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“Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive,

along with which comes the inner voice which says, 'This is the real me,'

and when you have found that attitude, follow it.”

This is a quote from William James.

I do not understant what the subject for verb comes is ?

It seems to me that a bit of meaning is about

either the inner voice comes along with that particular mental attitude

or that particular mental attitude comes along with the inner voice

I am not sure which one is correct.

I know some usages of English put a verb before it's subject such as poems.

Also does the second which refer to the inner voice?

Thank you for reading my question.

1 Answer 1

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The inner voice is the subject, which (= that particular mental attribute) is the complement, of comes with.

So the meaning is

The inner voice comes with that particular mental attribute ...

The inversion is grammatical (and common in a literary style) when certain things come first in the clause; for example:

  • some negative polarity adverbials (inversion is compulsory):

Never had I seen that before.

Scarcely had they left, than I remembered it.

  • a quotation:

"That was close!" said Jane.

The construction (preposition) which does not invert normally:

The axe with which he felled the tree

but in a literary style, especially with verbs like come and go (used metaphorically) and be, it is quite normal (examples out of the iWeb corpus):

Most Ghanaian main dishes are organized around a starchy staple food, with which goes a sauce or soup containing a Protein source.

... an inner room, from which comes a piercing shriek ...

Groups are also be given small cards on which are written the key measures of the New Deal

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