Download Diagramming Compound Subjects and Verbs

Now that you know how to locate and diagram the
subject, verb, and direct object in a sentence, you are
ready to move on to compound subjects and compound
verbs within a sentence.
First, let’s review a basic sentence again.
Kristi
loves
pizza
(subject)
(verb)
(direct object)
Now, here is a sentence with a compound subject.
(more than one subject)
Kristi and Ally love pizza.
In this sentence, both Kristi and Ally are the subject as they are the ones who are doing
the action (loving pizza).
This is how you begin diagramming the sentence.
Kristi and Ally love pizza.
First, set up the diagramming of your verb and direct object.
love
pizza (What?)
Now, see how the compound subject is added to the diagram.
Ally
and
Kristi
love
Notice how the diagram shows how both names are the subject.
pizza (What?)
Let’s try a few more compound subjects.
Dogs and cats can destroy furniture.
cats
and
Dogs
can destroy furniture
Wind nor rain will stop deliveries.
rain
nor
Wind
will stop deliveries
Remember to still draw your vertical line
through the horizontal line to separate your
subjects from the verb.
Now that you are beginning to get the hang of
compound subjects, let’s move on to compound verbs.
Shoppers grabbed and clutched items.
First, set up the diagramming of your subject and compound verbs.
and
Shoppers
grabbed
clutched
Now you just need to add your direct object that states
what the shoppers clutched. It’s easy!
and
Shoppers
grabbed
clutched
items
Let’s try a few more sentences with compound verbs.
and
Teens will complain and whine.
complain
Teens
will
whine
Notice that there is
no direct object.
This next sentence does contain a direct object. Recall that
a direct object receives the action of a transitive verb.
Just as Brady needs a receiver to
catch the ball, so, too, does a
transitive verb need a direct object
(the receiver) to answer either What?
or Who? In a sentence.
Players must participate and attend practices.
What must they participate in and attend? Practices!
That is the direct object. (always a noun or pronoun)
participate
and
Players must
attend
practices
Let’s try an imperative sentence with a compound verb.
Show and direct me.
Show and direct are the transitive verbs, and me is
telling WHO is being shown and directed, so me is our
direct object. What is our subject?
Subject in parentheses
and
(You)
show
direct
me
(You) is always the subject in an imperative sentence.
Keep in mind that sentences are rarely this basic in their
structure. Interesting sentences contain modifiers such as
adjectives and adverbs, as well as phrases and clauses.
Under the protection of darkness, the stealthy
coyote silently moves towards his innocent prey .
This sentence has prepositional phrases, adjectives, and
an adverb in addition to the subject and verb. For now,
we will not be diagramming such sentences, but see if you
can simply pick out the subject and verb and whether or
not there is a direct object
coyote
moves
Now, hopefully, you are ready to locate and
diagram subjects, verbs/verb phrases, and direct
objects within sentences.
Try to remember these helpful strategies:
1. Aim to find your verb/verb phrase first. It may
be an action verb or simply a verb of “being” such
as can be.
2.Ask yourself who or what is doing the action.
This will be your subject. “They collected…”
3.Ask yourself if someone (Who?) or something
(What?) is receiving the action. What did they
collect? They collected donations. Donations is
your direct object as this answers What?