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2. MODULE ONE: CHAPTER ONE
Subjects and Verbs
OBJECTIVES
After completing this presentation and the assigned chapter
practice sheets and exercises, you should be able to
1. Identify verbs, nouns, and pronouns in sentences
2. Understand that a noun phrase one and the subject
of a sentence are the same thing
3. Understand that a noun phrase may be one word or
many words
4. Find the subject and verb of any sentence
5. Understand that a group of words must have a
subject and a verb to be a sentence
© 2012 A Graves, ENGL 1033-60 College Reading & Writing

3. CHAPTER ONE
VERB
NOUN To successfully
complete this
module, you
must understand
PRONOUN these terms

4. 1. Verbs are the most important part of a sentence
a) Verbs tell what something is , what something is doing,
or what has happened to something
Verbs Can Be
b) Verbs can be combined to form verb phrases or they One Word or a
may be a single word. All of these are verbs: Group of Words
have been giving would have borrowed
may start could be going
didn’t mean were singing
has danced am planning
had been driving seemed marries
thought returns came
went study slept

6. VERBS IN SENTENCES
VERB
Verbs Are
Usually in the
1. The bumper on the front of that truck is rusty. Middle
2. It has been rattling noisily.
3. Somebody really needs a new bumper.
4. My truck should have a new bumper.


7. 2. Nouns always answer the question “Who?” or “What?”
a) Most nouns are count nouns: They can be made plural.
You can count jobs
(one job, two jobs)
b) Some nouns are noncount nouns. They cannot be plural. but you cannot
count courage (one
c) Some nouns are proper nouns. They are names. courage, two
courages) or music
COUNT NOUNS NONCOUNT NOUNS PROPER NOUNS (one music, two
job gratitude Dr. Graves musics)
university education Jonathan White
application courage Lakeland, Florida
mortgage butter Southeastern University
risk music Department of English

8. Single count nouns must have a determiner, a special class
of words that introduces them.
Other words may come between the determiner and the
single count noun, but the determiner must be present to
introduce the count noun
Nouns
DETERMINER DETERMINER + COUNT NOUN
my my favorite uncle
that that miserable dog
some some office job
one one more textbook
the the last class
a a very pretty girl
an an odd little person

9. 3. Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns.
a) Personal pronouns substitute for known people or things.
Examples: my favorite uncle = he that miserable dog = it
b) Demonstrative pronouns substitute for nouns being pointed out.
Pronouns
Examples: the gloves over there = those
the flowers over here = these
c) Indefinite pronouns substitute for unknown people or things.
Examples: the person who did something = somebody
one of several possible people = anyone
a) Possessive pronouns substitute for things owned by someone.
Examples: your slice of cake = yours
my slice of cake = mine

11. NOUNS & PRONOUNS IN SENTENCES
NOUN PRONOUN
Nouns Have
1. The bumper on the front of that truck is rusty. Determiners,
Pronouns Do
Not
2. It has been rattling noisily.
3. Somebody really needs a new bumper.
4. My truck should have a new bumper.


12. 4. A sentence is made with a noun phrase and a verb. CHAPTER ONE
a) The noun phrase comes first.
b) The noun phrase can be a noun or a pronoun. If It Does Not
Have a Noun
Phrase
c) The noun phrase can be one word or a group of words. Followed by a
Verb, It Cannot
d) The noun phrase must be followed by a verb. Be a Sentence
e) The verb can be one word or a group of words.

13. Kinds of Noun Phrases Used to Make Sentences CHAPTER ONE
Noun Phrases made from one word
 Personal pronouns: he, she, it
 Indefinite pronouns: somebody
 Demonstrative pronouns: that, this The Subject is
 Possessive pronouns: mine, theirs, his the first Noun
 Plural count nouns: applications, days, guesses Phrase that
 Noncount nouns: steel, education, sugar Starts the
 Proper nouns: Tom, England, Tallahassee
Sentence
Noun Phrases made from a group of words
 Single count nouns with determiners: my favorite uncle
 Plural count nouns with determiners: those miserable dogs
 Proper nouns: the Department of English & Foreign Languages

15. The first noun phrase (NP1) in a sentence is called a subject CHAPTER ONE
NP1 = subject NP1 = Noun Phrase One
1. Gentlemen prefer blondes.
2. Theirs is the best response to the problem. The Subject
Comes First,
3. Nobody wanted to come with me. Then the Verb
4. Ten soldiers make a squadron.
5. His last offer was the best.
6. Music should be the language of peace.
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17. The Noun Phrase One (NP1) or subject is followed by the verb. CHAPTER ONE
Subject NP1=subject Verb VERB
1. Gentlemen prefer blondes.
2. Theirs is the best response to the problem. The Subject
Comes First,
3. Nobody wanted to come with me. Then the Verb
4. Ten soldiers make a squadron.
5. His last offer was the best.
6. Music should be the language of peace.


19. Study the sentences below. What words are inside the subject? CHAPTER ONE
Subject NP1=subject Verb VERB
1. Each of the students in my classes were nervous.
2. No one ever laughs at my jokes. Look for the
Group of
3. James tripped on that rock in the middle of the road. Words that is
the Subject
4. My brother, with a little help from me, bought a new car.
5. The mouth of the river opens into beautiful lake.
6. The effects of the storm appear everywhere on campus.


21. Study the sentences below.
CHAPTER ONE
How many nouns or pronouns are inside each subject?
NP1=subject VERB NOUN PRONOUN
Subject Verb Noun Pronoun
1 2 3
1. Each of the students in my classes were nervous.
1 The Subject of
2. No one ever laughs at my jokes. a Sentence
1 May Contain
3. James tripped on that rock in the middle of the road. Many Nouns &
Pronouns
1 2 3
4. My brother, with a little help from me, bought a new car.
1 2
5. The mouth of the river opens into a beautiful lake.
1 2
6. The effects of the storm appear everywhere on campus.


23. How many nouns and pronouns are in the whole sentence? CHAPTER ONE
NP1 =
Subject subject Verb VERB Noun NOUN Pronoun PRONOUN
1 2 3
1. Each of the students in my classes were nervous.
1 2
2. No one ever laughs at my jokes. Noun Phrases
1 2 3 4 Don’t Appear
3. James tripped on that rock in the middle of the road. Only in the
2 Subject
1 3 4
4. My brother, with a little help from me, bought a new car.
1 2 3
5. The mouth of the river opens into a beautiful lake.
1 2 3
6. The effects of the storm appear everywhere on campus.


25. For each sentence below, find the verb first.
CHAPTER ONE
Then find the subject.
Subject NP1=subject Verb VERB
1. Finally, the occupants of the offices moved into the building.
2. The rest of the family discussed our report around the table. Subject Comes
Before Verb
3. My little sister, all of eleven years old, paid attention to our talk.
4. Sometimes our stories would carry into the late evening hours.
5. My sister carefully recorded all the details from our discussions.
6. On that day, the door to an entire career opened for her.


27. For each sentence below, find the verb and the subject.
CHAPTER ONE
Then find the nouns & pronouns inside each subject.
Subject NP1=subject Verb VERB Noun NOUN Pronoun PRONOUN
1 2
1. Finally, the occupants of the offices moved into the building.
1 2
2. The rest of the family discussed our report around the table. Subject First,
1 2 Then Verb
3
3. My little sister, all of eleven years old, paid attention to our talk.
1
4. Sometimes our stories would carry into the late evening hours.
1
5. My sister carefully recorded all the details from our discussions.
1 2
6. On that day, the door to an entire career opened for her.


29. The subject usually comes before the verb. CHAPTER ONE
But sometimes the subject comes after the verb.
Look at the sentences below. Watch for the subjects.
NP1=subject
Subject Verb VERB
When Verbs
1. There was no movement outside the house. Come First
2. Here comes the rest of our group.
3. Behind our house stood an old garage.
4. Under the table was sitting a large black cat.


31. If these sentences were written in the “proper” order, they CHAPTER ONE
would look like this:
Subject NP1=subject Verb VERB
1. No movement was outside the house.
2. The rest of our group comes here. When Verbs
Come First
3. An old garage stood behind our house.
4. A large black cat was sitting under the table.
Writers change the order of subjects and verbs to make their
sentences more interesting.
Words like there and here help us do that.


33. Sometimes the verb of a sentence will “hide” CHAPTER ONE
in the subject in a contraction.
A contraction combines the subject and verb.
NP1=subject VERB
Subject Verb
1. I’m proud of my little sister.
I am proud of my little sister.
Hidden
2. It’s a surprise for his favorite uncle. Verbs
It is a surprise for his favorite uncle.
3. They’re some old friends from high school.
They are some old friends from high school.
4. You’ve got a lot of nerve!
You have got a lot of nerve!


34. CHAPTER ONE REVIEW
Subjects and Verbs
As you complete Practice Sheet 1, pp. 5-6, and Exercise 1, pp. 7-8,
in your textbook, English Fundamentals,
you will need to remember these things:
1. English sentences begin with a noun phrase called a subject.
2. The subject can be one word or many words and have more
than one noun and/or pronoun in it *
3. Other words can come before the subject, like “finally” or
“sometimes” or “Then at dinner”
4. The verb almost always comes after the subject.
5. Sometimes writers put the verb first and the subject after
the verb to make their sentences more interesting.
* In Exercise 1, pp. 7-8, make sure you copy all of the words in the subject.
Do not choose just the main word in the subject, even though the text does so.