Final answer:
In English grammar, the part of a sentence that describes the action of the subject contains a verb. This aspect is called the predicate and includes active-voice verbs to convey direct actions. Clauses, essential elements of sentence structure, require both a subject and verb to be complete.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Part of the Sentence Describing Action
The part of the sentence or clause that describes the action of the subject contains a verb. A verb is fundamental in expressing the actions, occurrences, or states of being of the subject within a sentence. For example, in the sentence 'The dog barks,' the action 'barks' is the verb that tells us what the dog (subject) is doing. In English grammar, the predicate of a sentence contains the verb, which can be accompanied by other elements such as objects, adverbials, or complements.
In narrative writing, the use of active-voice verbs makes the characters of a story take direct actions, creating stronger and clearer sentences. Such as in 'Jack refused to leave,' where the subject is 'Jack' and the active-verb is 'refused.' This clearly aligns the character with his action, making the statement direct and compelling. Moreover, verb agreement with the subject is crucial: a singular subject requires a singular verb, and a plural subject needs a plural verb, to convey the correct information.
Clauses, which are the building blocks of sentences, must contain both a subject and a verb. There are two types: independent clauses, which can stand alone as a sentence, and dependent clauses, which cannot stand alone and typically provide additional information to the main clause.