Question

Identify the predicate and the subject in the following sentence:

On the top of the hill lives a hermit.

a) Subject: lives a hermit; predicate: on the top of a hill
b) Subject: On the top of the hill; predicate: lives a hermit
c) Subject: a hermit; predicate: lives on the top of the hill
d) Subject: on the top of the hill lives; predicate: a hermit

Answer 1

Hint: In a sentence, everything that follows or precedes the subject is the predicate.

Complete step by step solution:

In a sentence, the subject is a person or a thing which is doing, performing, or controlling the action of the verb. In the given sentence ‘lives’ is the verb, ‘the hermit lives...’. Thus, the subject of the sentence is ‘a hermit’. The rest is the predicate. Thus, option c ‘Subject: a hermit; predicate: lives on the top of the hill’ is the correct answer.

In option a, the subject indicated is incorrect as verb has been included in the subject.

Option b is incorrect as the phrase mentioned as subject is a part of the predicate, not the subject.

Option d is incorrect too because the order of subject and predicate has been reversed. The subject is put on the predicate side and the predicated on the subject’s side.

Note: Do not confuse option a to be the correct answer as the subject in the given sentence is only ‘a hermit’. ‘lives’ is the verb and this action is performed by the it, so it will be included in the predicate.