What is the Nominal Sentence?
A nominal sentence is structured from a subject ( مبتدأ) and a predicate ( خبر), or it can also be referred to as the subject and complement.
Components of the Nominal Sentence
A nominal sentence consists of two essential components: the subject and the predicate. Below is an explanation of these two elements:
The Subject (المبتدأ)
The subject of the sentence serves as its primary topic and is a definite noun, also known as the (مُسند إليه).
For example:
- The student is diligent.
In this sentence, “the student” is the subject, defined by the definite article “the,” and it is the focus of the discussion.
- The Muslim performs the five daily prayers.
Here, “the Muslim” is also the subject; it is a definite noun defined by “the,” and the sentence specifically addresses the Muslim.
Types of Subject in the Nominal Sentence
There are several types of subjects, including:
- Explicit or Singular Noun
This type refers to a clearly stated noun, which can be masculine, feminine, singular, dual, or plural.
For instance: Khalid is a diligent student, where “Khalid” is an explicit subject.
- Infinitive Phrase
An infinitive phrase occurs when the present tense verb is introduced by ” أن” (the infinitive marker), transforming it into a subject in the nominative case.
- Separate Pronoun
This includes nominative pronouns that may also serve as subjects in the nominative case, such as: You are a diligent student.
In this example, “you” is a separate nominative pronoun used as the subject.
The Predicate ( الخبر)
The predicate conveys the meaning associated with the subject and is known as the (مُسند).
Types of Predicate in the Nominal Sentence
The predicates in nominal sentences can be classified into several types:
- Simple or Explicit Predicate
This is represented as a single word, which can be masculine, feminine, or plural, e.g., The sky is vast, where “vast” is a simple predicate that describes “the sky.”
Two poets are wonderful; here, “wonderful” is also the predicate describing “the two poets.”
- Predicate as a Nominal Sentence
The predicate can consist of another nominal sentence, which also includes a subject and a predicate.
For example: The girl’s hair is brown; here, the predicate is the nominal sentence “her hair is brown,” which contains its own subject and predicate.
- Predicate as a Verbal Sentence
In this structure, the predicate comprises the elements of a verbal sentence, namely, a verb, subject, and object. For example: The bird builds its nest; in this case, the subject is “the bird,” and the subsequent clause informs us about the bird, serving as the predicate.
- Predicate as a Semi-Sentence
Semi-sentences can be divided into two types: those involving prepositions and those describing time/place (adverbial). For example: The bird is in the cage; here, “is in the cage” is a semi-sentence introducing a prepositional phrase.
The book is on the table; here, “is on the table” functions as an adverbial semi-sentence.
Exercises on Subject and Predicate
Identify the subject and predicate in the following sentences and provide a complete grammatical analysis:
- Muhammad is diligent.
“Muhammad”: subject in the nominative case with a diacritical mark of a damma; it is a singular noun.
“Diligent”: predicate in the nominative case with a diacritical mark of a damma; it is a singular predicate.
- The flowers are beautiful.
“The flowers”: subject in the nominative case, with a diacritical mark of an alif; it is dual.
“Beautiful”: predicate in the nominative case with an alif diacritic; it is dual as well.
- The Muslim prays the prayers.
“The Muslim”: subject in the nominative case with a diacritical mark of a damma.
“Prays”: present tense verb in the nominative case with a diacritical mark of damma, followed by an implicit subject where understood as “he.” The verbal sentence consisting of the verb and its subject serves as the predicate of the nominal sentence.
- The giraffe has a long neck.
“The giraffe”: primary subject in the nominative case with a diacritical mark of a damma.
“Has a long neck”: secondary subject in the nominative case with a diacritical mark of a damma, where “her” is a connected pronoun in the genitive case.
“Long”: predicate of the second subject in the nominative case with a diacritical mark of a damma.
The nominal sentence consists of the second subject and predicate, serving as the predicate of the primary subject “the giraffe.”