Subject, Predicate, Complement — Interactive Answer Key
Identifying Subjects, Verbs, Direct Objects, Indirect Objects, Objective Complements & Subject Complements
What Are the Parts of a Sentence in Chapter 2? (Subject, Predicate, Complement)
A sentence consists of two primary parts—the subject and the predicate (verb)—and often includes a complement that completes the meaning of the verb. In Chapter 2 of Holt Traditions: Warriner's Handbook, Sixth Course, the Diagnostic Preview tests seven core sentence functions:
| Part of a Sentence | How to Identify It in Context | Diagnostic Preview Example |
|---|---|---|
1. Subject (s.) |
Tells whom or what the sentence is about (never inside a prepositional phrase). | Carlos Chávez (Item 2); calendar (Item 5); all (Item 12) |
2. Verb (v.) |
The simple predicate; expresses action or state of being (includes helping verbs). | was moved (Item 3); call (Item 7); were scrambling (Item 16) |
3. Direct Object (d.o.) |
Noun or pronoun that receives the action of a transitive verb (answers Whom? or What?). | wants a set (Item 4); started play (Item 15); scored point / points (Item 18) |
4. Indirect Object (i.o.) |
Appears between an action verb and a direct object; tells to whom/what or for whom/what. | gave my grandfather a part (Item 6); told the home team their predictions (Item 13) |
5. Objective Complement (o.c.) |
Follows a direct object and renames or describes that direct object. | keep me energetic (Item 8); elected Ming Chin captain (Item 10); made game contest (Item 20) |
6. Predicate Nominative (p.n.) |
Noun or pronoun in the predicate that follows a linking verb and identifies the subject. | has become a writer (Item 1); was a challenge (Item 11); was a pole (Item 17) |
7. Predicate Adjective (p.a.) |
Adjective in the predicate that follows a linking verb and describes the subject. | is much taller (Item 9); the game was over (Item 19) |
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Important Notice for Students, Parents, and Educators: This diagnostic study guide and interactive answer key is published strictly for educational help, academic support, self-checking, and concept mastery—NOT for cheating or copying homework. Study the sentence-part explanations below, classify each italicized word or word group in Sections A and B on your own first, and then click Click to Show Answer below each item to verify your work.
Complete Lesson Guide: How to Identify Subjects, Verbs, and Complements
Whereas Chapter 1 focused on the eight Parts of Speech (what kind of word a word is), Chapter 2: The Parts of a Sentence focuses on how words and word groups function together inside a clause as subjects, predicates (verbs), and complements. Use this diagnostic guide to master every concept tested in the Chapter 2 Diagnostic Preview:
1. Finding the Verb and the Subject (Including Inverted Sentences)
- Step 1 — Find the Verb (Simple Predicate) First: Look for the word or verb phrase that expresses the action or state of being. Watch out for interrupted verb phrases where an adverb separates the helping verb from the main verb (such as "was carefully moved" in Item 3) and compound verbs where one subject performs multiple actions (such as "made... mixed... and painted" in Item 14). Also remember that in imperative sentences (commands/requests like "Please call me..." in Item 7), the understood subject is (you).
- Step 2 — Ask "Who?" or "What?" Before the Verb to Find the Subject: Never choose a noun inside a prepositional phrase as the subject! In inverted sentences that begin with prepositional phrases (such as Item 5: "On Fajada Butte in northwestern New Mexico is an ancient Anasazi solar calendar"), the subject comes after the verb (What is on Fajada Butte? A calendar). Similarly, in Item 12 ("all of the villagers traveled"), the indefinite pronoun all is the subject, while of the villagers is a prepositional phrase.
2. How to Distinguish the Five Types of Complements
A complement is a word or word group that completes the meaning of a verb. To identify which of the five complements an italicized word is, check whether the verb is an action verb or a linking verb:
| Type of Verb in the Clause | Possible Complements | Step-by-Step Diagnostic Question |
|---|---|---|
| Action Verb (e.g., wants, gave, keep, elected, told, started, scored, made) |
• Direct Object (d.o.)• Indirect Object ( i.o.)• Objective Complement ( o.c.)
|
1. Ask "Verb + whom or what?" → The receiver of the action is the Direct Object (wants a set; started play). 2. If there is a noun/pronoun between the verb and the direct object telling to whom or for whom, it is an Indirect Object (gave my grandfather a part; told the home team their predictions). 3. If a noun or adjective follows the direct object and renames or describes that direct object (after verbs like keep, elect, make, appoint, call), it is an Objective Complement (keep me energetic; elected Ming Chin their captain; made the average game a... contest). |
| Linking Verb (e.g., is, was, were, has become) |
• Predicate Nominative (p.n.)• Predicate Adjective ( p.a.)
|
1. If the word following the linking verb is a noun or pronoun that renames or identifies the subject, it is a Predicate Nominative (Alice Walker has become a famous writer; arrival... was a challenge; goal post... was a... pole). 2. If the word following the linking verb is an adjective that describes the subject, it is a Predicate Adjective (My mother is much taller; the game was over). |
A. Identifying Subjects, Verbs, and Complements (Items 1–10)
Directions: Identify the italicized word or word group in each of the following sentences as a subject, a verb, a direct object, an indirect object, an objective complement, a predicate nominative, or a predicate adjective.
s. = subject; v. = verb; d.o. = direct object; i.o. = indirect object; o.c. = objective complement; p.n. = predicate nominative; p.a. = predicate adjective.
Answer: 1. verb
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- writer — predicate nominative (
p.n.) (Noun following the linking verb phrase has become that renames and identifies the subject Alice Walker.)
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- Carlos Chávez — subject (
s.) (Proper noun telling who performed the action of the verb established.)
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- was moved — verb (
v.) (Verb phrase consisting of the helping verb was and main verb moved; note that the interrupting adverb carefully is not part of the verb phrase.)
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- set — direct object (
d.o.) (Noun that directly receives the action of the transitive verb wants—Margaret wants what? A set.)
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- calendar — subject (
s.) (In this inverted sentence beginning with two prepositional phrases, the subject calendar follows the state-of-being verb is.)
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- grandfather — indirect object (
i.o.) (Appears between the action verb gave and the direct object part, telling to whom the part was given.)
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- call — verb (
v.) (Imperative action verb in the request clause; its understood subject is you and its direct object is me.)
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- energetic — objective complement (
o.c.) (Adjective that follows the direct object me and describes me by completing the meaning of the verb keep.)
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- taller — predicate adjective (
p.a.) (Comparative adjective following the linking verb is that describes the subject mother.)
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- captain — objective complement (
o.c.) (Noun that follows the direct object Ming Chin and renames her after the verb elected.)
B. Identifying Subjects, Verbs, and Complements (Items 11–20)
Directions: Identify each italicized word or word group in the following sentences as a subject, a verb, a direct object, an indirect object, an objective complement, a predicate nominative, or a predicate adjective.
Answer: 1. direct object
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- challenge — predicate nominative (
p.n.) (Noun following the linking verb was that identifies the subject arrival.)
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- all — subject (
s.) (Indefinite pronoun serving as the simple subject of the verb traveled.)
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- team — indirect object (
i.o.) (Appears between the action verb told and the direct object predictions, telling to whom the elders told their predictions.)
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- made — verb (
v.) - mixed — verb (
v.) - painted — verb (
v.) (Together, made, mixed, and painted form the compound verb for the subject visitors.)
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- play — direct object (
d.o.) (Noun receiving the action of the transitive verb started—the village leader started what? Play.)
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- were scrambling — verb (
v.) (Verb phrase consisting of the helping verb were and the main verb scrambling.)
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- pole — predicate nominative (
p.n.) (Noun following the linking verb was that renames the subject goal post.)
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- point — direct object (
d.o.) - points — direct object (
d.o.) (Together, point and points form a compound direct object receiving the action of the verb scored.)
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- over — predicate adjective (
p.a.) (Here over means "finished/complete" and functions as a predicate adjective following the linking verb was to describe the subject game.)
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- contest — objective complement (
o.c.) (Noun that follows the direct object game and renames it after the action verb made.)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Position and meaning make them easy to tell apart: an indirect object always comes before the direct object and tells to whom or for whom the action is done (e.g., "gave my grandfather [i.o.] an interesting part [d.o.]" in Item 6). An objective complement comes after the direct object and renames or describes the direct object itself (e.g., "elected Ming Chin [d.o.] their captain [o.c.]" in Item 10).
Although over is frequently a preposition or an adverb, in the clause "the game was over" it follows the linking verb was and means "finished" or "ended." Because it describes the state of the subject noun game, it functions as a predicate adjective.
In Item 5, Fajada Butte is the object of the preposition On, and New Mexico is the object of the preposition in. A word that is the object of a preposition can never be the subject of a clause. When you flip the inverted sentence into normal subject-verb order—"An ancient Anasazi solar calendar is on Fajada Butte in northwestern New Mexico"—it is clear that calendar is the subject.