§ 42. 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. In English there are two such position-fillers: it and there.
The notional subject
§ 43. 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 ifor 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.
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