Identifying Subject in a Sentence

Identifying Subject in a Sentence

1) If the verb in the sentence expresses actions like run, jump, eat, study, dance etc. – the subject is who or what does the action.

Example-

During the annual function, Siya danced on the stage.

[Action word is danced. Siya is who did the dancing.]

Speedy car crashed on the tree.

[Action words is crashed. The speedy car is what did the action]  

2) Sometimes linking verbs like am, is, are, was, were, seem, become etc. connect subject to something that is said about the subject.

Example-

My building is the tallest one in the area.

[My building is the subject. Is connects the subject to something that is said about it.]

3) Subject is never part of a prepositional phrase.

A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition (on, at, of, among, between etc.) and ends with a noun, pronoun or gerund.

Example-

My son along with his friends ate up the cake.

[Here, both my son and his friends ate up the cate, but because his friends are part of the prepositional phrase along with his friends, the only word that counts as subject is my son.]

Neither of these girls want to learn the classical music.

[In this sentence, the girls seem to be the one who do not want to learn the classical music, but because they are part of a prepositional phrase, of these girls, they are not subject. Neither is the actual subject.

4) Sometimes (not generally) subject comes after the verb.

Example-

In a flat adjacent to my flat lives a family with two noisy kids.

[Lives is the action verb in this sentence, but it is not the flat that is doing the living. Instead, it is the family with two noisy children. Family, then is the subject, even though it comes after the verb.

5) Sometimes the subject follows the linking verb rather than coming before it.

Example-

Around the pond are several mango trees.

[Are is the linking verb in this sentence. The word pond, however is not the subject because pond is within the prepositional phrase around the pond. The subject in this sentence, several mango trees follows the verb rather than coming before it.]

Exercise

Underline subject in these sentences.

1) Everyone who is incapable of engineering jobs has taken to teaching.

Everyone who is incapable of engineering jobs has taken to teaching.

2) Neither of them was correct.

    Neither of them was correct.

3) The number of participants has doubled.

    The number of participants has doubled.

4) Neither Jack not Jill is available at home.

    Neither Jack not Jill is available at home.

5) Aunt along with her kids has arrived.

    Aunt along with her kids has arrived.

6) Successful companies obviously have people with ideas and energy.

     Successful companies obviously have people with ideas and energy.

7) People who betray you are the people whom you believe in.

    People who betray you are the people whom you believe in.

8) I think people who have faults are a lot more interesting than people who are perfect.

    I think people who have faults are a lot more interesting than people who are perfect.

9) Anyone who seeks true happiness wants to meditate.

    Anyone who seeks true happiness wants to meditate.

10) Actions speak louder than words.

     Actions speak louder than words.

Back to Table of Contents