How to parse. ...

HOW TO PARSE.
CHAPTER I.
SUBJECT AND OBJECT.
I The Subject in a Stating Sentence.
ALL Verbs that make a statement must be accompanied by some Noun, or equivalent of a Noun,
about which the statement is made:(1) " Thomas failed."
(2) " Ie failed."
(3) " The attempt to take the city failed."
(4) "That hefailed is certain."
In each of the three examples above, if you ask
the question "Who or what failed?"' the answer,
being the subject of our statement, is called the
Subject of the Verb.
This leads us to a Definition:
The subject of a Verb in a stating sentence is the
word or collection of words answering to the question
asked by putting " Who?" or " What?" before the
Verb.l
1 It is not enough to say that the Subject is " that about which
the statement is miade." For, in " A tempest wrecked our ship,"
tile statement is just as much about " ship " as about "tempest";
but "Ship" is not the " Subject."
1