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Grammar
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Diagramming Sentences with Compound Elements
You have learned how to diagram a simple sentence, or a sentence with only one subject
and one verb. Some sentences are more complicated; they may have a compound subject
and/or a compound predicate. . The term compound simply means “more than one.” Compound
subjects and predicates are not uncommon; sentences can and often do have more than one
main noun or pronoun, or more than one verb or verb phrase, or both. These subjects and verbs
are joined together by conjunctions, most frequently and and or.
To diagram a compound subject or compound predicate, place the element of the
sentence that you have more than one of on parallel lines. The conjunction is placed on a dotted
line joining the two. Note that the subjects and predicates are always written above the line,
never below; the conjunctions are always written to the right of the dotted line, top to bottom.
Subject 1
Predicate
Predicate 1
Subject 1
Predicate 1
Predicate 2
Subject 2
Predicate 2
Subject
Subject 2
compound subject
compound predicate
compound subj. & predicate
Here’s something new. How do you diagram a compound sentence? First of all, we’d
need to define what a compound sentence is. You may recall it from our work on commas (A
comma is used two separate the two parts of a compound sentence, and is inserted before the
conjunction). A good working definition of a compound sentence is a sentence that contains two
or more simple sentences, usually joined by a connection word. Here’s an example: “Many students
are nervous about conferences, but parents and teachers value these meetings.” Notice that
there are two simple sentences, each expressing a complete thought. What are they, and what is
the so-called “connection word”?
Diagramming compound sentences is not difficult if you know how to diagram a simple
sentence. As you may have guessed, you actually make two diagrams, one for each part of the
sentence. You then join these two diagrams – predicate to predicate - by what I might call a
little “zig-zag,” or two vertical dotted lines with a solid line in the middle on which you place
the connection word. Of course, this is too confusing too describe. Look at the example below.
students
are
but
Parents
compound sentence
value
teachers