+416.+ We have found that the two parts of a simple sentence are the
complete subject and the complete predicate. The noun is most often used
as the subject of a sentence. It may have a number of modifiers, but
when we strip away these modifiers we can usually find a noun which is
the subject of the sentence. Occasionally the subject is a pronoun or a
participle or adjective used as a noun but most frequently the subject
is a noun. As for example:
A wild piercing _cry_ rang out.
Hopeless, helpless _children_ work in the cotton mills.
The golden _age_ of peace will come.
Little child _lives_ are coined into money.
Defenseless, helpless _children_ suffer most under capitalism.
Every neglected _child_ smites my conscience in the name of humanity.
The thrilling, far-sounding _battle-cry_ shall resound.
Note that in all of these sentences the word in italics is a noun, which
is the simple subject of the sentence. All of the other words which
comprise the complete subject are the modifiers of this noun, or
modifiers of its modifiers.
But in our study of words, we have found that there are a number of
other words which can be used in place of a noun and these may all be
used as the subject of a sentence.
+417.+ +A pronoun may be used as the subject of a sentence+, for the
pronoun is a word used in place of the noun; and a pronoun used as the
subject of a sentence may have modifiers just as a noun. It may be
modified by adjectives or adjective phrases, as for example:
_We_ are confident of success.
_He_, worried and out of employment, committed suicide.
_She_, heartsick and weary, waited for an answer.
_She_, with her happy, watchful ways, blessed the household.
_They_, victorious and triumphant, entered the city.
How can _I_, without money or friends, succeed?
"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
_I_ thank whatever Gods there be
For my unconquerable soul."
In all of these sentences the pronoun is the simple subject of the
sentence, and the pronoun with all of its modifiers is the complete
subject of the sentence.
+418.+ +The participle may be used as a noun, the subject of the
sentence.+ For example:
_Traveling_ is pleasant.
Here the present participle _traveling_ is used as a noun, subject of
the sentence.
Participle phrases may also be used as nouns, as for example:
_Being prepared_ will not save us from war.
His _having signed_ the note was the cause of the trouble.
In these sentences, _being prepared_ and _having signed_ are participle
phrases used as nouns, the subjects of the verbs _will save_ and _was_.
Note the use of the participle used as the subject in the following
sentences:
_Painting_ is an art.
_Making_ shoes is his work.
_Being discovered_ seems to be the real crime.
His _having joined_ his comrades was a brave act.
Your _remaining_ here will be dangerous.
Note that when the participle is used as a noun, the possessive form
of the pronoun is always used with it, as in the sentence above:
_Your_ remaining here will be dangerous.
Notice that in some of these sentences the participle has an object; as,
making _shoes_, his having joined his _comrades_. The participle still
retains some of its verb nature in that it may take an object. The
entire phrases, _His having joined his comrades_, and, _Making shoes_,
are the subjects of the sentences.
+419.+ +The infinitive may also be used as a noun, the subject of the
sentence.+ Note in the following sentences the use of the infinitive as
the subject of the sentence:
_To err_ is human; _to forgive_ is divine.
_To be_ or not _to be_ is the question.
_To toil_ all day is wearisome.
_To aim_ is one thing; _to hit_ the mark is another.
_To remain_ ignorant is to remain a slave.
+420.+ +An adjective can also be used as the subject.+ You remember in
our study of adjectives we found that an adjective may be used as a
noun, as for example:
The _strong_ enslave the weak.
Here the adjective _strong_ is used as a noun, subject of the sentence.
Note in the following sentences, the use of the adjectives as subjects:
The _wise_ instruct the ignorant.
The _dead_ were left upon the battlefields.
The _rich_ look down upon the poor.
The _mighty_ of the earth have forced this war upon us.
The _poor_ are enslaved by their ignorance.
The _wounded_ were carried to the hospitals.