A subject is one of the three essential components of a sentence. (The others are a verb and a complete thought.) The subject of a sentence is simply the person, place, or thing that the sentence is about.

What is the sentence about? Obviously, the sentence is about a seagull. The word seagull is therefore the subject of the sentence.

It is important to remember that a subject will never be found in a prepositional phrase.

One of the students has won an award for her writing.

Here, we might be tempted to think that the sentence is about students. But the word students is the object of the preposition of (probably the most common preposition for a phrase coming right after a subject). Thus, of the students is a prepositional phrase and cannot contain the subject.

Also, if we look carefully at the sentence, we will see that it is not about a group of students, but about only one of them. Therefore, the subject of the sentence is the word one.

 

Bracket any prepositional phrases in the following sentences. Then underline the subject of each sentence with a single line. (Remember, the subject cannot be in a prepositional phrase.)

1. The storm broke over the city.
2. Lightning flashed across the night sky.
3. Ear-splitting thunder rolled loudly overhead.
4. Suddenly, the room was plunged into total darkness.
5. Most of the candles in the house were lit.
6. Finally, power was restored to the neighbourhood.
7. The little girl down the street darted into traffic after her ball.
8. The oncoming cars screeched to a halt.
9. The child's mother ran out and pulled her daughter to safety.
10. All of the drivers breathed a sigh of relief and went on their way.

 

Bracket any prepositional phrases in the following sentences. Then underline the subject of each sentence with a single line.

Last summer, I spent a Saturday in the park with my art materials, sketching many interesting sights. In the late afternoon, an elderly man with a cane hobbled down a path between flowerbeds. His grandson skipped happily ahead of him. Behind them followed a tired old collie dog. The trio stopped for a rest at a bench under an oak tree. Suddenly, a little chipmunk ran up. The collie gave a half-hearted bark but did not get up. Nonchalantly, the little animal hurried by the dog. With an acorn in each cheek, the chipmunk bounded up the trunk of the oak tree. Then, with deliberate intent, it paused on a branch overhead and dropped one of the acorns onto the head of the dog lying in the shade beneath the tree. With a chuckle, I quickly sketched the delightful scene. That sketch later won me an award in a national art competition.

The subjects in the sentences above were all fairly easy to find. Some subjects are a little less obvious for a variety of reasons:

They may be compound (consisting of two or more parts joined by and, or, or nor).

They may be left understood (as in commands).

They may come after the verb or in the middle of the verb instead of before it (as with questions or with the words there or here).

They may look more like verbs than subjects (playing, going, doing,etcetera).

Review the tips for subjects in Chapter 3 of your textbook before trying this exercise.

Bracket any prepositional phrases in the following sentences. Then underline the subject of each sentence with a single line.

1. Jonathan and Matt went to the mall on Friday afternoon after class.
2. Jonathan wanted a birthday gift for his new girlfriend, Chantal.
3. Buying a gift for a new friend is hard.
4. What should he choose as a present?
5. There are so many interesting ideas for gifts in the stores.
6. Would Chantal like perfume, jewellery, or clothing?
7. At last, Jonathan and his friend asked a salesgirl for advice.
8. Getting help was a great idea.
9. The salesgirl was a good friend of Chantal and suggested a bottle of Chantal's favourite cologne.
10. Of course, there is a moral to this story.
11. Always ask for help in a puzzling situation.

ANSWERS

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