14
votes
Omitting 'that' in this sentence
Others have explained why you can't simply omit the "that". However, in this case it would be idiomatic to omit "that is", leaving "There is so much at stake for many."
- 3,033
14
votes
What is the subject of the sentence "Inside were mounds of gold coins"?
Inside were mounds of gold coins
The subject is "mounds of gold coins".
The sentence exhibits what is called 'subject-dependent inversion'. Here the locational dependent "inside" has been inverted ...
- 15.8k
10
votes
Accepted
Can an adjective be a subject
That isn't actually using an adjective as a subject. It's just an inversion of "Her eyes that shone like diamonds and her lips held in a steady smile were unforgettable."
This kind of ...
- 40.8k
10
votes
Accepted
Do the subject and object have to agree in number? For example: "Tigers (plural) are a wild animal (singular)"
No, subjects and complements do not have to agree in number. Objects, which are a special type of complement, do not need to either.
Examples:
This penguin likes tigers. Singular subject, plural ...
9
votes
Accepted
Two questions about the 4th verse of "The Star-Spangled Banner"
In the English of the nineteenth century, and to some extent today, "shall" in the second or third person expresses determination, obligation or volition.
This was never a subjunctive, ...
- 202k
8
votes
Accepted
Can anyone explain to me the subject and object in this sentence?
As the saying goes, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. The writer of that piece of advice is badly informed.
To start, let's just look at these two versions of a possible sentence.
He is one of ...
8
votes
What is the subject in the sentence "Rice is being cooked by Mary"?
I thought that the subject is that which acts, and the object is that which is acted upon.
This is often true in an active-voice sentence, but not in a passive-voice sentence.
That which acts/is ...
- 175k
8
votes
Accepted
Omitting 'that' in this sentence
No, the relative pronoun that cannot be omitted in the sentence "There is so much (that) is at stake for many".
This is because that functions as the subject of the defining relative clause that is ...
- 3,005
8
votes
Can an adjective be a subject
Can a single adjective be a subject?
Yes. English allows adjective nominalization, that is, the use of an adjective as a noun. You usually see this with “the,” as in “the rich,” “the poor,” though ...
- 4,964
7
votes
Accepted
Which is the subject (and what's the other thing called)
Subjects in English generally come before the verb. The verb can have "other things" near it, words like have, can, should, was, etc. The subject can be things other than a noun, such as car, tree, ...
- 299
7
votes
What is the subject of the sentence "Inside were mounds of gold coins"?
The quoted sentence is an example of an inverted sentence.
Unlike a standard sentence, which has the order [subject] [verb] [complement/nothing (depending on the verb)], it begins with the complement,...
- 4,669
7
votes
Accepted
Subject and Predicate in 'The cackling of geese saved Rome.'
English is quite strict about word order. In factual sentences (i.e. not questions or some other rarer forms) the subject must precede the verb. English has no way of marking nouns that are subjects ...
- 202k
7
votes
What is the function of "there" in the structure, "There is/are/..."?
There were fifteen cats and an eviction notice on Janet's front porch.
This is an existential construction, where there is not an adverb but a dummy pronoun functioning as subject of the sentence.
It'...
- 15.8k
7
votes
Can I remove the subject, as in "It's helpful as removes pain"?
No, the subject can't be removed, but you can use a pronoun instead of repeating the subject noun. For example:
Aspirin is helpful, as it removes pain.
- 5,787
7
votes
Two questions about the 4th verse of "The Star-Spangled Banner"
As JamesK’s answer says, “shall” marks a future tense, nothing more. Well, possibly with a sense of determination (they’re determined to stand up and defend their homes) rather than simply occurring ...
- 8,215
7
votes
Do the subject and object have to agree in number? For example: "Tigers (plural) are a wild animal (singular)"
No, the subject and object of a verb don't have to agree:
A man eats some chips.
The subject (man) is singular and the object (chips) is plural.
In your example, you don't have an object, but a ...
- 202k
6
votes
'Yours and mine' or 'Your and my'?
I think that this is confusing because you're using your and my when we already have a word our which would normally be preferred. For this reason the sentence is a little awkward, because it's not ...
6
votes
'It is necessary for job interviewees being punctual': Why isn't this grammatical?
If you write
It is necessary for job interviewees being punctual...
The 'being punctual' is interpreted as a participle phrase modifying "interviewees". The tight binding of those parts of the ...
- 8,429
6
votes
Accepted
Why place "both" and "all" after an auxiliary verb such as "have"?
The phenomenon presented in your question is called "Quantifier Floating".
In English grammar, quantifier floating is the syntactic process by which a subject-related quantifier (all, both, or each) ...
- 643
6
votes
Forward or backward subject verb agreement
In each case you figure out what the verb is, then the subject. It's not the position of the verb relative to the subject that matters.
In
Using this rule enable(s) us to do X.
the verb is clearly &...
- 7,103
5
votes
Accepted
Should I say "For/ to / me had the same story like you had" or just "Me had the same story"?
Neither is acceptable. The second part of the sentence is a clause and needs a subject (to go along with the "had" - the predicate). "Me" cannot be a subject, the subject would be "I":
I'll tell ...
- 8,429
5
votes
The subject of an interrogative sentence
Consider the following sentences:
What about the party didn't you like?
Who from the film do you most want to meet?
What about the story amused you?
The news from Italy was the same.
The results from ...
5
votes
Accepted
"Whether he met them (it) is not clear." Do I have to insert an ''it''?
We can use clauses as Subjects in English:
[That she refused your offer] is not surprising.
[Whether you like it] is not important.
In the sentences above we see a declarative clause and an ...
5
votes
How can I explain this "Who" question simply to my student?
Rules for making wh-questions. First locate the missing information:
You taught ___?
Select the correct wh-word and insert it into this space:
You taught who?
If, and only if, you ...
5
votes
Marking the functions of a sentence: 'She may like it'
She may [ like it ].
Traditionally "may like" has been taken as a constituent (and commonly called 'the verb’). There was a lot of argument about this in the 70s, and many have come round to the view ...
- 15.8k
5
votes
Accepted
Why did Jobs use "it" instead of "they" in this interview?
That is a dummy "it." The pronoun "it" in that sentence does not refer to anything; it is simply a way of rephrasing the sentence
But if computer science hadn't existed, these ...
- 21k
5
votes
What is the function of "there" in the structure, "There is/are/..."?
In this particular sentence, it's acting as a dummy pronoun, and the subject of the sentence.
However, in a very similar sentence, it can act as an adverb, when it represents a specific place:
John ...
- 2,277
4
votes
Accepted
Why there is a comma in this short sentence?
That comma indicates a pause.
There is no subject because this is not a clause. It is simply an utterance. Not all utterances contained a tensed clause. Like this one.
- 8,128
4
votes
adverbial phrase ambiguity/ with her in a blue dress
They're all ambiguous and could all be used to mean that you were the one wearing the dress. You could arguably also use all those constructions if Jane was wearing the dress but that meaning wouldn't ...
- 2,185
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