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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Identify the Subject

hi everyone Emotion: smile

I hope you can help me with this question.
I want to identify the subject in the following clauses. which tests should I apply?

There has been an accident.
That she became a teacher I will never understand.
To work hard is a prerequisite to success.
It wasn`t a problem.

thx for the reply!
  

Top answer

The basic position of the subject is before the verb (and the whole verb phrase). The subject can be a noun (or noun phrase), a pronoun (including a 'dummy' pronoun) and sometimes even a subordinate clause: There has been an accident. Here the dummy pronoun 'there' is the subject and the verb is 'has been'.

— BillJ

  • The basic position of the subject is before the verb (and the whole verb phrase).
  • The subject can be a noun (or noun phrase), a pronoun (including a 'dummy' pronoun) and sometimes even a subordinate clause: There has been an accident.
  • Here the dummy pronoun 'there' is the subject and the verb is 'has been'.
  • [That she became a teacher] [ I will never understand ].
  • There are two clauses here, as bracketed: In the first, the pronoun 'she' is the subject and the verb is 'became' and in the second 'I' is the subject and 'will never understand' is the verb ('never' is a negator).
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9 Answers
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The basic position of the subject is before the verb (and the whole verb phrase). The subject can be a noun (or noun phrase), a pronoun (including a 'dummy' pronoun) and sometimes even a subordinate clause:

There has been an accident. Here the dummy pronoun 'there' is the subject and the verb is 'has been'.

[That she became a teacher] [I wil
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Thank you, I appreciate it!!!!! Emotion: smile
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Can you give me examples like a substitution test:
Every element can be substituted by a proform:

Jane wrote her paper last week.
-She wrote her paper last week.
-Jane wrote it last week.
- Jane wrote it then.
- Jane did something to/with/about here paper.

Does this test work for the sentences i mentioned in my first question?
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Hi, BillJ

"That she became the teacher I will never understand."



Is this an inverted main clause?



I will never understand that she became the teacher.





Also, I've read that you don't classify dummy it and there as subjects. The subject comes later in the sentence. They just stand in place of the subject. What
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English 1b3
"That she became the teacher I will never understand."

Is this an inverted main clause?


In my experience it's called preposing, which typically occurs when an element is placed before the subject of a clause though its basic position would be after the verb.
English 1b3
Also, I
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"There" and "here" are never verbs. They are introductory words. The subject is "an accident", not the introductory word "there.
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AnonymousThere" and "here" are never verbs.
Who said they were? Firstly, 'here' was never mentioned at all, and secondly no one said that 'there' and 'here' were verbs. If you read the thread, you'll see that I said 'there' was a subject in that particular sentence. Neither I, nor the other contributor (English1b3), said it was a verb, so why do you imply that
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dentify the subject: Get me more popcorn, please.
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Hi,

This is an imperative, an order.

The subject is not stated explicitly. It is assumed to be the person or persons you are speaking to.



We do sometimes speak more explicitly.

eg You, get me more popcorn, please.

eg Fred, get me more popcorn, please.



Clive
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