Subjects Worksheet Practice Exercises with Answers

Lesson 38: Subjects

Question 1. How can we identify the subject of a sentence with an action verb?
Answer: We can find the subject by asking the question: "Who is doing the action?" The subject is the person or thing that carries out the action. For example, in the sentence "Confucius spoke many words of wisdom," the action is speaking. Confucius is the one doing the speaking, so Confucius is the subject of the sentence.
In simple words: Ask yourself "Who or what is doing the action?" The answer to that question is the subject.

Exam Tip: Always remember that with action verbs, the subject is the doer of the action and usually comes before the verb in the sentence.

Question 2. Where is the subject generally found in a sentence?
Answer: The subject is generally at or near the beginning of the sentence. More specifically, the subject is the first noun phrase in the sentence. For instance, in "John baked a cake," John appears at the start. In "You are going to grin and bear it," You is the first noun phrase. The subject typically comes before the verb and provides information about who or what is doing the action or what the sentence is about.
In simple words: Look near the start of the sentence - the subject usually appears there as the first noun phrase you find.

Exam Tip: The first noun phrase in a sentence is almost always the subject, whether the verb is an action verb or a linking verb.

Question 3. How do we identify the subject when the main verb is a linking verb?
Answer: When the verb in the sentence is a linking verb, the subject is found by asking: "Who or what is this sentence about?" The subject is what the sentence describes or identifies, not the doer of an action. For example, in "John is tall," John is the subject because the sentence tells us about John. In "That church is impressive," That church is the subject because the sentence describes the church. The subject is found at or near the beginning of the sentence, before the verb.
In simple words: Ask yourself "Who or what is this sentence about?" That's your subject. With linking verbs, the subject comes before the verb and is what the sentence describes.

Exam Tip: Linking verbs (like is, seems, became, looked) connect the subject to a description, so identify the subject by asking what the sentence describes rather than what performs an action.

Question 4. Underline the subject in each of the sentences from Test yourself 38.1 (Getting started).
Answer:
1. The servant accompanied His Lordship.
2. Jean participated in the Tour de France.
3. Such families have often preferred to travel in style.
4. They could do nothing except run.
5. Mr. Tower quietly explained all this to his son.
In simple words: In each sentence, the underlined part is the noun phrase that tells you who or what is performing the action of the verb.

Exam Tip: Look for the first noun phrase that answers "Who or what is doing the action?" - that's always your subject in action verb sentences.

Question 5. Underline the subject in each of the sentences from Test yourself 38.2 (Getting started).
Answer:
1. The Hotel Regina is an attractive place.
2. It became the best-known symbol of Paris.
3. The local merchants were on his side.
4. Charles looked thoughtful.
5. Christine seemed insecure.
In simple words: Each underlined part is the noun phrase that answers "Who or what is this sentence about?" These subjects go with linking verbs, not action verbs.

Exam Tip: With linking verbs, the subject tells you who or what the sentence describes or identifies - always look before the linking verb to find it.

Question 6. Underline the subject in each of the sentences from Test yourself 38.3 (Getting started).
Answer:
1. The editor looked for new ideas for the magazine.
2. You can rely on the experts at that company.
3. Maggie usually goes berry picking in the summer.
4. Roger is happy with his new computer.
5. The workers went on strike for a couple of weeks.
In simple words: The underlined parts are subjects that either perform an action or are described by the verb - each one is the first noun phrase in its sentence.

Exam Tip: Test yourself 38.3 mixes action verbs and linking verbs, so use both methods: ask "Who is doing the action?" or "Who or what is this about?" to find the subject.

Question 7. Underline the subject in each of the sentences from Test yourself 38.4 (Getting started), where the subject is not at the beginning.
Answer:
1. After that, their neighbor came more often to help them.
2. Fortunately, that university program is accredited.
3. In the morning, I am planting those flowers.
4. Eventually, Mr. Mulligan broke the silence.
5. While running for office, the candidate campaigned vigorously.
In simple words: In these sentences, introductory words (adverbs or adverbial clauses) come before the subject. The subject is still a noun phrase, but it appears after the opening phrase that describes time, place, or manner.

Exam Tip: When adverbs or adverbial phrases start a sentence, skip past them - the subject comes after these opening words, not before them.