Writing Complete Sentences

Grade 1 · English · Study Guide

Learn what makes a sentence complete and how to write one correctly.

A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. Every complete sentence needs two important parts: a subject and a predicate.

The subject tells us who or what the sentence is about. The subject is usually a noun. For example, in the sentence 'The dog barks,' 'The dog' is the subject.

The predicate tells us what the subject does or is. The predicate always includes a verb. In 'The dog barks,' 'barks' is the predicate.

A complete sentence must start with a capital letter. The very first word of every sentence is always capitalized. A sentence also ends with a punctuation mark. Most sentences end with a period (.). Questions end with a question mark (?). Sentences that show strong feelings end with an exclamation point (!).

A sentence fragment is a group of words that is missing a subject or a predicate and does not express a complete thought. For example, 'The big red' is a fragment because we don't know what is being talked about or what it does.

When you write, always check that your sentence has a subject, a predicate, a capital letter at the start, and a punctuation mark at the end. That is how you write a complete sentence!

Key terms

sentence
A group of words that expresses a complete thought
subject
The part of a sentence that tells who or what it is about
predicate
The part of a sentence that tells what the subject does or is
capital letter
An uppercase letter used to start every sentence
period
A punctuation mark (.) placed at the end of a statement sentence
fragment
A group of words that is not a complete sentence because it is missing a part

Flashcards

complete sentence
Has a subject, a predicate, a capital letter, and end punctuation
subject
Tells who or what the sentence is about
predicate
Tells what the subject does or is — always has a verb
capital letter
Every sentence starts with one — it is uppercase
period (.)
Punctuation mark that ends a statement sentence
question mark (?)
Punctuation mark that ends a question
exclamation point (!)
Punctuation mark that ends a sentence showing strong feeling
fragment
A group of words missing a subject or predicate — not a complete sentence

Questions

  1. What does every complete sentence need?

    1. A capital letter and a punctuation mark at the end
    2. Five or more words
    3. A question mark
    4. Two nouns
    Show answer

    Answer: A capital letter and a punctuation mark at the end

    Every complete sentence must begin with a capital letter and end with a punctuation mark.

  2. A sentence can start with a lowercase letter.

    Show answer

    Answer: False

    Every sentence must start with a capital (uppercase) letter.

  3. Which is a complete sentence?

    1. The big dog.
    2. Runs fast.
    3. The cat sleeps on the mat.
    4. Over the hill
    Show answer

    Answer: The cat sleeps on the mat.

    'The cat sleeps on the mat' has a subject (the cat), a predicate (sleeps on the mat), a capital letter, and a period.

  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.

  5. A fragment is a complete sentence.

    Show answer

    Answer: False

    A fragment is missing a subject or predicate and is NOT a complete sentence.

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