12 Subjects and Verbs – Basic Patterns
As you get used to finding subjects and verbs within sentences, you might sometimes be only 50% sure if you’re right. Let’s see an example.
The skunk sprays to protect itself against predators.
You might be a little unsure about the subject in this sentence. The sentence seems to be about the skunk, but there are other nouns and pronouns in the sentence, and you know the subject is always going to be a noun or pronoun. So you might think to yourself, “The subject is one of these: skunk, itself, or predators. But I’m not sure which one is correct.”
So, what other clues and patterns can you use to decide which one is the subject? These three tendencies might help.
Three Tendencies (Not Rules) About Subjects and Verbs
- The subject and verb tend to be close to the beginning of the sentence.
- The subject and verb tend to be close to one another.
- The subject tends to appear before the verb.
If I use those tendencies to guide my decision about the subject of the sentence above, I would develop the following clues:
- Of the three potential subjects, skunk is closest to the beginning of the sentence.
- Skunk is also closest to the verb in the sentence (sprays).
- Skunk also appears before the verb.
Put together, all of those clues would help me determine that skunk is the subject of this sentence. Of course, if I trust myself to identify the subject by asking “Who/what is doing the action?” then I wouldn’t need to use these tendencies, but they’re nice to have as a tool, just in case.
An Exception to Tendency #3 – Questions
In English, questions are stated a little differently than standard declarative sentences. Specifically, the subject does not appear before the verb.
Is Emily at work today?
This sentence starts with a verb (is), so what is the subject? To answer that question, you need to do a little re-arranging: take this question and turn it into a statement (sometimes I like to imagine the statement as an answer to the question).
Is Emily at work today? –> Emily is at work today.
Now you might find it easier to determine the subject. I don’t see an action verb, but if I ask myself, “Who/what is this sentence describing?” my answer will be Emily. That’s my subject. Notice that it’s also close to the beginning of the sentence, and that it now appears before the verb.
You can do the same trick for more complicated questions:
Question: Has your brother seen my backpack?
Statement: Your brother has seen my backpack. (subject = brother)
Question: Will you scratch my back?
Statement: You will scratch my back. (subject = You)
Question: Is Winston going to buy another striped shirt?
Statement: Winston is going to buy another striped shirt. (subject = Winston)
Turning questions into statements can get a little bit harder (or maybe just weirder) when the question begins with who, what, where, when, and how, so we’ll leave it here for now.
To close out this chapter, I think you should get some more practice finding subjects. If you find yourself struggling with these questions, remember that doesn’t mean it’s time to give up! Chat with your instructor to get a little more practice — you might be a 5-minute conversation away from understanding this stuff!
Find the Subject