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Compound Subject Examples



Compound Subject - Glossary of Terms



Compound Subject

A compound subject is one which consists of more than one noun.

When the subject of a sentence is made up of two or more elements, it's called a compound subject. The individual elements in a compound subject are joined by words like and and or (called coordinating conjunctions) or pairings like either/or and neither/nor (called correlative conjunctions).

Examples:

A clean driving licence, sales experience and team spirit are essential.
A fool and his money are easily parted. 
The pigeon and the falcon fell from view. 
My wife and I cannot attend unfortunately.  ("I" is a noun - a pronoun.)


Interactive example:
 
Neither the Army nor the Police had any suitable vehicles. [show me the compound subject]


Singular or Plural Verb?

When and is used to join the elements in a compound subject, the compound subject is treated as plural.

When using or, either/or or neither/nor, you have to consider whether the verb should be singular or plural. Here is a lesson on whether to use a singular or plural verb with or, either/or or neither/nor.

 
It is possible to end a compound subject with a comma to group it neatly for your readers. This is not a popular practice amongst grammarians. However, if you think it helps, do it.


See also:

Using a singular or plural verb with or, either/or or neither/nor
Glossary of grammatical terms
Your score:

Click on the one with a compound subject:




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