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Jazzmaster Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Subject of How many ...

Question:
Let's say there is this sentence:

A. How many cats have chased the mice?

In A, what is the SUBJECT of the sentence? I believe it is "cats" or "many cats". Some, however, insist the whole "how many cats" is the SUBJECT and I do not quite understand that opinion.

How about in this sentence?

B. How many cats have the mice chased?

Thanks in advance.

  

Top answer

" "Cats" is the (bare) subject. The phrase "how many cats" is a noun phrase, so if you divide the sentence into 3 parts - subject / verb / object - then that whole noun phrase is considered to be the subject part of the sentence. Noun phrases can be very long with adverbs, adjectives, phrases, etc.

— AlpheccaStars

  • " "Cats" is the (bare) subject.
  • The phrase "how many cats" is a noun phrase, so if you divide the sentence into 3 parts - subject / verb / object - then that whole noun phrase is considered to be the subject part of the sentence.
  • Noun phrases can be very long with adverbs, adjectives, phrases, etc.
  • Running swiftly on soft paws, the exquisitely beautiful and dainty long-haired calico cats chased the mice.
  • In "B", "mice" is the subject, and "cats" is the object.
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2 Answers
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How is an adverb, modifying the adjective "many." "Cats" is the (bare) subject. The phrase "how many cats" is a noun phrase, so if you divide the sentence into 3 parts - subject / verb / object - then that whole noun phrase is considered to be the subject part of the sentence. Noun phrases can be very long with adverbs, adjectives, phrases, etc.

Running swiftly on soft paws, the e
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AS, thanks much for the precise and concise explanation. It's all clear. Also your mention of "bare subject" and "noun phrase" made me realize that I had asked a similar question before in this forum.

Thanks again.
JM
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