Simple and Compound Subjects
The main noun or pronoun that tells who or what a sentence is about is called this.
What is the subject?
The verb or verb phrase that tells what the subject does or is is called this.
What is the predicate?
A direct object answers which two questions after an action verb?
What are whom? or what?
A compound subject contains two or more simple subjects, but they can be joined by tricky words like and, or, nor, or even phrases separated by commas. This is important to identify before choosing the correct verb form.
What is a compound subject?
"The puppy chased the ball across the yard."
What is chased?
In the sentence “My brother plays the guitar,” identify the simple subject.
What is brother?
In the sentence “The students laughed,” identify the simple predicate.
What is laughed?
In the sentence “The librarian gave the students advice,” identify the direct object.
What is advice?
"The cat, the dog, and the rabbit were hiding and playing in the yard," identify the compound subject and the compound verb.
What are cat, dog, and rabbit (compound subject) and were hiding and playing (compound verb)?
"The sky looks gray before the storm."
What is looks?
In the sentence “The cat and the dog slept on the couch,” the subject is compound because it has this many simple subjects.
What are two?
A sentence that has two or more verbs joined by and, or, or but has this type of predicate.
What is a compound predicate?
In the sentence “After the movie, we discussed it and our reactions,” identify the compound direct object.
What are it and reactions?
"Neither the manager nor the assistants nor the interns have completed or submitted the reports," explain why the subject and verb are compound.
What is because manager, assistants, and interns (joined by neither/nor) form a compound subject and have completed and submitted form a compound verb?
Find the verb phrase (helping verb + main verb) in this sentence:
"She has been practicing the piano for hours."
What is has been practicing?
Identify the subject(s) this sentence, and whether they are simple or compound:
“Both the coach and the players agreed on the plan.”
What are compound subjects: coach and players
Identify the compound predicate in this sentence:
“The dog barked and ran down the street.”
What are barked and ran?
In the sentence “She placed the keys on the table,” which word is not a direct object even though it is a noun?
What is table?
"Either the coach or the captain and the players will plan and organize the practice drills tomorrow."
What are coach or captain and players (compound subject) and will plan and organize (compound verb)?
In this sentence, find both the action verb and the linking verb:
"The soup smells good, but the children are eating quickly."
What are eating (action verb) and smells (linking verb)?
Which type of subject is used in this sentence?
“Either the bus or the train arrives at six.”
What is a compound subject?
Which type of predicate is used in this sentence?
“The teacher graded papers and prepared lessons.”
What is a compound predicate?
In the sentence “The teacher reminded us about the rules,” identify the word that functions as a pronoun direct object.
What is us?
In this sentence, carefully identify the compound subjects, compound verbs, and any tricky phrases that interrupt the subject:
"The director, along with the producers and the actors, has written and will present the script at the conference."
What are director, producers, and actors (compound subject), ignoring the interrupting phrase “along with”), and has written and will present (compound verb)?
"By the time the guests arrived, the children had been setting up decorations and were arranging snacks."
What are had been setting up and were arranging?