subject

"Call it nature or nurture, harmless fantasy or insidious indoctrination, but Hollywood is discovering that it still pays not to fight the royal urge."

in the sentence above,why isn't there a "subject" before the first comma?does the sentence mean "no matter you call it nature or nurture.....,Hollywood is....."?if so,why is there a "but" ?
is it correct grammar?

thanks

[RonBee]

The subject of the first clause is an implied you.

Yes. The clause means that it doesn't matter what you call it.

The but is a way of saying that none of the preceding comments really matter. In other words, it is like saying that is beside the point.

It is perfectly correct.

:)

[mengta]

so it is grammatically correct to ellipsis the subject("you" in this case)?

Originally Posted by RonBee

The subject of the first clause is an implied you.

Yes. The clause means that it doesn't matter what you call it.

The but is a way of saying that none of the preceding comments really matter. In other words, it is like saying that is beside the point.

It is perfectly correct.

:)

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by mengta

so it is grammatically correct to ellipsis the subject("you" in this case)?

Yes, it is perfectly correct, and it is not unusual, especially in imperative sentences. Example: "(You) Give me a dollar."

:)

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by mengta

so it is grammatically correct to ellipsis the subject("you" in this case)?

Yes. I agree with Ron. The verb "call" is in the imperative form, although it is not really a command. Some would probably say that is in the subjunctive mood or call it an imperative-subjunctive, because it is rather hypothetical. In either case, the subject can be understood. :wink: