[Grammar] The "cats" functions as the subject

[Glizdka]

Is it possible to refer to a plural noun as singular for academic explanation purposes?
I have this text:

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Subject and object - are nouns or pronouns that function as the person or things that acts in the sentence, the object is the person or thing that is affected by the action of the subject.


Example: “Cats eat mice.” - The "cats" functions as the subject of this sentence because it performs the action of eating. The "mice" is the subject of this sentence because it is affected by the action performed by the "cats" (the mice are eaten).

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Also, are my quotation marks in correct places?

 

[emsr2d2]

Is it possible to refer to a plural noun as [STRIKE]singluar[/STRIKE] singular for academic [STRIKE]explaination[/STRIKE] explanation purposes?
I have this text:

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Subjects and objects (no dash here) are nouns or pronouns that function as follows:
the person or [STRIKE]things[/STRIKE] thing that acts in the sentence (the subject),
[STRIKE]the object is[/STRIKE] the person or thing that is affected by the action of the subject (the object).


Example: “Cats eat mice.” - [STRIKE]The[/STRIKE] "Cats" functions as the subject of this sentence because it performs the action of eating. [STRIKE]The[/STRIKE] "Mice" is the [STRIKE]subject[/STRIKE] object of this sentence because it is affected by the action performed by the "cats" (the mice are eaten).

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Also, are my quotation marks in the correct places?

See above. Yes, your quotation marks are in the the correct place.

 

[Glizdka]

Thank you very much,

I've been writing this type of sentences for a few days, and my brain melts. Everything noted!
Thank you for even correcting a cardinal mistake (subject → object).

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still not a teacher

 

[jutfrank]

If I understand your first question correctly, the answer is yes.

When you say, for example, a sentence such as Cats functions as the subject of this sentence, the word Cats is not considered plural. You're thinking of it as a single word, not as a group of felines.


By the way, what you've said is not strictly accurate. The grammatical subject of a sentence is not necessarily the thing that acts in a sentence (though it usually is). In passive sentences, e.g. Mice are eaten by cats, the subject (Mice) is the thing that's affected, not the thing that acts (cats). In semantics, we call the the thing that acts the agent, whether it be subject or otherwise.

 

[Tarheel]

Thank you very much,

I've been writing this type of sentences for a few days, and my brain melts. Everything noted!
Thank you for even correcting a cardinal mistake (subject → object).

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still not a teacher

I think you meant: this type of sentence.

Your brain melted? How were you able to type?
;-)

 

[Tdol]

Your brain melted? How were you able to type?

How else would I be able to type?