Instructions: Read, study, and learn this lesson.  Then do the exercise.  When you are satisfied that you understand the lesson, take the test.

1. In longer sentences the subject is more difficult to find.  One way to find the subject is to eliminate prepositional phrases because the subject is never found in a prepositional phrase.

2. A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun: (over the hill) and (in the sky) are examples. It can be difficult finding a subject when it is followed by a phrase.

Example: One of my friends has graduated from Medical School.

3. In this sentence the verb is .has graduated.  When you ask Who or What has graduated?, you might be tempted to answer friends.  However, that is not the subject.  The sentence says, “one of my friends has graduated.”  The subject is one. Notice that friends is part of the phrase [of my friends].  In many sentences, it is easy to find the subject and verb just by crossing out the prepositional phrases.

Example: The dancers with the highest score will move on to dance in the national competition. (Who will move on? Dancers will move on.)

Exercise 1, Lesson 28

Instructions: On a separate sheet of paper, write the following sentences on your paper and cross through each of the prepositional phrases.  Mark each subject with a single underline and mark each verb.

1. He liked her, but she left him and ran off with someone else.

2. This is where we get off the bus.

3. Our favorite restaurant is around the corner.

4. We found the place on Main Street without any trouble.

5. Please bring the dishcloth from the counter.

6. Place your hands over your mouth when you cough.

7. Go down two blocks and take the next right on Grant Street.

8. They believe he committed the crime for the love of money.

9. Place these serving trays in the middle of the table.

10. The sign was over his head, so he did not see it.

Exercise 2, Lesson 28

Completing Subjects by Supplying Predicates

Instructions: On a separate sheet of paper, complete the following sentences, by adding predicates to the complete subject. After you have done so, underline the subject once and mark the verb.

1. Last week we ____________________________________________________

2. The sun ________________________________________________________

3. Our school ______________________________________________________

4. The money ______________________________________________________

5. The teachers in our school _________________________________________

6. The cafeteria ____________________________________________________

7. The book on the counter ___________________________________________

8. My dentist _______________________________________________________

9. My two friends, Stan and Glen ______________________________________

10. His aunt and uncle ________________________________________________

Test 1, Lesson 28

Instructions: Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What is one way to find the subject in longer sentences?

2. What is a prepositional phrase?

3. Rewrite the following sentences and cross through the prepositional phrases in the following sentences:

Examples: He went through the crowd several times looking for his friend.

We arrived at the gate just in time for our train ride home.

Instructions: Write the following sentences on a sheet of paper and mark the complete sentence.

1. He liked her, but she left him and ran off with someone else.

2. This is where we get off the bus.

3. Our favorite restaurant is around the corner.

4. We found the place on Main Street without any trouble.

5. Please bring the dishcloth from the stove.

6. Place your hands over your mouth when you cough.

7.Go down two blocks and take the next right on Grant Street.

8. They believe he committed the crime for the love of money.

9. Place these serving trays in the middle of the table.

10. The sign was over his head, so he could not read it.

Test 2, Lesson 28

Instructions: On a separate sheet of paper, complete the following sentences, by adding predicates to the complete subject.  After you have done so, underline the subject once and the verb twice.

1. Last week we ____________________________________________________

2. The sun ________________________________________________________

3. Our school ______________________________________________________

4. The money ______________________________________________________

5. The teachers in our school _________________________________________

6. The cafeteria ____________________________________________________

7. The book on the counter ___________________________________________

8. My dentist _______________________________________________________

9. My two friends, Stan and Glen ______________________________________

10. His aunt and uncle ________________________________________________

Test 3, Lesson 28

Identifying Complete Subjects & Predicates

Instructions: On a separate sheet of paper, write the following sentences on your paper.  Mark the subjects and verbs. 

1. Did Terrell Owens’ punishment fit the crime?

2. This is the question of our current day and time.

3. Character and poise are undoubtedly two of the traits fans look for in sports figures today.

4. Players who can maintain their poise and fit in with the team may retain a position with the team they choose.

5. This talent, though natural for some, is not developed overnight.

6. When scouts hunt for talent, they master the ability to use formulas and statistics.

7. Little attention is given to observing or documenting character traits.

8. The proverbial disability list in professional sports would not hold a player like Owens.

9. Players finding space on that list suffer from physical injury which involves lost productivity and sometimes they lose an entire sports career.

10. Tendon injuries in particular need time for healing because they are avascular and do not receive much nourishment from blood.