40. The Grammatical classification of the subject.

From the point of view of its grammatical value the subject may be either notional or  formal.               

The  notional subject denotes or (if expressed by a pronoun) points out a person or a non-person.

The  formal subject neither denotes nor points out any person or non-person and is only a structural element of the sentence filling the position of the subject. Thus a formal subject functions only as a position-filler. Формальний підмет є тільки структурним елементом речення, що заповнює положення підмета. In English there are two such position fillers: it and there.

The notional subject. The notional subject denotes or points out a person or non-person, that is, various kinds of concrete things, substances, abstract notions or happening.

Persons: The policeman stepped back. The audience cheered wildly. I know all about it. Whoever said that was wrong.

Non-persons, including animals, whose name may be substituted by if or they.

A house was ready there for the new doctor. It stood on a hill. These beasts are found only on four southern islets.

Building houses becomes more difficult. To be a friend takes time. Whatever he said is of no importance. Look at the cat. It is very small.

The formal subject. The formal subject it. The formal subject expressed by it is found in two patterns of sentences: those with   impersonal it and those with  introductory it.

1. The formal subject it is  impersonal when it is used in sentences describing various states of nature, things in general, characteristics of the environment, or denoting time, distance, other measurements.

It’s spring. - Весна. It’s cold today. - Сегодня холодно. It’s freezing. - Морозит. It seems that he was frank. - Кажется, он был откровенен. It turned out that she was deaf. - Оказалось, что она глухая.

2. The formal subject it is  introductory (anticipatory) if it introduces the notional subject expressed by an infinitive, a gerund, an infinitive/gerundial phrase, a predicative complex, or a clause.

The sentence thus contains two subjects: the formal (introductory) subject it and the notional subject, which follows the predicate. It’s impossible to deny this. It thrilled her to be invited there.

It gave him a pain in the head to walk. It was no good coming there again.

The formal subject there. Sentences with a notional subject introduced by there express the existence or coming into existence of a person or non-person denoted by the subject. Висловлюють існування або вступ в існування людини або предмету, позначеного підметом. Such sentences may be called existential sentences or sentences of presentation. They are employed where the subject presents some new idea or the most important piece of information.

The notional subject introduced by there is expressed:

1. By any noun or by a noun phrase denoting an inseparable unit or an indefinite amount of something. Будь-яким іменником або словосполученням що позначає невід'ємну одиницю або невизначений обсяг чогось.

There, was silence for a moment. There was a needle and thread in her fingers. There were a lot of people in the street.

As the notional subject usually introduces a new idea, the noun expressing it is generally used with the indefinite article.