subject noun

(noun)

Completes the action(s) in a sentence.

Related Terms

Examples of subject noun in the following topics:

  • Nouns as Subjects and Objects

    • Nouns can take on two different roles in a sentence: they can be subjects or objects.
    • Note that the subject includes not just the noun, but also the article (e.g., the, a, an) that goes along with it.
    • A simple way to identify whether a noun is a subject or an object in an active-voice sentence is to note where it is in the sentence.
    • If the noun precedes the verb, it is the subject.
    • In the passive voice, a noun coming after the word "by" is an object, while a noun coming before a form of the verb "to be" (e.g., "was") is the subject.

  • Components of a Sentence

    • The subject of a sentence is a noun or pronoun (and its article, if it has one).
    • In example 1, the subject, "the boy," is both a noun and its article.
    • In example 3, the subject is a noun (no article).
    • A phrase is a collection of words that may have nouns or verbals, but it does not have a subject doing a verb.
    • You also have some verbals (leaving, smashing), but in no case is the noun functioning as a subject doing a predicate verb.

  • Making Subject and Verbs Agree

    • Some nouns are mass or non-count nouns, meaning that they are neither singular nor plural.
    • Mass nouns always take singular verbs, even if the noun represents an object that may be plural.
    • If a sentence has a compound subject, you should use a plural verb even if all the components of the subject are singular nouns.
    • When two nouns differing in number are joined by the word "or," the verb should take the form of the noun closest to it.
    • Complex sentences are especially dangerous, particularly if the subject is close to another noun or if it is separated from the verb by other clauses.

  • Subject-Verb Agreement

    • When two nouns differing in number are joined by the word "or," the verb should take the form of the noun closest to it.
    • Mass nouns, like "water" or "mud" are neither singular nor plural.
    • Mass nouns represent a generic, unknown amount of whatever they are.
    • [The subject baggage is a mass noun, so the verb was is singular.]
    • [The subject bags is a plural noun, so the verb were is also plural to agree with the subject.]

  • Nouns derived from Nouns

  • German Nouns

  • Nouns Derived from Verbs

  • Nouns derived from Verbs

  • Nouns derived from Adjectives

  • Adjectives derived from Nouns