Nouns Subjects and Verbs

What is the difference between a noun and a compound noun?

A noun is a word or set of words for a person, place, thing, or idea. A noun of more than one word (tennis court, gas station) is called a compound noun.

• They are the same thing

• A noun has more than one word

• A compound noun has more than one word

What is a subject?

• A subject is a noun, pronoun, or set of words that performs the verb.

• A noun, or pronoun

• A verb

What is a verb?

A verb is a word or set of words that shows action (runs, is going, has been painting); feeling (loves, envies), or state of being (am, are, is, have been, was, seem).

• A word that functions the same as a noun.

• A word that shows action and feelings.

• A word that shows actions, feelings, or a state of being.

How do you find the subject of a sentence?

• Find the verb first, then ask who or what performed the verb.

• Find the noun first, then ask what is he, she, or it doing.

• Find the helping verb, and the phrasal verb in a sentence.

What are State-of-Being verbs called?

State-of-being verbs re called linking verbs. They include all forms of the verb to be, plus such words as look, feel, appear, act, go, followed by an adjective.

• linking verbs

• phrasal verbs

• helping verbs

Sentences can have more than one subject and more than one verb.

What are the two verbs in the following sentence?

I like cake, and he likes ice cream.

• I, he

• cake, ice cream

• like, likes

What is the difference between a phrasal verb and a helping verb?

Verbs often consist of more than word. For instance, had been breaking down is a four-word verb. It has a two-word main verb, breaking down (also called a phrasal verb) , and two helping verbs (had and been). Helping verbs are so named because they help clarify the intended meaning.

• A phrasal verb is a two-word verb, and a helping verb clarify meaning.

• A phrasal verb helps clarify meaning, and a helping verb is a two-word verb.

• A phrasal verb is a sentence, and a helping verb is a word.

Any request or command such as Stop! or Walk quickly, has the understood subject you, because if we ask who is to stop or walk quickly, the answer must be "you."

What is the verb in the following sentence?

Please bring me some coffee.

• bring

• some

• me

• coffee

If a verb follows to, it is called an infinitive, and it is not the main verb. You will find the main verb either before or after the infinitive.

What is the verb in the following sentence?

He is trying to leave.

• is

• he

• trying

• leave

identify the correct subjects and verbs. The subjects are in bold blue and the verbs are underlined.

• The overturned truck blocked both lanes

• The overturned truck blocked both lanes

• The overturned truck blocked both lanes