2. The Sentence Subject Verb Subject Verb The athlete ran. The sentence has a Subject and a Verb, and expresses a complete thought.

3. The Sentence The athlete ran. The athlete ran. Here’s the most important point in clear writing and correct grammar:  To write well and to write correctly, you must know the Subject and the Verb!

4. The athlete (…) the 100 meters in world record time. Without the Verb, you lose the action. That’s because the Subject is what the Sentence is about, and the Verb is what the Subject does. The athlete

5. The athlete (ran) the 100 meters in world record time. Subject Verb Subject Verb The athlete ran. Bring back the Verb, and you bring back the Action.

6. Know the Subject and the Verb Knowing the Subject and the Verb leads to clear sentences. Clear sentences leads to clear essays. Clear essays leads to success in college and at work!

7. Action Verb The athlete ran the 100 meters in world record time. To find the Action Verb, ask the question: “Can you do [it] all day?” about each word in the Sentence.

8. Action Verb The athlete ran the 100 meters in world record time. “Can you [athlete] all day?” No. “Can you [run] all day?” Yes. So “run” is the Action Verb.

9. The Subject The athlete ran the 100 meters in world record time. The Subject tells who or what is doing the action expressed by the Action Verb.

10. The Subject Who ran the 100 meters? The athlete ran, so athlete is the Subject.

11. Subject Pronouns Subject Pronouns To keep from repeating the same Subject over and over, use pronouns: [ I, You, He, She, It, They] The athlete ran. The athlete ran. He ran. He ran.

12. Subject Pronouns The athlete ran. The athlete ran. He ran. He ran. Both athlete and He are Subjects.

13. Underline the Subject and put the Verb in bold. Identify the Verb first, by asking the question: “Can I do it all day?” of each word in the sentence! 1. I keep the butter in the fridge. 2. They returned the painting without delay. 3. In the morning, they will be repairing the road. 4. John's mother lives in Scotland and has six grandchildren. 5. Living in Colorado, my friend John wrote a best-selling novel.

14. Linking Verbs Linking Verbs do not express action. They “link” the Subject to word that describes the Subject. Subject Linking Verb Adjective The cat is curious.

15. Linking Verbs Linking Verbs are like looking into a mirror. What you see is what you link the Subject in the sentence to. We could say: The cat is curious. The cat is adorable.

16. Linking Verbs The Linking Verb (“is”) links the Subject “cat” to “curious” or “adorable,” words that describe the cat. The cat is curious. The cat is adorable.

17. Linking Verbs Most Linking Verbs are forms of only one Verb, called the (to be) Verb. Here are the basic forms: Present PastFuture I am It was It will be I am It was It will be You are They were You are They were She is She is

18. Linking Verbs Make sure you memorize these (to be) verb forms. They are the most important verbs in English. You cannot succeed without them! Present Past Future Present Past Future I am It was It will be I am It was It will be You are They were You are They were She is She is

19. Underline the Subject and put the Verb in bold. 1. Attractive fruits and vegetables are not always delicious. 2. The rind of a ripe honeydew melon is waxy. 3. The story will be around for many years. 4. These creatures are human movie stars. 5. In 1958, Explorer 1 became the first American satellite. 5. In 1958, Explorer 1 became the first American satellite.

20. Helping Verbs Helping Verbs join with the Main Verb to express to express shades of time or condition. Helping Verbs are often a form of be, have, or do. For example: BE: I [am] borrowing the car. Have: I [have] borrowed the car. Do: I [did] borrow the car.

21. Helping Verbs -- Time Because expressing how things happen in time is complicated, English uses Helping Verbs to “help” out. For example: Simple Past: I studied the assignment. Complex Past: I [have] studied the assignment. I [have been] studying the assignment. I [have been] studying the assignment.

22. Helping Verbs -- Time Because expressing how things happen in time is complicated, English uses Helping Verbs to “help” out. For example: Future: I [will] study the assignment. Future: I [will] study the assignment. Complex Future: I [will have] studied the assignment by Friday.

23. Helping Verbs -- Condition You can also use Helping Verbs to show Condition – what you “should” or “might” do. For example: You [should] go to the store. You [could] go to the store. You [might] go to the store. You [may] go to the store.