Compound Subjects

and Compound Predicates

A sentence might have more than one simple subject or simple predicate.
A compound subject is two or more simple subjects that have the same predicate. The
subjects are joined by and, or, but, or bothand, or eitheror, or neithernor.
Charlotte Bront and Emily Bront were sisters.
When the two simple subjects are joined by and or by bothand, the compound subject is
plural. Use the plural form of the verb to agree with this plural compound subject.
Either Charlotte or Emily is my favorite author. Neither Charlotte nor her sisters were outgoing.
In the first sentence, Emily is the nearer subject, and so the singular form of the verb is used. In
the second sentence sisters is the nearer subject, and so the plural form is used.
A compound predicate is two or more simple predicates, or verbs, that have the same subject.
The verbs are connected by and, or, but, or bothand, or eitheror, or neithernor.
Many students read the novel Jane Eyre and enjoy it.
The compound predicate in this sentence consists of read and enjoy. Both verbs agree with
the plural subject.
Each of these sentences has a compound subject, a compound predicate, or both. Draw
one line under the simple subjects in each compound subject. Draw two lines under the
simple predicates in each compound predicate.
Example: Water streamed across the street and ran into the gutter.
1. Apples and pears grow on trees.
2. Workers pick apples and package them for sale.
3. Joy and her sisters sang for the congregation.
4. Wes or Raquel showed the office to the guests.
5. We ate and slept on the bus.
6. The ceiling and the walls are the same color.
7. Both Arizona and New Mexico have hot deserts.
8. Thoughtful neighbors and friends of the family sent sympathy cards.
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9. Either red or blue clashes with this color.

10. Copper and iron have many uses.
11. In 1947, French president Charles de Gaulle and his party strengthened the central
government of France.
12. Many Europeans both understand and use the English language.
13. Crocodiles and alligators swim in the water but hunt on land.
14. Boll weevils seek the scent of cotton and destroy the plants.
15. A city council or other government body discusses the proposed law and votes on it.
16. Both tennis and badminton require rackets.
17. Puppies and kittens play and sleep most of the day.
18. Scientists perform research with care and conduct experiments with even more care.
19. Crabs and lobsters crawl along the ocean floor.
20. Farmers grow crops in the summer and harvest them in the fall.
Circle the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
21. My brother (sketch, sketches) almost every day.
22. The main highway (continue, continues) this way and then (narrow, narrows) into two lanes.
23. The President will (arrive, arrives) at nine and (enter, enters) the convention hall a short time
later.
24. Newspaper reporters (gather, gathers) information and (write, writes) articles.
25. Some writers (combine, combines) words with photography and (create, creates) essays.
26. All these possibilities are (open, opens) to a young writer.
27. Many people (write, writes) for a career.
28. Both magazines and newspapers (use, uses) many writers.
29. Both children and adults (like, likes) spaghetti.
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30. Mom (boil, boils) the ziti and (cover, covers) it with sauce.
31. She (add, adds) cheese and (bake, bakes) the ziti.