The document provides instructions for an assignment to identify subjects and subject/verb pairs in sentences from a grammar textbook. Students are asked to redo an assignment identifying subjects from Chapter 1 of Building Better Grammar, but this time writing the subject/verb pair for each sentence. Examples are given of identifying subjects in sentences with compound subjects, implied subjects, verbs used as subjects, and indefinite pronouns used as subjects. Students are then instructed to complete questions 1-25 from the chapter, writing the subject/verb pair for each sentence.

1. Week 3 Online Assignment
Identifying Subjects

2. The Assignment
For this week, your assignment is to redo the
Chapter 1 Skills Review on page 25 in Building
Better Grammar.

3. The Assignment
For this week, your assignment is to redo the
Chapter 1 Skills Review on page 25 in Building
Better Grammar.
The scores on that assignment indicate that we
still need some work when it comes to
identifying the subject of a sentence.

4. The Assignment, cont.
So, you’re going to redo that assignment, but
the instructions this time will be slightly
different.

5. The Assignment, cont.
So, you’re going to redo that assignment, but
the instructions this time will be slightly
different.
Instead of just identifying the subjects, I want
you to write down the subject/verb pair for
each sentence.

6. For example...
Take the sentence:
“Bill ate all of the pie.”

7. For example...
Take the sentence:
“Bill ate all of the pie.”
Your first step should be to identify the verb.

8. For example...
Take the sentence:
“Bill ate all of the pie.”
Your first step should be to identify the verb.
What is the action or being word in the
sentence?

9. Take the sentence:
“Bill ate all of the pie.”
Your first step should be to identify the verb.
What is the action or being word in the
sentence?
The word “ate” is the verb--it is the action of the sentence.
For example...
verb

10. Take the sentence:
“Bill ate all of the pie.”
Now identify the subject--the
person/place/thing/idea that takes the action
of the sentence.
For example...
verb

11. Take the sentence:
“Bill ate all of the pie.”
Now identify the subject--the
person/place/thing/idea that takes the action
of the sentence.
The verb is ate. Who ate?
For example...
verb

12. Take the sentence:
“Bill ate all of the pie.”
Now identify the subject--the
person/place/thing/idea that takes the action
of the sentence.
The verb is ate. Who ate?
For example...
subject verb
The pie didn’t eat,
so that just leaves
Bill.

13. Take the sentence:
“Bill ate all of the pie.”
So, for this sentence you would simply write:
For example...
subject verb

14. Take the sentence:
“Bill ate all of the pie.”
So, for this sentence you would simply write:
Bill
For example...
subject verb

15. Take the sentence:
“Bill ate all of the pie.”
So, for this sentence you would simply write:
Bill/ate
For example...
subject verb

16. Take the sentence:
“Bill ate all of the pie.”
So, for this sentence you would simply write:
Bill/ate
That’s the subject/verb pair for this sentence.
For example...
subject verb

17. Before we move on, go ahead and try #5, 9, &
23 from page 25 in Building Better Grammar.
For each sentence, write out the subject/verb
pair. When you’re finished, move on to the
next slide.

18. Compound Subjects

19. Compound Subjects
Some sentences have more than one subject--
more than one person/place/thing/idea that is
the “actor” of the sentence.

20. Compound Subjects
In the sentence,
Greta and her dog walked around the block.
What are the subjects?

21. Compound Subjects
In the sentence,
Greta and her dog walked around the block.
Again, it’s often easiest to start by finding the
verb. What is the action or state of being word
in this sentence?

22. Compound Subjects
In the sentence,
Greta and her dog walked around the block.
Again, it’s often easiest to start by finding the
verb. What is the action or state of being word
in this sentence?
Verb

23. Compound Subjects
In the sentence,
Greta and her dog walked around the block.
Now we ask the question, “Who walked?”
In this case, there are two answers:
Verb

24. Compound Subjects
In the sentence,
Greta and her dog walked around the block.
Now we ask the question, “Who walked?”
In this case, there are two answers: Greta
Subject
Verb

25. Compound Subjects
In the sentence,
Greta and her dog walked around the block.
Now we ask the question, “Who walked?”
In this case, there are two answers: Greta and
dog.
SubjectSubject
Verb

26. Now answer # 18 and #20 on p. 25 before
moving on to the next slide. For both sentences,
write down the subject/verb pair.

27. Implied Subjects

28. Implied Subjects
There are a few tricky sentences in Chapter 1
that don’t have obvious subjects.

29. Implied Subjects
There are a few tricky sentences in Chapter 1
that don’t have obvious subjects.
For example, the sentence,
Please go milk the cows.

30. Implied Subjects
There are a few tricky sentences in Chapter 1
that don’t have obvious subjects.
For example, the sentence,
Please go milk the cows.
has a verb but no subject.

31. Implied Subjects
There are a few tricky sentences in Chapter 1
that don’t have obvious subjects.
For example, the sentence,
Please go milk the cows.
has a verb but no subject.
Who is going in this sentence?
(Hint: it’s not the cows)

32. Implied Subjects
There are a few tricky sentences in Chapter 1
that don’t have obvious subjects.
For example, the sentence,
Please go milk the cows.
Since this sentence is giving an instruction to
the reader, the reader (“you”) is actually the
implied subject.

33. Implied Subjects
There are a few tricky sentences in Chapter 1
that don’t have obvious subjects.
For example, the sentence,
(You) please go milk the cows.
Since this sentence is giving an instruction to
the reader, the reader (“you”) is actually the
implied subject.

34. Implied Subjects
Remember, any time a sentence is giving a
command to the reader, the subject is the
implied word “you”.

35. Implied Subjects
Remember, any time a sentence is giving a
command to the reader, the subject is the
implied word “you”. Here are some example
sentences along with their subject/verb
pairs:

36. Implied Subjects
Remember, any time a sentence is giving a
command to the reader, the subject is the
implied word “you”. Here are some example
sentences along with their subject/verb
pairs:
• Make me a sandwich. (You/make)
• Enjoy the movie. (You/enjoy)
• Hand me that crescent wrench. (You/hand)

37. Answer #10 on p. 25 by writing down that
sentence’s subject/verb pair before moving
on to the next slide.

38. Verbs as Subjects

39. Verbs as Subjects
The subject of a sentence is almost always
either a noun or pronoun.

40. Verbs as Subjects
The subject of a sentence is almost always
either a noun or pronoun.
There are times, though, when a verb can act
as a subject.

41. Verbs as Subjects
For example, in the sentence
Skydiving is one of my favorite activities.

42. Verbs as Subjects
For example, in the sentence
Skydiving is one of my favorite activities.
the word “is” is a being verb, but what is the
subject?

43. Verbs as Subjects
For example, in the sentence
Skydiving is one of my favorite activities.
“Skydiving” is a verb, but this sentence is talking about the
activity of skydiving as a subject. Nobody is actually
skydiving in this sentence.
Subject

44. Write down the subject/verb pair for #2 on
p. 25 before you move on to the next slide.

45. Indefinite Pronouns

46. Indefinite Pronouns
Subject pronouns like I, he, they, it, etc. are
relatively easy to identify.

47. Indefinite Pronouns
Subject pronouns like I, he, they, it, etc. are
relatively easy to identify.
But indefinite pronouns can also act as the
subject of a sentence.

48. Indefinite Pronouns
Subject pronouns like I, he, they, it, etc. are
relatively easy to identify.
But indefinite pronouns can also act as the
subject of a sentence.
Indefinite pronouns are vague, unclear
subjects like: everyone, no one, somebody,
anybody, each, something, etc.

49. Indefinite Pronouns
So in the sentence,
Somebody needs to take care of that mess.

50. Indefinite Pronouns
So in the sentence,
Somebody needs to take care of that mess.
The verb is the phrase “needs to take”.
verb

51. Indefinite Pronouns
So in the sentence,
Somebody needs to take care of that mess.
The verb is the phrase “needs to take”.
What is the subject? Who needs to take care?
verb

52. Indefinite Pronouns
So in the sentence,
Somebody needs to take care of that mess.
The verb is the phrase “needs to take”.
What is the subject? Who needs to take care?
Subject
verb

53. Indefinite Pronouns
So in the sentence,
Somebody needs to take care of that mess.
The verb is the phrase “needs to take”.
What is the subject? Who needs to take care?
#21 on p. 25 has a good example of an indefinite pronoun acting as the subject of the sentence.
Subject
verb

54. Now finish answering #1-25 on p. 25 in
Building Better Grammar. Remember: for each
sentence, you only need to write down the
subject/verb pair. Type up your answers and
upload a Microsoft Word-compatible file to the
Week 3 Online Assignment Dropbox by 5 pm
on Friday, September 4.