What is the simple subject of the following sentence: A large number of swimmers competed in the race.
It's a tricky one!
The verb is 'competed' so you're tempted to say swimmers, right? But 'swimmers' is the object of the preposition 'of.' So what's left that could be the subject?
number of swimmers
Number
Number
To determine the simple subject of a sentence, you need to identify the main noun or pronoun that the sentence is primarily about. In the given sentence, "A large number of swimmers competed in the race," the simple subject is "number," specifically the phrase "a large number."
To break it down further:
- "A" is an indefinite article that does not contribute to the subject.
- "large" is an adjective describing the number.
- "number" is the main noun and the simple subject of the sentence. It is what the sentence focuses on.
So, the simple subject of the sentence is "number."