what is the subject

Question

What is the subject here.."under the tree is a great place to rest."Thank you! I really need an answer ASAP. thanks!

BillJ · Accepted Answer

"Under the tree is a great place to rest."

The preposition phrase "under the tree" is the subject.

You can tell this by the fact that the PP occupies the basic subject position before the verb, and with subject-auxiliary inversion, it occurs after the auxiliary to form a question:

"Is under the tree a great place to rest."?

BillJ

Marites cervantes · Answer

THANK YOU! <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/10.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/10.gif' alt='Emotion: embarrassed'/>

Ravinath · Answer

BillJ , when we consider,

Under the tree is a great place to rest.

Can't this mean : There is a great place under the tree to rest . So, can't a great place be the subject ?

[Can't the author here be referring to a place under the tree like a bench, hotel or something. Therefore , can't the real subject be hidden ?]
.
I have quoted some phrases from a book I have read.

Inside the chamber were people.
Beneath the grid was the metallic blur of a huge propeller.

Can we directly identify subjects in these sentences ?

Inside the chamber and Beneath the grid can't be the subjects , right ?

BillJ · Answer

RavinathBillJ , So, can't a great place be the subject ?[Can't the author here be referring to a place under the tree like a bench, hotel or something. Therefore , can't the real subject be hidden ?].

Consider the grammar:

"Under the tree is a great place to rest".

If "a great place to rest" were the subject, it would invert with the verb "is" to form a question, but if we do that here, what we get is a further ungrammatical statement, not a question:

*"Under the tree a great place to rest is".

BillJ

Ravinath · Answer

Thank you BillJ I get it

Fivejedjon · Answer

RavinathInside the chamber were people. Beneath the grid was the metallic blur of a huge propeller.

Can we directly identify subjects in these sentences ?

Yes. I have highlighted them.

Dave_anon · Answer

Hi

Hmm. My sympathies here are with Ravinath.

- The whale is a mammal
- Is the whale a mammal?

- Under the tree is a great place to rest
- Is under the tree a great place to rest?

Or, indeed:

- A great place to rest is under the tree
- Is a great place to rest under the tree?

I'm not sure what the inversion proves one way or the other:

- The cat kills the mouse
- The cat the mouse kills?
[??]

Dave

BillJ · Answer

RavinathBillJ , when we consider,Under the tree is a great place to rest.Can't this mean : There is a great place under the tree to rest . So, can't a great place be the subject ?[Can't the author here be referring to a place under the tree like a bench, hotel or something. Therefore , can't the real subject be hidden ?].I have quoted some phrases from a book I have read.Inside the chamber were people.Beneath the grid was the metallic blur of a huge propeller.Can we directly identify subjects in these sentences ?Inside the chamber and Beneath the grid can't be the subjects , right ?

This may help explain your other examples:

"Inside the chamber” and “beneath the grid” are complements which in a canonical statement would appear after the verb, not before it. The crucial point is that placing the complements after the verb has already triggered subject-verb inversion. If we place them in their more 'normal' position, i.e. after the verb, that inversion becomes reversed and we get the more basic sentences with the subjects in its normal position before the verb:

“People were inside the chamber”.
“The metallic blur of a huge propeller was beneath the grid”

The subject and verb will now invert to form questions in the normal way:

“Were people inside the chamber”?
“Was the metallic blur of a huge propeller beneath the grid”?

Can you see now why fivejedjon identified the subjects as being "People" and "The metallic blur ..." ?

BillJ
EDIT (Requested by BillJ in a PM)

The crucial point is that placing the complements before the verb has already triggered subject-verb inversion",
A-

s

Ravinath · Answer

Thank you all <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Ravinath · Answer

Can you see now that 5JJ was correct in identifying the subjects as being "People" and The metallic blur ..." ?

Yes BillJ. It is easy to understand ,after rearranging into the usual order.

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