Choose a Subject

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Every sentence has a subject.

The subject is the person or thing who does the action in a sentence. The subject can be a person, place, or thing.

Look at our first sentence:

The brave lioness protected her lion cubs from danger.

• Who or what is doing the action?

That is right! The lioness. She protected her cubs.

• Do you wonder how she did that?

Watch What is a Subject? English Grammar for Beginners | Basic English | ESL, from Socratica, to learn how to spot the subject in any sentence!

Remember, the subject is only the word which tells who or what is doing the action.

Look at this sentence:

The big, dark clouds gathered in the sky.

The subject of this sentence is clouds (not big, dark clouds - just clouds).

Now you try!

• What is the subject of the following sentences?

Good job!

Now read the examples below.

• ran down the hill
• fell asleep in the car
• ate cotton candy
• raced down the road

These are called sentence fragments. They're just pieces of sentences. They're not complete because they don't have a subject.

Read the sentences again. This time, choose a subject for each one and say it out loud.

With a subject, the sentences make much more sense!

Now, move on to the Got It? section to make some sentences of your own!