Subjects Examples

Remember that nouns name a person, place, thing, or idea.

Nouns can function as subjects. The subject of a sentence is who or what the sentence is about.

Often, the subject of the sentence comes at the beginning of the sentence. Sometimes, however, it is harder to find the subject-especially if the sentence is a question.

Imperative sentences (commands) often have an understood subject of "you".

Subjects can be simple or compound. A simple subject is just one person, place, or thing. A compound subject is more than one person, place or thing.

To find the subject of a sentence:

1) Find the verb.

2) Ask who or what is doing the action.

Example: Troy threw the ball to Kevin.

Who threw the ball? Troy is the subject of the sentence.

Examples of subjects with explanation:

Katherine read a book.

This sentence is about Katherine reading. It is a simple subject.

Peter and his class watched a movie about frogs.

This sentence is about Peter and his class watching. It is a compound subject.

When will we go to the beach?

This sentence is about "we" going, and it is a question. It is a simple subject-even though there is more than one person, they are referred to as a single group ("we").

Clean your room.

This sentence is an imperative sentence, or a command. The verb is clean, and the understood subject is "you".

The pasta and salad were delicious.

This sentence is about the pasta and the salad being (were). It is a compound subject.

The school is on Elm Street.

This sentence is about the school being (is) on Elm Street. It is a simple subject.