Section 4 History of English Drama Ex 4.1
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Compound subjects on English Grammar
Compound subjects in English grammar refer to sentences
where there are two or more subjects connected by a coordinating conjunction
like "and," "or," or "nor." Understanding
compound subjects is crucial for ensuring subject-verb agreement and overall
sentence clarity. Here are some key points about compound subjects:
1. Formation: Compound subjects are formed
when two or more nouns, noun phrases, or pronouns are joined together by a
coordinating conjunction.
• Example:
"Tom and Jerry went to the store."
2. Coordinating conjunctions: The most common coordinating
conjunctions used to join compound subjects are "and,"
"or," and "nor." Each conjunction has its own usage:
• "And"
is used to connect similar subjects or add additional subjects.
• "Or"
is used to present a choice between two or more subjects.
• "Nor"
is used in negative constructions, indicating that neither of the connected
subjects applies.
• Example:
"Either Tom or Jerry will attend the meeting."
3. Subject-Verb Agreement: When
a compound subject is joined by "and," the verb is usually plural,
reflecting the plurality of the combined subjects. When joined by
"or" or "nor," the verb agrees with the subject closest to
it.
• Example
with "and": "Tom and Jerry are best friends."
• Example
with "or": "Either Tom or Jerry is going to the party."
4. Singular and Plural Subjects: Compound subjects can consist
of singular, plural, or a combination of both singular and plural nouns.
• Example
with plural subjects: "Tom, Jerry, and their friends are going to the
park."
• Example
with singular and plural subjects: "The cat and the dogs are playing
together."
5. Parallel Structure: In sentences with compound
subjects, it's essential to maintain parallel structure. This means that all
elements in the compound subject should be the same part of speech or
grammatical form.
• Example:
"Tom enjoys swimming, biking, and hiking." (all gerunds)
6. Commas in Compound Subjects: When listing three or more
items in a compound subject, commas are used to separate the individual
subjects.
• Example: "Tom, Jerry, and Spike went to the movies."