GRAMMAR II

COMPOUND SUBJECTS AND COMPOUND PREDICATES

A subject made up of two or more nouns joined by and is called a compound subject. When the subject of a sentence is compound the author has, in effect, combined two or more sentences. Mr. Walker prepared the contract. His assistant prepared the contract. Mr. Walker and his assistant prepared the contract. Mary ate lunch on the lawn. The professor ate lunch on the lawn. Mary and the professor ate lunch on the lawn. In the next example three sentences have been joined together. To prevent the sentence from running together a comma is placed between the first two nouns and before and and the third noun. Jeff, Jim, and Susan joined them. A compound predicate is made up of two or more verbs joined by and or or . No comma is used before and. They talked for a short time. They laughed for a short time. They talked and laughed for a short time. In the next example three sentences have been joined into one. separate the three verbs. Commas

They planned a field trip. They made a list of the equipment. They chose a date for the trip. They planned a field trip, made a list of the equipment, and chose a date for the trip. If a sentence has two or more direct objects but only one verb, the predicate is NOT compound. Only the direct object is compound. They selected Thursday for the trip. They selected Friday for the trip. They selected Thursday or Friday for the trip. When you combine several sentences you may have more than one structure in each sentence. Sometimes both the subject and the verb are compound, or two direct 1

objects, adjectives or adverbs may be compound. In the following example the sentences are combined and the resulting sentence contains a compound subject, a compound predicate and a compound direct object after the verb took: Jeff arranged the transportation. Susan arranged the transportation. Jeff took reservations. Susan took reservations Jeff took money for the tickets. Susan took money for the tickets. Jeff and Susan arranged the transportation and took reservations and money for the tickets. In compound structures, punctuation is important. words or word groups are joined by and: Mary and the professor talked and laughed frequently soft-spoken and considerate in the house and under the chair Commas are used when three or more words or word groups in a series are joined by and: Jeff, Jim, and Susan clear, clean, and sparkling water opened the book, wrote a check, and mailed it. No comma is used when two

Parallel structures:
When combining several sentences into one, the words or word groups (phrases or clauses) that are joined must be grammatically parallel or equal. In other words three nouns can be joined with the conjunction and, but or or but they cannot be mixed with adjectives or adverbs. This is true also when comparisons are being made. Mary is enthusiastic. Mary is energetic. Mary is a leader. Mary is an enthusiastic, energetic leader. The children and the adults were enjoying every minute. (linking words). (A fool) and (his money) are soon parted. (linking phrases) (He even called her parents) and (they didnt know where she was). (linking clauses) The waitress gave me a plate of beans, a spoon and a napkin. (noun phrases) Fishing and hunting are prohibited in this area. (-ing nouns) I need to write a short and effective response. (adjectives) He likes to swim, to hike, and to ride his bike. (to infinitives) Her cheerful outward manner and her interesting stories made her very popular with her friends. ( noun phrases)

The following example in the comparative is incorrect because we are comparing the shelves with the library, not the shelves in the other library. The shelves in Durick Library are taller than Norwich Library. The shelves in Durick Library are taller than those (the shelves) in Norwich Library. Pronouncing English is more difficult than reading it. (gerund phrase) **********************************