This document discusses how to use operators and yes/no questions to identify the subject of a verb phrase. It explains that operators are used to perform operations like negation and that the subject can be found by transforming a statement into a yes/no question that places the operator before the subject. Examples are provided that show how to transform statements like "Whales are mammals" into yes/no questions like "Are whales mammals?" to identify the subject. The subject is identified as the word or words between the operator and the rest of the verb phrase in the yes/no question form.

1. Verbs 7: Operators and
Subjects
Materials by Liz Siler

2. Review Points
• Operators are necessary to perform
operations such as negation.

3. Study Points
• You can use an operator to find the
subject of the verb phrase.
• The subject can be found by making a
yes/no question with an operator.

4. Yes/No Questions
• Yes/No Questions are questions that
can be answered with either a “yes” or a
“no.”

5. Examples
Are whales mammals? Yes.
Do you like whales? Yes.
Are those whales playing? No.

6. Yes/No Question Formation
(Step 1)
• Start with a clause (a statement with a
single verb phrase):
– Whales [are] mammals.
– You [like] whales.
– Those whales [are playing].

7. Yes/No Question Formation:
(Step 2)
• Move the operator before the subject.
• If there is no operator, make one using
“do” (just as you did for negatives).
• Add a question mark.

8. Examples: Yes/No Questions
EXAMPLES:
• Whales are mammals > Are whales
mammals?
• You like whales > Do you like whales?
• Those whales are playing > Are those
whales playing?

9. Locating the Subject
• The grammatical subject of the verb
phrase is the part of the clause that
comes
– AFTER the operator and
– BEFORE the rest of the verb phrase
in a yes-no question (if there is more
verb phrase).

10. Examples
• Are > whales mammals?
• Do > you < like whales?
• Are >those whales < playing?