§ 34. Subject and Predicate.

—The Subject in a sentence is that of which anything is said.

The Predicate is that which is said of the Subject.

Examples.

John is a boy. John runs. In both these “John” is the Subject: “a boy” and “runs” are Predicates.

The Subject and Predicate do not always occupy the same relative positions in English, for though the Subject is generally placed first, it is sometimes placed last. It will be sufficiently accurate for the purposes of this chapter to consider the Predicate identical with the most emphatic member of the sentence.

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§ 35. Substantive Verb.

—In English, when the predicate is not a verb, the verb “to be,” commonly called the substantive verb, is used to connect the predicate with its subject. This verb has no equivalent in Maori, but the relation of subject to predicate is indicated by the use of certain particles and by the relative position of the different words in the sentence.

§ 36.

In an affirmative Sentence the predicate stands first, and the subject after it; and two nouns, or an adjective and a noun, placed in these relative positions, form a sentence although without a verb. In a negative sentence, this relative position is apparently (§ 39) reversed.

Sentences of this kind are made either with or without the specific particle ko.

§ 37.

Use the specific particle ko when the predicate is either

i.	A proper name, or personal pronoun, a local noun (§ 8), or either of the interrogatives wai, or hea; or
ii.	A common noun with any of the definitives (§ 18) except he.

§ 38.

Make a sentence without ko when the predicate is either

i.	A common noun (a), an adjective (b), or a verb in the infinitive (c), with the indefinite article he. page 27
ii.	A noun, pronoun, verb, or adjective following a preposition (d).

In both these cases, the verb or adjective is treated as a noun.

§ 39.

When the predicate consists of several words, the most emphatic word generally stands alone in the place of the predicate, the rest being placed after the subject. This is the case when the predicate contains an explanatory or a relative clause, or a clause in any other way dependent on the principal word. This also accounts for the apparent reversing of the positions of subject and predicate in a negative sentence, the negation being the most prominent thing in such a sentence.

§ 40. Negative Sentences.

—(a) The negative of a sentence with ko (§ 37). is always made with ehara..i, ko being dropped.

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(b) When the predicate in the corresponding affirmative sentence is a common noun, an adjective, or a verb in the infinitive, with the indefinite article he (§ 38, a, b, c), the negative is made with ehara. i, and te is substituted for he.

When the predicate in the corresponding affirmative sentence is a noun, adjective, or verb, following a preposition (§ 38, d), the following constructions are used:—

(c) If the preposition in the affirmative sentence is na or no, the negative is made with ehari..i, and the preposition is dropped.

(d) If the preposition is ma or mo signifying for, use ehara i te mea, retaining the preposition.

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(e) If the preposition is hei signifying at, or in possession of (§ 15), use kauaka, retaining the preposition.

(f) If the preposition is kei or i (§ 15), signifying at, or in possession of, use kahore for the negative, with the preposition i only, and never kei.

§ 41.

The use of an interrogative adverb, as ianei, koia, oti, ranei, or of one of the words, wai, who, tehea, which, aha, what, pehea, of what sort, hea, what place, or hia, how many, makes a sentence essentially interrogative. Otherwise an interrogative is indicated solely by the tone of the voice, the form of the sentence, whether with or without a verb, being unaltered.

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Obs. i. If a question in Maori is cast in the negative form, the answer, ae or kahore, is by strict Maori idiom to be regarded as assenting to or dissenting from the statement involved in the question, and must, in accordance with English idiom, be translated no and yes respectively.

But a modern Maori would probably use the English idiom and reply, Ae, meaning Yes.

Obs. ii. In asking a person's name wai is always used, never aha. Similarly, hea is used in asking the name of a place.

Ko wai te ingoa o te tamaiti? What is the child's name?

Ko hea tera maunga? What is that mountain?

§ 42.

The Time of these “sentences without verbs” may, as far as the form of the sentence is concerned, be past, present, or future. When it is not shewn by the essential meaning of any of the words it must be gathered from the context. If no clue to the time is given, what is said will be understood in present time. For the indications of time in the case of the prepositions hei, i, and kei refer to § 15.