Locate the verb. The verb is the form of "to be" or the action word. In the sentence, "He is happy," the verb is "is." In the sentence, "Jane walked to the bank," the verb is "walked." Some verbs have more than one word. In the sentence "Tom is studying at home," the verb is "is studying."
Now find the subject. The subject of a sentence is the "doer" of the being or action. In a statement, it comes before the verb. In "He is happy," the subject is "He." In "Jane walked to the bank," the subject is "Jane." In "Tom is studying at home," the subject is "Tom."
When you are looking for the subject, notice that it is usually a noun or a pronoun. "He" is a pronoun, while "Jane" and "Tom" are nouns. In "The book is on the table," the subject is "book," a noun. But the subject can also be a gerund (verb with "ing") or a phrase. "Seeing is believing" has "Seeing" as the subject. "Running away is not an option" has "Running away" as the subject.
Find the subject when it has two words connected by "and." Look at this example: "The book and pencil are in my box." Here "The book and pencil" is the subject. We call this a compound subject. It is possible to have a list longer than two items. "The book, notebook, and pencil are in my box." The subject is "The book, notebook, and pencil."
Find the subject in a question. In a question, the subject sometimes comes after the verb or after part of the verb (the helping verb). Look at this example: "Where are you going?" In this sentence, "you" comes after the verb "are" and before "going." "You" is the subject. "You" is also the subject in "Where are you?"
Find the subject when it is a question word such as "who" or "what." In these examples, questions are asked specifically about the subject. For example, look at "Who is ready?" Here the subject is also the question word, "Who." There is no helping verb, and the subject comes before the verb. Another example is "What is wrong?" Here the subject "what" precedes the verb "is."
Learn the imperative or command form of the subject. "Go away!" This type of sentences has no spoken or written subject. The implied subject is "you," which can be either singular or plural. The subject "you" is understood.