What is the subject/verb?

English grammar questions, answered by Alan

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onlydlonly
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What is the subject/verb?

Post by onlydlonly »

I have 2 sentences. Can you help me figure out what the subject, verb, etc. are of these sentences and why? What does each word do in these sentences? Thanks! It has been a while...

All they ever talk about is work.

All she ever does is hang out with her co-workers.

Quite frankly Ive asked a few people and they all tell me different answers

My first thoughts were

For the first sentence

"work" is the subject "is" is the verb and "all they ever talk about" is an adverbial phrase

for the second sentence

"hanging out with her co-workers" is the subject "is" is the verb "all she ever does" is the adverbial phrase

Then I was told

"they" is the subject "talk" is the verb "work" is the object "all" and "ever" are adverbs describing "talk"

For the second sentence "She" is the subject "Does" is the verb "Hang out" is the object

then finally

In the first sentence "all" is the subject, "is" is the verb, "work" is the predicate. "[that] they ever talk about" is a relative clause modifying "all". The second sentence has a similar structure, and "hang out with her coworkers" is the predicate. There are no direct objects in the primary structures of these sentences.
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Re: What is the subject/verb?

Post by Alan »

First sentence, with ellipted words restored:

All: (pron.) main clause subject

[that: (rel. pron.) object of 'about']

they: subject of relative clause

ever: adverb

talk: verb of relative clause

about: prep.

is: verb of main clause

work: (noun) main clause complement

*Different sentences, separate posts, please! (see guidelines)
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