SUBJECT AND VERB: HOW TO MAKE THEM GET ALONG?

Emmanuel

Are you paying attention to the relationship between your subject and verb?

When I started blogging, I didn’t know any writing techniques. The first thing I learned was the placement of the subject and verb in a sentence. This is the first aspect we need to pay attention to. Subject and verb are the backbone of a sentence, the key elements guiding our reader through our ideas and stories. To create well-structured sentences, you need to be conscious of the placement of the subject regarding the verb. There are 3 different possible locations: at the beginning, at the end, or split in the sentence.
And you don’t want their relationship to be on the rocks, do you?
So, I’m going to explain how to fit them together like a glove.
But first, a quick reminder of the purposes of our dear verbs and subjects.

This article discusses:

What is the purpose of Subjects and Verbs?

1-The role of verbs is to express action or state

Verbs describe the physical or mental actions of someone or something. Or they express states of being or existence.

There are two types of verbs in English:

• Action verbs (also known as Strong verbs, Dynamic verbs, or Power verbs) are verbs that describe physical actions; for instance, walk, ride, push, read, eat, dance, repair, paint, speak, fly, cook, run…
  Examples:
  • Sam walks with Max down the street / Sam is walking to the store.
  • Samantha paints her drawings / Samantha is painting the wall.
• State verbs (or stative verbs) are verbs that describe the status or quality of something, but NOT A PHYSICAL ACTION; for instance, feel, belong, understand, contain, possess, believe, love, hate, remember, depend or involve…
  Verbs of opinion, senses, perception, possession, existence, and state of being are often state verbs.
  State verbs cannot be used in continuous form tenses like the present continuous, past continuous, present perfect continuous, or future continuous forms.
  Of course, exceptions exist when used as gerunds, in prepositional phrases, or after certain verbs that require -ING.
  Examples:
  • This book belongs to the library.
  • He has always hated soccer.
  • The box contained a pair of shoes.
  • I have a nice red dress.
    Exception examples:
  • Having fun this morning made my day = gerund
  • The box containing a pair of shoes was missing = prepositional phrases
  • I always enjoy feeling the warm sunlight on my face = after verb requiring -ING
    
• Action and State verbs: since nothing can ever be simple, there are verbs that can express both action and state according to the situation; for instance, be, have, see, look, smell, sit, understand, remember, think…
  Examples:
  • Stative: opinion with To Think and To Feel
    I think this will be better this way!
    I feel the heat of the chimney.
  • Action: when using your mind, experiencing emotions or health issues
    We’re thinking about our grammar test.
    I’ve been feeling really strong after the meal.
    
  • Stative: perception with your eyes with To See
    I see some cake through the shop window / I see what you mean.
  • Action: meet with; have a relationship with
    I’ll be seeing the assessment examiner tomorrow / They’ve been seeing each other for a
    long time.
    
  • Stative: To Be
    He is immature. (he is always immature)
    Action:
    He is being immature. (he is temporarily immature)

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2-The role of subjects is to perform the verbs’ actions.

The subject tells us who or what the sentence is about. The subject is the actor of the sentence, and it acts according to the verb. It can be a noun or a pronoun.

The subject and the verb work together, one does not go without the other. Knowing that we realize the importance of clearly linking the subject and the verb to make our sentences understandable.

Examples of noun and pronoun subjects:

• The cat (noun) chased the mouse eagerly.
• She (pronoun) is studying diligently for her exams.
• The team (noun) won the championship trophy last year.
• They (pronoun) were laughing uncontrollably at the comedian’s jokes.

In the following, we will delve into the relationship between verbs and subjects and see which location, within sentences, fits better depending on the aim intended.

Subject And Verb Hand In Hand At The Beginning

In English, the norm is to read from left to right.
The most common sentence structure is when subjects and verbs settle down at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the description to the right. This composition is called a “right-branching sentence”: Verb + Subject(=Main Clause) followed by Description.
It is the easiest way to express what a subject will do or describe in a sentence.
This structure captures the reader’s attention from the start with the main clause and encourage them to read the description that follows.

Examples from ‘Gladiator’ movie(main subject & verb in bold):

Maximus addresses the crowd in the Colosseum:

“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.”

Maximus speaks to his troops in preparation for battle:

“Men, we have faced many challenges together. We have bled together, fought together, and triumphed together. Today, we stand on the brink of yet another battle, a battle that will test our resolve like never before. But I have faith in each and every one of you. I have seen your courage on the battlefield, your determination in the face of adversity. And I know that together, we are unstoppable. So let us march forward with heads held high, for today, we fight not just for victory, but for honor, for freedom, and for the future of Rome!”

To spice things up, you can begin your sentence with an introductory phrase before your verb and subject like: “at 7.30…”, “on the railway platform…” or “at the sunrise…”, “at dawn…”.

Examples with introduction phrase(colored in green):

Surfacing by Margaret Atwood:
In the first few hours of driving we moved through flattened cow-sprinkled hills and leaf trees and dead elm skeletons, then into the needle trees and the cuttings dynamited in pink and grey granite and the flimsy tourist cabins, and the signs saying GATEWAY TO THE NORTH, at least four towns claim to be that.

From my local newspaper:
At the end of 2023, I took the time to reflect on my first year as Councillor for the best ward in the city.

Unfortunately, the Claridge development is just one of many now planned or under construction in the Lowertown and Market area.

Subject And Verb Hand In Hand At The End

Examples:

From my local newspaper, in these examples a dramatic context is described before the main clause:

Despite geopolitical instability, the cost of living, and the adverse weather conditions experienced due to climate change, we managed to stay strong in these challenging moments last year.

In our unwavering dedication to offering crucial assistance to our people, by investing $158million over the next three years, we are proud to support the establishment and maintenance of the helpline.

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, in these examples your experience a journey of discovery before the main clause:

By the time he had passed Portland going north on the turnpike, Ben Mears had begun to feel a not unpleasurable tingle of excitement in his belly.

A flash of red caught his eye off to the left, and when he glanced that way, he felt a burst of pleasure and recognition.

As the turnpike entered Cumberland, more and more things began to seem familiar.

Subject And Verb Separated But Still In Love

In that third sentence structure, the purpose is to provide a detailed description of your subject before introducing the verb, creating a certain distance between your lovebirds. It is the most complicated arrangement because the distance between subject and verb makes it difficult to understand the intended meaning.
Your readers might lose track of the subject during the description, and as a result, they will have to go back to the beginning of the sentence and reread for clarification, causing stress and frustration.
We don’t want that.
Remember, the purpose of a writer is to get your readers to the point on the first go.

Examples: the subject’s description is embedded between the subject and the verb.

Nature’s Garden by Samuel Thayer:

Many food plants that are extensively discussed in the western ethnographies, such as cow parsnip, water parsnip, and red elder, are rarely mentioned in literature pertaining to the East, thought they abound there as well.

From my local newspaper:

Debuting during the first month of winter, this zone situated in the foyer of Gallery 55 on the second floor of the Market Hall, will turn the iconic space into a lively theater venue for the public

The Stand by Stephen King:

Norman Bruett and Tommy Wannamaker, who had both worked in the paper factory, were on relief, having run out of unemployment some time ago.

Palfrey, who had been a machinist until 1984, was the only one present with sufficient self-respect to point out Hap’s most obvious damfool statements. 

Stu, who only understood that they were in a hell of a pinch, tuned Hap’s voice down to a meaningless drone and watched the Chevy pitch and yaw its way on up the road.

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins:

Because even parents who take care not to discuss the violence in front of them, to change the radio station when there’s news of another shooting, to conceal the worst of their own fears, cannot prevent their children from talking to other children. On the swings, at the fútbol field, in the boys’ bathroom at school, the gruesome stories gather and swell. These kids, rich, poor, middle- class, have all seen bodies in the streets.

Settle Down In Love & Understanding

What you need to remember about this Verb/Subject pair is that by keeping them close to each other in the sentence, their relationship will go smoothly. The sentence’s meaning will be clear and easily understandable by your reader.
But in a relationship, things can be complicated; in this case, you can add a bit of drama by separating your subject and verb. But be careful; the further away they are from each other, the more complicated the situation will be to understand. They could lose sight of each other and, therefore, also lose your reader.

But once you’re accustomed to thinking about these different verb and subject locations, playing with them becomes enjoyable. So, you can practice this exercise and try to find the best matches for your sentences.

Enjoy!

Here is an exercise to improving your understanding of verbs and subjects location:

1. Identify their location in your local newspapers or your nightstand book.
2. Noticing what effect the author wanted to communicate with his location’s choices.
3. Do the same with your writing and try to change the position of the verb and subject to add more clarity or, on the contrary, more drama.