subject-verb agreement (concept from "thusdays with ron")

[carlosutrillas]

Hi,

The first "Thursdays with ron" video talks about subject-verb agreement.

Ron says..."Things than can´t be subjects are: Objects of verbs, Objects of prepositions and subordinate clauses"

I think I understand that. However, then Ron gives an example

"Harder than anything else on the exam (was/were) the three questions at the end"

Ron explains "harder" is not a noun and it can´t be the subject.

I am having problems to understand that. I mean, in the same video Ron gives another example

"...What is much more difficult to determine (is/are) the reason for their decoration, the use to which primitive people put the caves, and..."

Ron says the subject here is "what is more difficult to determine"

is "what is more difficult to determine" the subject because this sentence is directly referring to a noun?

If yes, then I think I understand everything.

Hope my question is enough clear, thanks.

By the way, congratulations Ron for your videos. They are amazing

Carlos

[RonPurewal]

hi,
i don't have any idea how to formally analyze the grammar here, so, if you're looking for that, you're out of luck (unless another instructor knows how to do that).

the point is just to recognize which things can act as nouns and which things can't.
there's a whole class of things that look like the latter one here ... e.g.
Whoever stole my car is going to die.
in this case, "whoever stole my car" is the subject; this works just like "what is impossible to determine".

--

if your 1st language happens to be spanish, consider the following examples, which work exactly the same way. (your name's carlos, so i figured i'd give it a shot.)

What cannot be explained is...
--> this works in EXACTLY the same way as
Lo que no se puede explicar es...
so, just think of it as an analogy.

here's a sentence that works like the other one:
Cuanto más mejores tu ratio, más difícil serán los rivales.
(this is NOT "lo mas difícil será...")

hope that helps.

[carlosutrillas]

Roy,

Nice explanation. My first language is Spanish so your explanation really helped me!

Thanks ;)

[RonPurewal]

no problem. buena suerte

[carlosutrillas]

Gracias Ron!

[RonPurewal]

.