Page:Latin for beginners (1911).djvu/32



LESSON I FIRST PRINCIPLES 19. Subject and Predicate.
 * 1. Latin, like English, expresses thoughts by means of sentences. A sentence is a combination of words that expresses a thought, and in its simplest form is the statement of a single fact. Thus,


 * In each of these sentences there are two parts:


 * 2. The subject is that person, place, or thing about which something is said, and is therefore a noun or some word which can serve the same purpose.


 * a. Pronouns, as their name implies (pro, "instead of," and noun), often take the place of nouns, usually to save repeating the same noun, as, Galba is a farmer; he is a sturdy fellow.


 * 3. The predicate is that which is said about the subject, and consists of a verb with or without modifiers.


 * a. A verb is a word which asserts something (usually an act) concerning a person, place, or thing.