This sentence is NOT about the veterinarian or what the veterinarian said.

Look at that sentence again and answer this question: “ Who or what is this sentence about?” Now let’s talk about the ONE thing I learned in the writing course: rhetorical subjects. Using my psychic powers, I’m going to guess that you said “veterinarian” is the subject. “The veterinarian said the dog has fleas.” But now look at this sentence and find the subject: Ok, we’re not breaking any new ground here. We call “proofreader” the grammatical subject. The subject is “proofreader,” right? It is the subject of the main verb “looked,” which mean it has the grammatical function of subject. “The proofreader looked askance at the period after the quotation mark, wondering if the writer is British.” Parse this sentence and find the subject: I learned that sentences can have two types of subjects: Grammatical and Rhetorical.

During the second month, I learned the name of a very important concept I had been using unconsciously for years, thereby increasing my ability to write and edit purposefully. By the end of the second session, I was thinking, “Sheeze! I could teach this course.” I learned only one thing. I took a writing course about four years ago.

What is the subject of a sentence