Subject clause

Question

How do you identify a subject clause in a sentence? I know to put a comma before a coordinating conjunction, you must have a subject and verb in each sentences and they must also stand on there own.

Does a subject always have to be a the front of a sentence? For example I have painted the house, but she is still working on sanding the floors.

In the sentence above, I have identified the I as the subject and have as the verb. In the second sentence I have identified she as the subject still as the verb.

What's your definition of a subject in a sentence?

Would you consider the following words as subject in a sentence?

You

The

How

Do

There

Tkacka15 · Accepted Answer

Goldenboy1I have identified she as the subject still as the verb

"still" is not a verb in I have painted the house, but she is still working on sanding the floors; it's an adverb.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Goldenboy1How do you identify a subject ~~clause~~ in a sentence?

It is easier to identify the verb first, and then ask "who or what is doing this action?"

Goldenboy1you must have a subject and verb in each clause

Non-finite clauses sometimes do not have an explicit subject.
The subject in an imperative clause is understood to be "you."

Goldenboy1Does a subject always have to be a the front of a sentence?

No. There are many patterns for clauses which have inverted word order. The subject comes after the (helping) verb.

e.g

1. The clause begins with a negative adverb:

Only then did she realize that she had left her cell phone on the bus.

2. It is an interrogative sentence:

When did she realize that she had left her cell phone on the bus?

3. The existential "there" pattern:

There was a book, a quill pen, and some sheets of writing paper on his desk.

4. There is a literary, dramatic, or poetic effect. The sentence begins with an adverbial phrase:

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.

After the long and boring speeches came the equally preposterous toasts.

Goldenboy1Would you consider the following words as subject in a sentence?

If a word is not a noun or a pronoun, it cannot be the subject of a verb. Check a good dictionary to find the word class.

You (pronoun)

The (determiner)

How (adverb)

Do (verb)

There (adverb)

Subject clause

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