What is the Subject?

Every great film has a main character—the one who drives the story forward, faces challenges, and takes action. In grammar, that main character is the subject. Without the subject, a sentence wouldn’t have direction or meaning, just like a movie wouldn’t make sense without its lead actor.

What is the Subject?

The subject is the one who performs the action or is being described in the sentence. It’s the star, the focus, the reason the sentence exists. No matter how simple or complex a sentence is, the subject plays the leading role.

For example:

• Liam runs every morning.
• The cat is sleeping on the couch.
• She loves watching movies.

In each of these sentences, the subject is the person or thing we’re talking about. It’s who or what the sentence revolves around.

Just like a movie character can be active, fighting villains, or saving the day, a subject in a sentence is often the one performing the action.

• The chef cooked a delicious meal.
• They built a treehouse.
• My dog chased the squirrel.

In these examples, the subject is the one doing something—the hero of the sentence’s action scene.

However, sometimes, the subject is just there. Not all movies are packed with action. Some are slow and emotional, where the main character is simply experiencing things. In grammar, some subjects aren’t doing anything exciting; they’re just being described.

• The sky is blue.
• My brother is tall.
• That cake looks delicious.

Here, the subject isn’t performing an action but is still the central focus of the sentence.

Every sentence needs a subject. It could be one word (John), a phrase (The little girl in the red dress), or even something implied (Sit down!—where “you” is the understood subject).

So, next time you write a sentence, think of it like directing a scene. Ask yourself: Who is the main character? Who is driving the sentence forward? That’s your subject!