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.

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).

Kristi and Ally love pizza.

This is how you begin diagramming the sentence.

First, set up the diagramming of your verb and direct object.

love pizza

Now, see how the compound subject is added to the diagram.

Kristilove pizza

Ally and

Notice how the diagram shows how both names are the subject.

(What?)

(What?)

Let’s try a few more compound subjects.

Dogs and cats can be friends.

can be friends cats an

d

Dogs

Wind nor rain will stop deliveries.

will stop deliveries rain n

or

Wind

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.

Shoppersgrabbed

clutched

and

Now you just need to add your direct object that states what the shoppers clutched. It’s easy!

Shoppersgrabbed

clutched

and

items

Let’s try a few more sentences with compound verbs.

Teens will complain and do whine. Notice that there is no direct object.

Teensdo whine

will complainand

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)

Playersmust participate

attend

and

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?

me and

showdirect

(You)Subject in parentheses

(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?