Parts of a Sentence Part One Subject A

Parts of a Sentence Part One: Subject

A complete sentence has three parts: • Subject • Verb • Object If one or more parts are missing, it is a sentence fragment. If there is more than one of any of these things without proper punctuation, it is a run-on sentence.

The Subject • Every sentence has a SUBJECT. It is the person, place, thing or idea talked about in the sentence. The sentence will tell us what the subject is or does.

To find it, find the verb. • If the verb shows action, who or what is performing the action? This will be the subject. Example: The dentist pulled all of my wisdom teeth. “pulled” is the action “The dentist” is performing the action therefore he is the subject.

To find it, find the verb. • When the verb doesn’t show action, it is a liking verb. In this case, try to determine who or what this sentence is about. Example: My mouth was numb for three hours. ‘was’ is a linking verb. The sentence is about the writer’s mouth So ‘My mouth’ is the subject.

Your turn: Write down each sentence and circle the subject. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Chicago is a big city. People live in interesting neighborhoods. Trains take many workers downtown. The buildings are tall there. The wind blows hard in the winter. People hurry to the train stations. Workers ride home on the trains.

Tricky Subjects • Sometimes the subject is not a word in the sentence. For example: Write a letter to your aunt. “Write” is the action Who’s writing? (you) is the subject.

Questions can also be tricky. • To find the subject in a question, mentally change it to a satement. Example: Did Adele write a letter to her aunt? becomes Adele did write a letter to her aunt. “Adele” is the subject because she “did” the action.

Your turn: Write down each sentence and circle the subject. 1. Does Denise come in today? 2. On Tuesdays, Sarah takes her place. 3. Give Sarah a coffee break at 10: 00. 4. Larry, the typist on the left, drinks tea. 5. Is the coffee ready to drink? 6. Put some water on for tea. 7. At 10: 00, we go to the lunge. 8. The workers in the lounge watch game shows. 9. Change the cannel, please. 10. Would you like to join us?