Compound Subject and Compound Predicates

Your goals:

• Understand and identify the compound subject in a sentence.
• Understand and identify the compound predicate in a sentence.

Introductory Video

Compound Subject:

A compound subject is a subject in a sentence that consists of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by a coordinating conjunction (such as “and,” “or,” “but,” etc.). This construction represents multiple individuals or things performing the action in the sentence.

For example, in the sentence: “Sara and Tom went to the store.”

• Compound Subject: “Sara and Tom”
  • The subject comprises two individuals, “Sara” and “Tom,” joined by the coordinating conjunction “and.” Together, they act as the subject of the sentence.

Another example: “Dogs and cats are popular pets.”

• Compound Subject: “Dogs and cats”
  • Here, “Dogs” and “cats” make up the compound subject, illustrating that both types of animals are popular pets.

Compound Predicate:

A compound predicate is a predicate in a sentence that involves two or more verbs or verb phrases that share the same subject and are connected by a coordinating conjunction.

For example, in the sentence: “She sang and danced at the talent show.”

• Compound Predicate: “sang and danced”
  • The predicate includes two actions, “sang” and “danced,” both performed by the same subject (“She”). They are connected by the coordinating conjunction “and.”

Another example: “He laughed, cried, and shouted with joy.”

• Compound Predicate: “laughed, cried, and shouted”
  • The predicate contains three different actions, “laughed,” “cried,” and “shouted,” all carried out by the same subject (“He”), and they are connected by commas because there’s no coordinating conjunction used in this instance.

Understanding compound subjects and compound predicates helps in recognising sentences where multiple subjects or actions are involved, adding variety and depth to sentence structure by incorporating more than one element to express information or actions.