Identifying Subjects and Verbs Step One: Cross out all prepositional phrases

1. The new student from France entered the classroom.

2. The children from the school caught a snake.

3. A flock of geese perched on the fence.

4. The scarf around her neck is beautiful.

5. The interest in the letter about the proposal amazed me.

6. Sarah’s reflection on her school experiences entertained everyone.

7. The exciting life of the student interested all of us.

8. The bushes along the path were breathtakingly beautiful.

9. The time for dinner has been set.

10. The chairs between the two tables have been reserved.

Indefinite Pronoun Subjects Pronouns CAN be the subject of sentences.

The following pronouns are SINGULAR: each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody

The following pronouns are PLURAL several, few, both, many

The following pronouns may be either SINGULAR or PLURAL: Some, all, most, any, none

Examples 1. Each of the athletes runs effortlessly. [each one runs] 2. Neither of the women is ready to start. [neither one is] 3. Everyone in my family has enjoyed the games. 4. Someone in the audience was waving a large flag.

Examples 5. Few of the athletes have qualified. 6. Several of the runners are exercising. 7. Many on the team practice daily.

Examples of EITHER These pronouns are singular when they refer to a singular word and plural when they refer to a plural word. 1. Some of the show is funny. [Some refers to singular show.] 2. Some of the entertainers are funny. [Some refers to plural entertainers.] 3. All of the cast looks young. [It looks.] 4. All of the performers look young. [They look.]

Compound Subjects

Subjects joined by and usually take a plural verb. Examples: 1.Leslie Silko and Mari Evans are poets. 2.Imagery and metaphor help poets express their feelings.

If a compound subject names only one person or thing, the verb must be singular. Examples: 1.My pen pal and best friend is my cousin. 2.Pumpkin seeds and raisins makes a tasty snack. In the sentences above, the compound subjects are thought of as units (one person, one snack) and are therefore singular.

Singular subjects joined by or or nor take a singular verb. Examples: 1.After dinner, either Anne or Tony loads the dishwasher. 2.Neither the coach nor the principal is happy with the team’s performance.

When a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the subject nearer the verb. Examples: 1. Neither the losers nor the winner was happy with the outcome of the match. 2. Neither the winner nor the losers were happy with the outcome of the match.