painted caves at Lascaux and Altamira

[nailgmat]

Really confused as what is the subject here.

--- what is much more difficult to determine is the reason for their decoration.

I would think the subject is the reason.

If subject is the clause "what is much more difficult to determine" then is the below sentence correct:

what is much more difficult to determine is the reasons for their decoration

Thanks.

[RonPurewal]

Really confused as what is the subject here.

--- what is much more difficult to determine is the reason for their decoration.

I would think the subject is the reason.

nope.

in a sentence that has the construction "X is Y" -- if both X and Y are nouns/noun phrases/noun clauses -- the subject is X.
always.
therefore, the following two sentences are both correct:
the last three questions were the hardest part of the test.
the hardest part of the test was the last three questions.
in each of these constructions, the subject is before the verb.

the only time when you have a reverse construction (subject after verb) is when nothing in front of the verb is eligible to be the subject.
example:
on the table are two cell phones.
here, "on the table" cannot be a subject (prepositional phrases are not allowed to be subjects), so this sentence is forced to have a reverse construction.

--


you're also making another huge mistake here -- you are isolating the first part of a compound noun (i.e., a list connected with "and"). if you have a list of two or more things connected with "and", you must consider that construction as though it were a single word.

so, the part after the verb isn't just "the reason for their decoration"; it's ALL of "the reason for their decoration, the use to which primitive people put the caves, and the meaning of the magnificently depicted animals". if that were the subject of the clause (which it isn't), then you would actually need a plural verb.

If subject is the clause "what is much more difficult to determine" then is the below sentence correct:

what is much more difficult to determine is the reasons for their decoration

yes.

[yanomerodin]

And even on here you go through an extensive explanation with examples, which is fabulous..but NO Definite end result. The answer is B, correct, Ron?

Really confused as what is the subject here.

--- what is much more difficult to determine is the reason for their decoration.

I would think the subject is the reason.

nope.

in a sentence that has the construction "X is Y" -- if both X and Y are nouns/noun phrases/noun clauses -- the subject is X.
always.
therefore, the following two sentences are both correct:
the last three questions were the hardest part of the test.
the hardest part of the test was the last three questions.
in each of these constructions, the subject is before the verb.

the only time when you have a reverse construction (subject after verb) is when nothing in front of the verb is eligible to be the subject.
example:
on the table are two cell phones.
here, "on the table" cannot be a subject (prepositional phrases are not allowed to be subjects), so this sentence is forced to have a reverse construction.

--


you're also making another huge mistake here -- you are isolating the first part of a compound noun (i.e., a list connected with "and"). if you have a list of two or more things connected with "and", you must consider that construction as though it were a single word.

so, the part after the verb isn't just "the reason for their decoration"; it's ALL of "the reason for their decoration, the use to which primitive people put the caves, and the meaning of the magnificently depicted animals". if that were the subject of the clause (which it isn't), then you would actually need a plural verb.

If subject is the clause "what is much more difficult to determine" then is the below sentence correct:

what is much more difficult to determine is the reasons for their decoration

yes.

[RonPurewal]

Ron, why do you avoid giving a specific answer in the end of the problems? I understand the learning process, but at the end of the day we need to know if the answer is A B C D OR E???

actually, knowing the letter of the correct answer is much, much less important than learning the rules and explanations behind those answers.

And even on here you go through an extensive explanation with examples, which is fabulous..but NO Definite end result. The answer is B, correct, Ron?

did you read the whole thread?
if you did, you should have seen this post
post31277.html#p31277
in which the poster cited the source and the OA of this problem.

please read the whole thread!

I watch your lessons and constantly walk away with a sense of uncertainty because the end result just ends up getting lost among discussions, potential issues, and explanations...Frustrating!!

a question for you:

which do you think is more important:
(a) having a letter for the correct answer to this one problem -- a problem that you are never going to see again;
or
(b) understanding what's right and wrong about the constructions in the problem, so that, when you're presented with future problems that contain similar constructions, you'll be able to use that information to make correct choices?

for once, i'll come straight out and tell you the answer to this one; it's (b).

[cnhelen]

Hi, sorry to bump up the old topic, but i'm still very confused about are/is.

i understand we should say: what is difficult is X, Y and Z.

1) But don't we say: what his father gave him are a few books. ?

2) is this kind of structure always singular no matter whether the word "what" is used as a subject or an object in the clause ?
i.e. what is difficult is X, Y and Z. ("what" is the subject of the clause.)
what his father gave him are a few books. ("what" is the object of the clause.)

[RonPurewal]

1) But don't we say: what his father gave him are a few books. ?

no, you would still write "is", because the subject of the verb is still what his father gave him, not a few books.

similarly:
Performed last weekend were three plays. (correct)
*Performed last weekend was three plays. (incorrect)

Sophocles's Oedipus cycle is three plays. (correct)
*Sophocles's Oedipus cycle are three plays. (incorrect)

if you find the subject in each of these, they should all make sense pretty quickly.

by the way, the likelihood that the modern gmat will test this sort of thing is pretty close to nil.

[cnhelen]

1) But don't we say: what his father gave him are a few books. ?

no, you would still write "is", because the subject of the verb is still what his father gave him, not a few books.

similarly:
Performed last weekend were three plays. (correct)
*Performed last weekend was three plays. (correct)

The second sentence is incorrect, right?

[jnelson0612]

1) But don't we say: what his father gave him are a few books. ?

no, you would still write "is", because the subject of the verb is still what his father gave him, not a few books.

similarly:
Performed last weekend were three plays. (correct)
*Performed last weekend was three plays. (correct)

The second sentence is incorrect, right?

You are right. That must be a typo. I have fixed it. Thanks!

[aliag916]

Very helpful!! thanks! I got this Q wrong coz of the S-V error that I made. Since "Performed" is a verb so it is cannot be the Subject and so the second sentence is wrong. Subject is three plays, verb is were. Got it :=)

Performed last weekend were three plays. (correct)
*Performed last weekend was three plays. (incorrect)

thank u!

[RonPurewal]

Yep.

[ramendra.awesome]

Because 'harder than anything else' is adjective phrase not a noun phrase. There is no subject.

[RonPurewal]

Because 'harder than anything else' is adjective phrase not a noun phrase. There is no subject.

Please quote the text to which you are responding.
Thanks.

[Everything OR Nothing]

this is really important:

if anything BEFORE the verb CAN BE the subject, then that thing will be the subject.

this advice mostly applies to sentences like this one: "A is/are B".
specifically:
in the sentence "noun1 is/are noun2", noun1 is the subject.
in the sentence "noun2 is/are noun1", noun2 is the subject.

for instance:
the hardest part of the test was the last three questions --> "hardest part" is the subject.
the last three questions were the hardest part of the test --> "last three questions" is the subject.

you only have a backward construction (verb before subject) if NOTHING in FRONT of the verb is eligible to be the subject.

on the table are two cell phones
--> "on the table " is a prep. phrase and therefore can't be the subject, so this is a backward construction. "two cell phones" is the subject.

harder than anything else on the test were the last three questions
--> here "harder than anything on the test" contains no eligible subjects, so this is backward construction; "the last three questions" is the subject.


----------------------------

In the above "harder than anything else on the test" can not be subject?
Why it is still not clear to me.Please elaborate

[RonPurewal]

Can "harder" can be the subject of a sentence?

If you understand why not, then the answer to your question is the same.

[Everything OR Nothing]

Of course not. Harder alone cant be the subject.
for example "The better than any other parts of america is the area containing Nj,NY,pittsburg"

in the above sentence "the better" cant be subject right. That I understand.
But "The better than any other parts" is indeed the singular subject in the above sentence. Is not it?