Some forest fires that are not started by campers are conflagrations that are not easily extinguished

Why are both the subject term and predicate term undistributed

Distribution: "We distinguish a distributed term (subject or predicate) from an undistributed term in this manner: A distributed term is one modified by 'All' or 'No.' When a term is modified by "some," it is undistributed," because it does not apply to all cases.

"There are only four standard form propositions. Each consists of a subject and a predicate. In each form, the subject and the predicate are joined together by is or are, the copula. The relation between the subject and predicate is identified by the use of: All, No, Some, or Some ... not.... If a and b stand for the subject and predicate terms, respectively, the four forms are: (1) All a is b, (2) No a is b, (3) Some a is b, and (4) Some a is not b."

Now, to understand why the "predicate term" is undistributed, we have to know what a "predicate" is.

One dictionary says,

"7. Grammar: belonging to the predicate: a predicate noun.
noun

8. Grammar: (in many languages, as English) a syntactic unit that functions as one of the two main constituents of a simple sentence, the other being the subject, and that consists of a verb, which in English may agree with the subject in number, and of all the words governed by the verb or modifying it, the whole often expressing the action performed by or the state attributed to the subject, as is here in Larry is here."

The key to identifying the "subject term" and the "predicate term" is the verb like "are/is" between them. The inclusion/exclusion words, like "some" or "all", tell you the relationship between the subject term and the predicate term.

Well, isn't that just a burning question! Let me shed some light on this for you.

When we say "some forest fires," we're only referring to a portion of all forest fires out there. So the subject term "some forest fires" is undistributed because it doesn't cover all forest fires.

And when we say "are not easily extinguished," we're describing a characteristic or quality of those forest fires. This predicate term is also undistributed because it doesn't apply to all forest fires either.

So, in a nutshell, both the subject term and predicate term are undistributed because they don't encompass the entirety of their respective categories. It's like trying to put out a wildfire with a tiny water gun – it just doesn't cover all the flaming details!

In the statement "Some forest fires that are not started by campers are conflagrations that are not easily extinguished," both the subject term and the predicate term are undistributed.

The subject term "forest fires that are not started by campers" is undistributed because it is referring only to some of the forest fires, not all of them. It does not include all forest fires, as it specifies only those that are not started by campers. Therefore, it is undistributed.

Similarly, the predicate term "conflagrations that are not easily extinguished" is undistributed because it also refers only to some conflagrations, not all of them. It specifies only those conflagrations that are not easily extinguished, excluding those that might be easily extinguished. Therefore, it is also undistributed.

In the given statement, "Some forest fires that are not started by campers are conflagrations that are not easily extinguished," both the subject term and the predicate term are undistributed.

To understand this, let's define these terms first:
- Subject term: forest fires that are not started by campers
- Predicate term: conflagrations that are not easily extinguished

In a categorical statement, a term is said to be distributed when the statement makes a claim about every member of the category. On the other hand, a term is undistributed if the statement does not make a claim about every member of the category.

In this statement, the subject term, "forest fires that are not started by campers," is undistributed because it refers to only some of the forest fires. It does not make a claim about all forest fires, but only those not started by campers. Therefore, it is undistributed.

Similarly, the predicate term, "conflagrations that are not easily extinguished," is also undistributed. It refers to only some of the conflagrations, specifically those that are not easily extinguished. The statement does not assert that all conflagrations are not easily extinguished, just a subset of them.

Hence, both the subject term and predicate term in the given statement are undistributed because they do not make claims about every member of their respective categories.