Name every part of the sentence
You learn to name every part of a sentence: subject, verb, object and adverbial.
How to do the test
- Find the verb first.
- Ask who or what does it: that is the subject.
- Ask who or what receives it: that is the object.
- The rest tells you when, where or how.
A worked example
Name every part of the sentence. The farmer fed the hens at dawn.
- Find the verb first: fed.
- Ask who or what fed: the farmer is the subject.
- Ask who or what the farmer fed: the hens is the object.
- The rest tells you when, where or how: at dawn.
- The farmer = subject, fed = verb, the hens = object, at dawn = adverbial.
More examples
Name every part of the sentence. Mia kicked the ball over the wall.
- Find the verb first: kicked.
- Ask who or what kicked: Mia is the subject.
- Ask who or what Mia kicked: the ball is the object.
- The rest tells you when, where or how: over the wall.
- Mia = subject, kicked = verb, the ball = object, over the wall = adverbial.
Name every part of the sentence. She has finished her homework.
- Find the verb first: has finished.
- Ask who or what has finished: she is the subject.
- Ask who or what she has finished: her homework is the object.
- She = subject, has finished = verb, her homework = object.
Watch out
You call the first group of words the subject, even when an adverbial comes first.
Find the verb, then ask who or what does it. A fronted adverbial like Yesterday, is not the subject.
Tips
- Name the verb first. The rest of the sentence is easier to name from there.
Why it works
Naming the parts shows how a sentence is built. Find the verb first. The subject does it, the object receives it, and the adverbials tell you when, where or how.