jazzmaster  +  685883 Thu, 12 Mar 09 12:48 PM Question: Let's say there is this sentence: A. How many cats have chased the mice? In A, what is the SUBJECT of the sentence?  I believe it is "cats" or "many cats".   Some, however, insist the whole "how many cats" is the SUBJECT and I do not quite understand that opinion. How about in this sentence? B. How many cats have the mice chased? Thanks in advance. jazzmaster Joined on Fri, Jul 25 2008 Junior Member 80 Sentences

	AlpheccaStars  +  685939 Thu, 12 Mar 09 04:01 PM How is an adverb, modifying the adjective "many."  "Cats" is the (bare) subject.  The phrase "how many cats" is a noun phrase,  so if you divide the sentence into 3 parts - subject / verb / object - then that whole noun phrase is considered to be the subject part of the sentence.  Noun phrases can be very long with adverbs, adjectives, phrases, etc. Running swiftly on soft paws, the exquisitely beautiful and dainty long-haired calico cats chased the mice.   In "B", "mice" is the subject, and "cats" is the object.  EDIT: Here is the dictionary definition of "subject": Grammar. (in English and many other languages) a syntactic unit that functions as one of the two main constituents of a simple sentence, the other being the predicate, and that consists of a noun, noun phrase, or noun substitute which often refers to the one performing the action or being in the state expressed by the predicate, as He in He gave notice.  AlpheccaStars Joined on Sun, Oct 12 2008 Senior Member 3,508 The pen is mightier than the sword. Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) Nouns, Adverbs, Noun Phrases, Predicates, Adjectives, Sentences, Phrases, Countries, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Languages

	jazzmaster  +  686056 Thu, 12 Mar 09 10:59 PM AS, thanks much for the precise and concise explanation.  It's all clear.  Also your mention of "bare subject" and "noun phrase" made me realize that I had asked a similar question before in this forum. Thanks again. JM jazzmaster Nouns, Noun Phrases, Phrases