What is a Complete Subject?

Answer – The complete subject of a sentence includes the simple subject and all its modifiers.

Explanation:

In the English language, the subject of a sentence can be either simple or complete.

A simple subject indicates what or whom the sentence is about. It can be a noun (proper or common) or a pronoun. It is sometimes also a phrase.

For example: Dogs are faithful to their owners.

Here, ‘dogs’ is the simple subject.

A complete subject, on the other hand, includes the simple subject and any words that describe it (modifiers).

For example: The furry dog basking in the sunlight is ours.

Here, ‘the furry dog basking in the sunlight’ is the complete subject.

Pro tip: One way to easily identify the complete subject of a sentence is to eliminate the predicate, which begins at the verb.

For example: The swan in the lake is a sight to behold.

Here, the predicate begins at the verb ‘is.’ So, the complete subject is everything before it—‘the swan in the lake.’

Textbook Solutions