Analisi logica

The Subject of a Sentence: How to Find It and 5 Solved Exercises

The subject is the part of a sentence that the predicate says something about: find it by asking the verb who? or what?. A clear guide, the tricky cases and five sentences solved step by step.

Recommended for: Grade 6 · Grade 7 · Grade 8

The subject is the part of a sentence that the predicate says something about. To find it, look for the verb first, then ask it who? or what?: the answer is the subject.

The two-step method

Never start from the first word of the sentence. Find the verb, then ask the question. In Every morning Luca runs in the park the verb is runs; who runs? Luca. Luca is the subject even though it does not open the sentence.

A useful double-check is agreement: the verb agrees with the subject in number and person. In The box of old photographs was heavy the verb is singular because the subject is the box, not photographs.

When the subject is not a noun

The subject is often a noun, but not always. It can be:

  • a pronoun: She will arrive tomorrow;
  • a gerund: Studying is tiring;
  • an infinitive phrase: To give up now would be a mistake;
  • a whole clause: That you came makes me happy.

The three cases that cause trouble

Implied subject. In commands nothing answers the question, because the subject is an understood you: in Go home the subject is you.

Passive sentences. With a passive verb the subject does not perform the action, it receives it: in The cake was eaten by Anna, the subject is the cake and by Anna is the agent.

Dummy subjects. In It is raining and There are three books on the table, the words it and there fill the subject slot without naming anything. In There are three books, the real subject is three books, which is why the verb is plural.

The exercises below follow the same method at increasing difficulty: from a subject in its normal position to a passive sentence where the subject receives the action.

Solved exercises

1. Find the subject of: The swallows return in spring. base

Show solution
  1. Find the verb first: return.
  2. Ask the verb: who returns? Answer: the swallows.
  3. Check agreement: return is plural and the swallows is plural. They match, so this is the subject.

Answer: The swallows = subject.

2. Find the subject of: Yesterday my grandparents arrived from Rome. base

Show solution
  1. Verb: arrived.
  2. Who arrived? My grandparents.
  3. Yesterday answers when? and from Rome answers where from?: both are adverbials, not the subject.

Answer: My grandparents = subject.

3. Find the subject of: Close the door, please. intermedio

Show solution
  1. Verb: close. The sentence is an imperative, a command.
  2. Ask: who should close? No noun in the sentence answers.
  3. In commands the subject is understood: the speaker is addressing the listener, so the implied subject is you.
  4. The door answers close what? and is the direct object, not the subject.

Answer: Implied subject: you.

4. Find the subject of: Swimming every morning is good for your back. intermedio

Show solution
  1. Verb: is.
  2. What is good? Swimming every morning.
  3. The subject is not a plain noun but a gerund phrase used as a noun: it is still the subject.
  4. Note the agreement: the verb is singular because a gerund phrase counts as one thing.

Answer: Swimming every morning = subject (gerund phrase).

5. Find the subject of: In the yard, some trees were planted by the volunteers. avanzato

Show solution
  1. Verb: were planted, a passive form.
  2. What was planted? Some trees. In the passive voice the subject receives the action instead of doing it.
  3. By the volunteers answers by whom? and is the agent, not the subject.
  4. In the yard answers where? and is an adverbial of place.
  5. Turn the sentence into the active voice to check: The volunteers planted some trees. Now some trees is the object, which confirms it was the passive subject.

Answer: Some trees = subject (passive sentence); by the volunteers = agent.

FAQ

Is the subject always at the beginning of the sentence?

Usually in English, but not always. In questions and in sentences like Here comes the bus the subject follows the verb. Do not rely on position: ask the verb who? or what? instead.

What is the difference between the subject and the object?

The subject does the action or is what the sentence is about, and answers who? or what? before the verb. The object receives the action and answers whom? or what? after the verb. In Marco reads a book, Marco is the subject and a book is the object.

Can a sentence have no visible subject?

Yes. Commands have an implied subject: in Sit down the subject is an understood you. Some sentences also use a dummy subject with no real meaning, as in It is raining.