+16.+ We have found that every sentence must have at least two words,
one word to name that about which something is said and another word
which does the saying or makes the assertion. In the sentence, _Men
work_, we have these two parts; _men_ which is the part about which
something is said, and _work_ which tells what men do.
+The part about which something is said is called the subject.+
In this sentence, _Men work_, _men_, therefore, is the subject, for it
names that about which something is said.
+17.+ +The part that asserts or says something about the subject is
called the predicate.+
Therefore in this sentence, _Men work_, _work_ is the predicate. In the
following sentences draw a single line under the subject and a double
line under the predicate, thus, _~Birds~ =fly=_.
Ships sail.
Soldiers fight.
Flowers fade.
Horses neigh.
Flags wave.
Snow comes.
War rages.
Winds blow.
Fish swim.
+18.+ We may add other words to the subject or the predicate and so
enlarge their meaning, as for instance we may say:
The stately ships sail proudly away.
The war in Europe rages furiously.
The soldiers in the army fight like men gone mad.
Yet in every one of these sentences you will find the subject and the
predicate,--_Ships sail_, _War rages_, _Soldiers fight_.
Every sentence must have a subject and a predicate, and it is a very
important part of the study of sentences to be able to distinguish
quickly and readily the subject and the predicate. Find that about which
something is said, and that will always be the subject. Find that which
is said about the subject, and that will be the predicate.
+Every sentence must contain a subject and a predicate.+
+The subject of a sentence names that about which something is said.+
+The predicate tells that which is said about the subject.+