Building Sentences

Grade 1 · English · Study Guide

Learn what makes a complete sentence and how to put words together to express a clear idea.

A sentence is a group of words that tells a complete idea. Every sentence needs two important things: a subject and a predicate. The subject tells WHO or WHAT the sentence is about. The predicate tells what the subject does or is. For example, in the sentence 'The cat sleeps,' 'The cat' is the subject and 'sleeps' is the predicate.

Sentences always start with a capital letter. This lets the reader know a new idea is beginning. Sentences also end with a punctuation mark. If you are telling something, you end with a period (.). If you are asking a question, you end with a question mark (?). If you are showing excitement, you end with an exclamation point (!).

A sentence must be a complete thought. 'The dog' is not a sentence because we do not know what the dog did. But 'The dog barked loudly' is a sentence because it tells us who and what happened. Practice building sentences by thinking of a person, animal, or thing and then asking yourself what they did!

Key terms

Sentence
A group of words that tells a complete idea, with a subject and a predicate.
Subject
The part of a sentence that tells who or what the sentence is about.
Predicate
The part of a sentence that tells what the subject does or is.
Capital Letter
An uppercase letter used at the start of every sentence.
Period (.)
A punctuation mark placed at the end of a telling sentence.

Flashcards

Sentence
A group of words that tells a complete idea.
Subject
The who or what the sentence is about.
Predicate
The part that tells what the subject does or is.
Capital Letter
Used at the start of every sentence.
Period (.)
End punctuation for a telling sentence.
Question Mark (?)
End punctuation for a asking sentence.
Exclamation Point (!)
End punctuation showing excitement or strong feeling.
Complete Thought
A full idea with both a subject and predicate — needed to make a real sentence.

Questions

  1. Which of these is a complete sentence?

    1. The big red.
    2. Runs fast.
    3. The boy runs fast.
    4. Jumped high and
    Show answer

    Answer: The boy runs fast.

    'The boy runs fast' has a subject (The boy) and a predicate (runs fast), making it a complete sentence.

  2. Every sentence must start with a capital letter.

    Show answer

    Answer: True

    Every sentence begins with a capital letter to signal the start of a new complete thought.

  3. What punctuation goes at the end of a question?

    1. Period (.)
    2. Exclamation point (!)
    3. Question mark (?)
    4. Comma (,)
    Show answer

    Answer: Question mark (?)

    A question mark (?) goes at the end of a sentence that asks something, like 'Where is my book?'

  4. The part of a sentence that tells who or what it is about is called the ___.

    Show answer

    Answer: subject

    The subject tells us who or what the sentence is about. In 'The cat meows,' 'The cat' is the subject.

  5. In the sentence 'My dog barks,' what is the subject?

    1. barks
    2. my dog
    3. dog barks
    4. my
    Show answer

    Answer: my dog

    'My dog' is the subject because it tells us who the sentence is about. 'Barks' is the predicate.

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