Subject and Its Modifiers 1

The subject of a sentence may include a single word or several words (compound / complex subject).

1.       I am alone. [simple subject]

2.       Jack and Jill went up the hill. [compound subject = Jack+Jill]

3.       The poor are happier. [complex subject]

4.       A stitch in time saves nine (stitches - Ellipsis). [complex subject]

When it includes several words, the most important word is called the head word; here subject-word (in red boldface in above examples).

The subject-word is qualified by an Adjective / Adjective-Equivalent.

In 3 above ⇒ the noun phrase The poor functions as the complete subject of the sentence, where poor (Adjective) is the head (subject-word) of the [noun phrase] complete subject.

In 4 ⇒ the complete subject includes 4 words, where stitch is the subject-word. The group of words in time (prepositional phrase) functions as an Adjective. So, we call it an Adjective-Equivalent.

A, an, the in the subject are Attributes

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The verb should agree with the subject-word in number (singular/plural). Observe:

The hour to prepare lessons has arrived. (hour HAS, not HAVE)

REVISION

The subject of a sentence may consist of one or more words.

However, the verb should agree with the subject-word.

The subject-word is always a NOUN (=pronoun) or a group of words that does the work of a Noun [Noun-Equivalent].

As a Noun is qualified/modified by an Adjective, the subject-word (which itself is a N/NE) is qualified by an Adjective/Adjective-Equivalent (in the complete subject).

Next on Dr Nadun’s operating table: Subject and Its Modifiers 2, Verb and Its Modifiers 1 (Coming soon…)

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