Final answer:
The sentence in question contains a compound predicate, formed by two verbs, 'hesitated' and 'began,' which share the same subject 'the speaker.' This illustrates the importance of subject-verb agreement and compound structures within English sentence construction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The sentence 'The speaker hesitated but soon began his presentation.' contains a compound predicate rather than a compound subject. A compound predicate occurs when two or more verbs share the same subject and are joined by a coordinating conjunction such as 'and', 'or', or 'but'. In this case, 'hesitated' and 'began' are the two verbs that form the compound predicate, sharing the single subject 'the speaker'. Understanding this structure is essential for proper subject-verb agreement and sentence construction.
It is important to note that subject-verb agreement requires that a singular subject must be accompanied by a singular verb and a plural subject by a plural verb. However, a compound predicate does not change the number of the subject; instead, it adds complexity to the action or state being described. Additionally, when connecting verbs with a coordinating conjunction, it is not necessary to use a comma unless adding special emphasis.