1. Adjectives – words that describe a noun are not part of the subject.
Example
• The tall boy runs well (the subject is “boy” not tall boy)
• A new car is a great joy (the subject is “car” not a new car)
Identify the subject in each of the following sentences.
• A talented singer performed that song.
• Chocolate cake is his favorite food.
• Small pets delight our family.
• An angry, bitter debate ended the program.
• Words that show possession, or ownership, are not part of the subject.
Words that show possession include nouns ending in an apostrophe (‘) combined with s,
such as Dina’s or cat’s. they also include possessive pronouns, words that replace nouns
showing ownership, such as hers (= Dina’s) or its (= cat’s). Possessive pronouns include the
following words.
• my, your, his, hers, its, ours, their
Because words that show possession are not part of the subject, in the sentence
• Example
My dog has fleas (the subject is “dog,” not “my dog.”)
Sarah’s mother is a doctor (the subject is “mother,” not Sarah’s mother)
Identify the subject in each of the following sentences
• His daughter became a doctor.
• My brother works in another city.
• This beach’s beauty is startling.
• Harry’s car needs a new battery.
Here is a final suggestion to help you identify subjects and verbs, accurately.
• Try to identify the verb in a sentence before you try to identify the subject.
• A sentence may have many nouns, any of which could be the subject, but it will usually
have only one or two verbs.
• example
The director of the play shouted angry words to all the actors and staff.
There are five nouns in the above sentence (director, play, words, actors, staff), any of which
might be the subject. However, there is only one verb shouted. Once you have identified the verb
as shouted, all you have to ask yourself is, “who or what shouted?” The answer is director,
which is the subject of the sentence.
