| how to determine [if] a interrogative pronoun is subject or
subject complement |
|
It's relatively easy, actually, if you just
make up an answer to the question (using a complete sentence).
If the answer word ends up in the same place in the answer sentence as
the question word in the question sentence (that is, at the beginning),
then the question word is a subject.
If the answer word ends up in a different place in the sentence than
the beginning, then the question word is a subject complement.
Study the following examples, and note how these two principles apply.
Which [is yours]?
The blue one [is mine].
Underlined items (the question word and its replacement in the answer) are both at the beginning, so
which is a subject.
________________
Whose antiques [are these]?
[These are] Julia's antiques.
Underlined items are
not both at the beginning, so
whose antiques is a subject complement.
________________
Who [is next in line]?
Sam [is next in line].
who is a subject.
________________
What [is an even number]?
[An even number is] a number that can be evenly divided by two.
what is a subject complement.
________________
What is an example of an even number?
Twenty-six is an example of an even number.
what is a subject.
_____________
I'm guessing that most of these cases turn out to be subject complements.
CJ