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Definition to Remember:

• Subject = Who/what is doing the action

Always find the verb first. Once you do, ask yourself, “Who or what is doing the action?” Picture the action in your mind. Is the answer you have come up with logical? Are the action you have named and the subject you have identified the chief intent of the sentence?

If you have been taught to think of a subject as a person, place, or thing, be careful. A noun is a person, place, or thing, but the main subject of a sentence can be more: a verb phrase, an adjectival phrase, or even an implied entity.

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If your main verb is a linking verb, the “Who or what is doing the action?” may need a little finessing. For example, consider this sentence: The hotel carpet is colorful. If you have named is as your main verb, ask yourself, “Who or what is?” Your answer should be carpet.

A helpful trick: To locate the main subject and main verb, begin by eliminating the factors that you know cannot contain the main subject or main verb. Those include the following:

• Prepositional phrases: a 3- to 4-word phrase that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, such as on the floor, after the party, over the bridge, etc.
• Articles: the, a, an
• Infinitive verbs: to + verb, such as to run, to sit, to eat, to sleep
• Gerund verbs without helper verbs: -ing verb, such as running, sitting, eating, sleeping
• Introductory phrases: before the long drive, after I called him, on Monday
• Concluding phrases: before the long drive, after I called him, on Monday (such phrases can go before or after the main sentence, depending on what you choose to emphasize).

Watch the following reduce from a lengthy sentence to simple math:

[After class today], the woman [with the brown sunglasses] ran [across the street] [to buy a latte] [before getting into her car].

After class today is a prepositional phrase and an introductory phrase; the is an article; with the brown sunglasses is a prepositional phrase; across the street is a prepositional phrase; to buy a latte is an infinitive verb; and before getting into her car is a prepositional phrase, a gerund verb, and a concluding phrase.

Do you see how the simple math emerges? As you learn to cross out the extraneous factors where a main subject and main verb cannot hide, you will begin to see the subject and verb emerge in every sentence.

Rules to Remember:

1. If you are able, reduce the main subject and main verb to a single word each. Remember that the goal of Chapters 1 and 2 is to learn to identify the two key factors of the sentence equation: Just as 1 +1 = 2, a subject + a verb = a sentence. Once you are able to quickly spot the key factors of a sentence, run-ons and sentence fragments will no longer be an issue.
   • The brown-haired woman with the red shirt ran past me first. (woman + ran)
   • The giant leaves of the palm tree were tinged with brown. (leaves + were)
   • The heavyset waiter forgot to take my order. (waiter + forgot)
2. While there may be other subjects and nouns in your sentence, remember that you are looking for the main subject. Slow down when you ask yourself “Who or what did the action?” and be sure you named the correct subject as your main subject.
   • After a long day of preparing depositions, the attorney settled into his art studio with his paintbrushes, a fresh canvas, and a Chopin prelude. (attorney + settled)
   • The cat ran across the yard with his eyes wide with panic and his tale bushed out like a squirrel’s. (cat + ran)
   • Once his grandmother arrives, Mark will show her the china in the hall cabinet. (Mark + will)
3. Watch for the compound main subject, which means you have more than one subject associated with the same main verb.
   • The mangoes and the papayas were all bruised at the bottom of the grocery bag. (mangoes, papayas + were) Richard and Stephanie both decided to skip the concert tonight. (Richard, Stephanie + decided)
   • When he moved to his new apartment, his friends and his family complained about the number of heavy boxes of books that needed to be carried. (friends, family + complained)
4. In colloquial speech or written dialogue, the subject can sometimes be implied. Do not rely on an implied subject in formal or academic writing.
   • Wait!
     You is the implied subject.
   • When?
     You is the implied subject here as well, as in Do you know when?

Common Errors:

• Forgetting the main subject.
  • The two-year-old girl spun gleefully in circles across the green lawn. Skirt swirling, spinning and spinning.
    Spinning is an effective compound main verb, but it is missing a subject. This sentence can be corrected by joining the fragment with the sentence just prior or by adding the missing subject: Skirt swirling, she kept spinning and spinning.
• Mismatching the subject and verb.
  • The red-breasted robin, awake early in March and ready to announce the blooming crocuses, sing a beautiful melody as the sun begins to rise.
    Robin is singular, which means the main verb must be singular as well: robin + sings.
• Mistaking a prepositional phrase for the subject.
  • The pages of the book got wet in the rainstorm yesterday.
    Of the book is a prepositional phrase, which will never contain your main subject. The main subject and main verb are as follows: pages + got. Take note that erroneous verbs often occur when a writer inadvertently assumes a noun in a prepositional phrase is the main subject.

Exercises:

Answer Key: