Main Subject-Predicate Pairs

Question 1

MAIN S-P (ADVANCED) あづま路の道の果てよりも、なほ奥つ方に生ひ出でたる人、いかばかりかはあやしかりけむを、

Answer 1

人・あやしかりけむ

Question 2

MAIN S-P (EASY) 世の中に物語といふもののあんなるを、

Answer 2

もの・あんなる

Question 3

MAIN S-P (EASY) いかで見ばやと思ひつつ、

Answer 3

someone・おもひつつ

Question 4

MAIN S-P (MEDIUM) 船にのりなんとす。

Answer 4

someone・す　（someone・なりなん is secondary — it is one level down because it is inside a quote-like phrase established by the と “I determined/decided/did (something). What did I do? Getting on the boat.)

Question 5

MAIN S-P (ADVANCED) 五十の春を迎へて、家を出で、世を背むけり

Answer 5

someone・迎へ　same someone・出で　same someone・背むけり In other words, all three of these actions are at the same level of importance. We COULD say that the last one is the most important because it is the last one, but since our interest in in structure, it seems slightly better to indicate this “triple use” of the same subject

Question 6

MAIN S-P (EASY) くらもちの皇子おはしたり。

Answer 6

くらもちの皇子・おはしたり or 皇子・おはしたり

Question 7

MAIN S-P (ADVANCED) 筒の中光りたり

Answer 7

This is either （何々が）筒（に）の中光りたり or 筒の中（が）光りたり and there is no way to decide and it changes the subject (either someone or 中)

Question 8

MAIN S-P (MEDIUM) 今は昔、竹取の翁といふものありけり。(I listed this as medium because you must resist the temptation to select 翁 as the subject.

Answer 8

もの・ありけり

Question 9

MAIN S-P (EASY) 年のうちに春は来にけり

Answer 9

春・来にけり

Question 10

MAIN S-P in first clause (ADVANCED) 京には見えぬ鳥なれば、皆人見知らず

Answer 10

鳥・なれ Must avoid getting involved in the modifying clause, must remember to split off the 助詞

Question 11

MAIN S-P in first clause (MEDIUM) 京には見えぬ鳥なれば、皆人見知らず

Answer 11

人・見知らず Must notice that 皆 is modifying 人

Question 12

MAIN S-P (ADVANCED) 心もことばも及ばれね。

Answer 12

心・及ばれね　ことば・及ばれね This is exceptionally difficult because you need to decide if heart and words are the subjects (heart can’t reach) or the destinations (something can’t go as far as heart). It is really usage that decids this, not any grammar inside the sentence. If this were a destination there will probably be something that helps nail that down, like a place name or まで …. and you can’t be sure this is a full sentence or a fragment that DOES have that (it doesn’t).

Question 13

MAIN S-P (MEDIUM) 男といふものは、そらごとをこそいとよくすなれ。

Answer 13

もの・すなれ

Question 14

MAIN S-P (EASY) いづくより来つる猫ぞと見るに、

Answer 14

someone・見る

Question 15

MAIN S-P (EASY) 野中にただ木ぞ立てる

Answer 15

木・立てる

Question 16

MAIN S-P (MEDIUM) 忘らるる身をば思はず

Answer 16

someone・思はず Must ignore the tempting direcot object and supply a subject