Kinds of Enlargement of the Subject

What is a Subject?

In grammar, the subject is the part of a sentence that tells us who or what the sentence is about. It usually comes before the verb.

Examples:

• • • Dogs bark. (subject = Dogs)
    • The teacher is speaking. (subject = The teacher)

What is Enlargement of the Subject?

Sometimes, the subject is very short and simple. To make our sentences more clear, descriptive, and meaningful, we add extra words to the subject.
This process is called enlargement of the subject.

Examples:

• • • Birds fly. (basic subject)
    • The small colorful birds in the garden fly happily. (enlarged subject with more details)

Enlargements help us:

• • • Add clarity (Which one? Whose?)
    • Add description (What kind? How many?)
    • Add interest (Make sentences richer for IELTS writing and speaking)

Different Kinds of Enlargement of the Subject

1. Enlargement by Adjectives

Definition: An adjective is a word that describes or qualifies a noun. When placed with the subject, it gives more information about it.

Examples:

• • • A boy is running. (basic)
    • A tall boy is running. (adjective tall enlarges subject)
    • The clever student answered quickly.

2. Enlargement by Determiners

Definition: Determiners are words placed before nouns to show which one, how many, or whose.

Types of determiners:

• • • Articles: a, an, the
    • Demonstratives: this, that, these, those
    • Possessives: my, your, his, her, our, their
    • Quantifiers: some, many, few, several, all

Examples:

• • • Students are reading. (basic)
    • The students in my class are reading. (the specifies subject)
    • My teacher is very kind. (my shows possession)
    • Those books are on the table. (those shows which books)

3. Enlargement by Prepositional Phrases

Definition: A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition (in, on, at, with, of, under, by, for) and gives extra detail about the subject.

Examples:

• • • The man is speaking. (basic)
    • The man with a beard is speaking. (with a beard adds detail)
    • The house on the corner is very old.
    • The boy in the red shirt is my cousin.

4. Enlargement by Apposition

Definition: Apposition means placing another noun or noun phrase next to the subject to explain it better. Both refer to the same person or thing.

Examples:

• • • My uncle is here. (basic)
    • My uncle, a famous doctor, is here. (the phrase a famous doctor explains my uncle)
    • India, my country, is very diverse.
    • Ravi, my best friend, studies abroad.

5. Enlargement by Clauses

Definition: A clause is a group of words with a subject and verb. A relative clause (using who, which, that) can enlarge the subject.

Examples:

• • • The girl is singing. (basic)
    • The girl who won the singing competition is singing again.
    • The book that you gave me is interesting.
    • The teacher who lives near my house teaches English.

Quick Reference (Easy Points)

• • Adjectives → add qualities.
    The clever boy answered.
  • Determiners → show which, how many, whose.
    These students are hardworking.
  • Prepositional Phrases → add extra detail.
    The man with a hat is my uncle.
  • Apposition → gives extra name/explanation.
    Mr. Sharma, our principal, spoke today.
  • Clauses → full extra idea about the subject.
    The child who won the prize is very happy.

Why This is Important for IELTS?

In IELTS, if you only use short subjects, your writing and speaking may sound basic. Enlargements show you can write complex, descriptive sentences, which are needed for Band 7 or higher.

Example for IELTS Writing Task 2:

• • • Basic: Technology helps students.
    • Enlarged: Modern technology, which is widely used in education, helps students learn faster and more effectively.

Example for IELTS Speaking:

• • • Basic: I met a friend yesterday.
    • Enlarged: I met my childhood friend, who is now studying medicine, yesterday at a café near my house.

Practice Exercise

Task 1: Enlarge the following subjects in 5 ways (adjective, determiner, prepositional phrase, apposition, clause).

1. Girl

2. Car

3. Book

4. Teacher

5. Friend

Example with Car:

• Adjective: A red car is parked outside.
• Determiner: That car is very expensive.
• Prepositional Phrase: The car in the garage belongs to me.
• Apposition: My car, a Honda Civic, is very reliable.
• Clause: The car that I bought last year is still new.

Task 2: Identify the enlargement in these sentences:

1. The boy with brown eyes is smiling.

2. Mr. Sharma, our new neighbour, is very friendly.

3. The students who studied hard passed the exam.

4. Those houses near the river look beautiful.

5. The tall building collapsed during the storm.

(Answers: 1. Prepositional phrase, 2. Apposition, 3. Clause, 4. Determiner + Prepositional phrase, 5. Adjective)