A simple subject is the main noun or pronoun in a sentence that tells whom or what the sentence is about, without any modifiers like adjectives or articles. It is the key word that performs the action of the verb or is described by the verb. For example, in the sentence "The fat cat pats the mat," the simple subject is just "cat," not the entire phrase "the fat cat" which is the complete subject
. To identify the simple subject, ask who or what is performing the action in the sentence. It can be a single noun, a pronoun, or a compound noun. For example, in "The cat and the dog played together," the simple subjects are "cat" and "dog"
. In summary:
- The simple subject is a single noun or pronoun.
- It excludes modifiers like articles (the, a), adjectives (fat, tired), or descriptive phrases.
- It represents the person, place, thing, or idea the sentence is about
Example:
- Sentence: "The tired, elderly man trudged down the street."
- Simple subject: "man"
- Complete subject: "The tired, elderly man"
Thus, the simple subject is the core noun or pronoun that the sentence centers on.
