one main verb. Look for what is joined before deciding that every and begins a new complete sentence.
In “Close the window”, the understood subject is you and the expressed predicate is Close the window. A command can be a complete sentence even without a written subject.
This is a special sentence pattern. Do not add you to the written text unless the task asks you to show the understood subject. Write “understood subject: you” in an analysis exercise.
“The children beside the pond” names a group but gives no main statement about it. Add a predicate: “The children beside the pond counted the ducks.” “Carried the basket” needs a subject in an ordinary statement: “Mina carried the basket.”
Fragments can appear intentionally in headings or conversation. These exercises practise complete school-writing statements, where the missing part needs to be supplied.
Describe a child building a kite. Start with “The child tied the string.” Expand the subject to “The child in the yellow coat” and the predicate to “tied the string carefully to the wooden frame”. The two jobs remain the same.
For a quick home check, ask the learner to underline the complete subject once and the complete predicate twice, then circle the simple subject. Explain disagreements using the sentence rather than guessing from its first word.
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Try each task before opening its explanation. These are original BananaLearn questions, not official exam or past-paper questions. Where several answers can work, the explanation gives the criteria.
The red bus
Arrived is the main verb; the sentence is about that bus.
arrived late
It tells what happened to the subject.
parrots
Two and noisy modify the main subject noun.
The girl with the green bag
The phrase identifies which girl.
They / have been waiting outside
Keep the complete verb group in the predicate.
The cup
It receives the action; subject does not always mean doer.
is a painter
The linking verb and following description belong together.
Ravi and Noor
Both names share the predicate.
ran and jumped
One subject performs both actions.
you
It is a command.
For example: The colourful kite above the trees dipped suddenly.
The original group needed a predicate; several meaningful completions are possible.
For example: Leela found a shell.
A named subject completes the statement; a different suitable subject is also valid.
Copy these headings and fill them for one worked task, then for a fresh attempt. Use your own evidence rather than copying the model answer.
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Original BananaLearn explanations, examples, illustrations and practice. Source facts checked 7 November 2026. Suggested levels are learning guides, not a claim that every board or textbook uses the same sequence.
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