Hi, I'm Ashley and this is Mia. In this video,
we will learn the difference between complete and simple subjects. You ready? Let's go!
You've already learned that a sentence is a group of words that is put together to express
a complete thought. Like, the kitten is cute. A sentence is made up of two main parts, a subject,
and a predicate. The subject is the part that tells who or what the sentence is about. Who or
what is this sentence about? Right, the kitten. So the subject of this sentence is the kitten.
Let's read some sentences and find their subjects. The first one says. the boy is wearing a costume.
Who is this sentence about? Right, the boy. The subject of this sentence
is the boy. Now let's look at the next one. Ali is swinging. Who is this sentence about?
Ali, nice job. Ali is the subject of this sentence.
The subject always contains a noun, and as you know, nouns are words that name a person,
a place, or a thing. There could also be a pronoun like he or she that is taking the place
of the noun. But of course, that pronoun would be referring to a noun. Sometimes the subject
contains only a noun. Like in the sentence, Ali is swinging. Sometimes the subject contains two
words like a giraffe has a long neck. Sometimes the sentence contains even more words like,
that silly little clown is funny. The subject is, that silly little clown, four words.
When we identify all of the words in a subject we are identifying the complete
subject. The complete subject is the noun with all of its modifiers. That, silly, and little are all
words that modify or help describe the clown we're talking about. Let's identify the complete
subject in these sentences. The first sentence is I have fun with my friends. That one's easy. The
complete subject is I. It's only one little word but it's the pronoun I use to refer to myself.
Okay, the next sentence is, our clubhouse is in my yard. Do you know the complete subject?
Right, it's our clubhouse, two words. Okay, the wise owls is our club's name. What's the
complete subject? You've got, it the wise owls, there are three words in that complete subject.
Okay, last one. What's the complete subject in, the girl in the red bandanna is named Amy. Hmm,
that's a long one. The complete subject is, the girl in the red bandana because that's
who the sentence is about. Okay, let's return to the fact that every subject contains a noun,
or perhaps a pronoun, that refers to the noun. In the sentence, my brother Joey likes spaghetti,
the complete subject is my brother Joey. The noun in that complete subject is Joey. Joey is actually
what we call the simple subject of this sentence. The simple subject is the noun or pronoun
that names who or what the sentence is talking about. In the sentence, a giraffe has a long neck,
the simple subject is the noun giraffe. The article, a, is part of the complete subject;
but the simple subject is just the noun giraffe. Remember the sentence, that silly little clown
is funny? We had a very long complete subject; that silly little clown. But, the simple subject
is just clown. That's the noun that names who the sentence is about. Sometimes the complete subject
and the simple subject are exactly the same. Like in the sentence Ali is swinging.
Ali is the simple subject and Ali is the complete subject. That's because,
our subject only contains a noun. There are no adjectives describing or modifying the noun, Ali.
Sometimes the complete subject contains two nouns. Like in the sentence, the girl in the red bandana
is named Amy. We have the noun girl, and we have the noun, bandana. How do we know which one is the
simple subject? Well, we need to determine which noun tells who or what the sentence is about. So,
we look at the predicate, is this sentence saying the girl was named Amy, or is it saying
the bandana is named Amy? That's easy, the simple subject is girl because this sentence is telling
us about a girl named Amy. Sometimes the simple subject actually contains more than one word.
Like in the sentence, New York City has many tall buildings. The complete subject is New York City,
and the simple subject is also, New York City. It's only one place but there are three words
in its name. Some nouns are like that. You might have three names, a first, middle, and last name,
but they are only naming one person, so the three words make up just one noun. Okay,
let's quiz ourselves on what we've learned by finding the complete and simple subject
in some sentences. In the sentence, Mrs.Watkins lives on main street,
what is the complete subject? Right, Mrs. Watkins. And what is the simple subject?
Also, Mrs. Watkins. Good! Okay, one more. What about, the man in the hat found my kitten. Okay,
the complete subject is, the man in the hat. And what's the simple subject? Remember,
it's the noun that goes with the predicate. You got it. Man is the simple subject.
Let's review. You already know that the subject tells who or what the sentence is about. Since
that who or what would be a person place or thing, the subject always contains a noun, or at least
a pronoun that's taking the place of a noun. Now you know, that the complete subject is the noun,
or pronoun with all of its modifiers; and the simple subject is just the noun or maybe pronoun
without its modifiers. Remember, if there's more than one noun in the complete subject,
always look for the one that goes with the predicate. And also remember to always be clever.