10.03: Subjects

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Page ID: 25429

Alexandra Glynn, Kelli Hallsten-Erickson & Amy Jo Swing
North Hennepin Community College & Lake Superior College

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Subjects

When you read a sentence, you may first look for the subject, or what the sentence is about. The subject usually appears at the beginning of a sentence as a noun or a pronoun. A noun is a word that identifies a person, place, thing, or idea. A pronoun is a word that replaces, or stands in for, a noun. Common pronouns are I, he, she, it, you, they, and we. In the following sentences, the subject is in bold.

Marco enjoys an icy cold Cherry Coke with his French fries. He doesn’t eat particularly well.

In these sentences, the subject is a person: Marco. The pronoun “he” replaces and refers back to Marco.

Chicken Tikka Masala is a delicious Indian dish. It is often served with jasmine rice.

In these sentences, the subject is a thing: Chicken Tikka Masala, and the pronoun “it” replaces and refers back to the Chicken Tikka Masala.

Love can hurt. It also makes the world turn.

In these sentences, “love” is the idea, and the pronoun “it” replaces and refers back to love.