science

Preparatory subject

Preparatory subject is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Preparatory subject rather than just read about it. In short: In grammar, a preparatory subject or anticipatory subject is a subject which represents a verb clause later in the sentence. It as a preparatory subject is "commonly used in speech and writing, especially when the subject is longer than the complement and is better placed at the end of the sentence".

Key takeaways

Preparatory subject belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Preparatory subject to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Preparatory subject from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In grammar, a preparatory subject or anticipatory subject is a subject which represents a verb clause later in the sentence. It as a preparatory subject is "commonly used in speech and writing, especially when the subject is longer than the complement and is better placed at the end of the sentence".

Examples It is fun to play the piano is equivalent to

Playing the piano is fun "It" in the first sentence is a preparatory subject, referring to the clause "to play the piano".

Notes

External links English grammar: It as a preparatory subject

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Preparatory subject

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Preparatory subject claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Preparatory subject before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Preparatory subject ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Preparatory subject

In research: Preparatory subject appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Preparatory subject in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Preparatory subject is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Grammar, Syntax stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Preparatory subject outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Preparatory subject in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Preparatory subject means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Preparatory subject out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Preparatory subject in simple terms?

Why does Preparatory subject matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Preparatory subject?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Preparatory subject.