Question

Identify the subject and the predicate in the following sentence:
No man can serve two masters.

a) Subject: two masters; Predicate: No man can serve
b) Subject: can serve two masters; Predicate: No man
c)) Subject: No man can serve; Predicate: two masters
d) Subject: No man; Predicate: can serve two masters

Answer 1

Hint: Subject is (grammar) one of the two main constituents of a sentence; the grammatical constituent about which something is predicated. A predicate is one of the two main constituents of a sentence; the predicate contains the verb and its complements.

Complete answer:
Let us analyze the options given to us in this question:

Option (a.), ' Subject: two masters; Predicate: No man can serve', refers to ‘two masters’ as the subject which is not right since the topic of discussion is the ‘no-man’ phrase.
Therefore, option (a.) is incorrect.

Option (b.), ‘Subject: can serve two masters; Predicate: No man', refers to an incorrect subject as a subject contains nouns only
Therefore, option (b.) is incorrect.

Option (c.), ‘Subject: No man can serve; Predicate: two masters', refers to the predicate ‘two masters’ which is not right as a predicate cannot only contain a noun but a verb as well.
Therefore, option (c.) is incorrect.

Option (d.), ‘Subject: No man; Predicate: can serve two masters', refers to the verb ‘can serve’ which indicates that the phrase ‘no man’ does the work in the sentence.

So, the correct answer is “Option d” as the subject and predicate follow all the rules of grammar.

Note:
In this type of question, the students need to be well versed with the concept of subject and predicate in a sentence. The subject is what or whom the sentence is about. On the other hand, the predicate tells us something about the subject.