Last visit was: 19 Nov 2025, 11:06 It is currently 19 Nov 2025, 11:06
Home
GMAT
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Rewards
Chat
My Profile
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
User avatar
dokg740
User avatar
Joined: 10 Dec 2021
Last visit: 19 Dec 2022
Posts: 5
Own Kudos:
1
Given Kudos: 54
Location: India
GMAT 1: 680 Q48 V35
GPA: 3.81
GMAT 1: 680 Q48 V35
Posts: 5
Kudos: 1
Can a phrase be the subject of a sentence? 14 Apr 2022, 03:43
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Just around the corner is/ are a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket.

The correct answer is are because of the compound subject "a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket". Can someone help me understand why "Just around the corner" cannot be the singular subject of this sentence? Also why can't a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket be the object and this sentence be in passive voice?

GMATNinja

Archived Topic
Hi there,
This topic has been closed and archived due to inactivity or violation of community quality standards. No more replies are possible here.
Where to now? Join ongoing discussions on thousands of quality questions in our Verbal Questions Forum
Still interested in this question? Check out the "Best Topics" block below for a better discussion on this exact question, as well as several more related questions.
Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!
User avatar
dokg740
User avatar
Joined: 10 Dec 2021
Last visit: 19 Dec 2022
Posts: 5
Own Kudos:
1
Given Kudos: 54
Location: India
GMAT 1: 680 Q48 V35
GPA: 3.81
GMAT 1: 680 Q48 V35
Posts: 5
Kudos: 1
Can a phrase be the subject of a sentence? 14 Apr 2022, 03:44
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Just around the corner is/ are a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket.

The correct answer is are because of the compound subject "a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket". Can someone help me understand why "Just around the corner" cannot be the singular subject of this sentence? Also why can't a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket be the object and this sentence be in passive voice?
User avatar
ExpertsGlobal5
User avatar
Experts' Global Representative
Joined: 10 Jul 2017
Last visit: 19 Nov 2025
Posts: 5,195
Own Kudos:
4,765
 [2]
Given Kudos: 43
Location: India
GMAT Date: 11-01-2019
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 5,195
Kudos: 4,765
 [2]
Can a phrase be the subject of a sentence? 14 Apr 2022, 04:13
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
dokg740
Just around the corner is/ are a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket.

The correct answer is are because of the compound subject "a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket". Can someone help me understand why "Just around the corner" cannot be the singular subject of this sentence? Also why can't a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket be the object and this sentence be in passive voice?
Show more

Hello dokg740,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the subject of the sentence is the noun or pronoun that performs the main action; in this sentence, that action is "are", and the noun phrase that performs this action is "a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket"; "Just around the corner" is in fact an adverbial phrase that describes the verb "are" ("are" refers to the action of existing, and "Just around the corner" tells us where these two buildings exist).

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
User avatar
ReedArnoldMPREP
User avatar
Manhattan Prep Instructor
Joined: 30 Apr 2021
Last visit: 20 Dec 2024
Posts: 521
Own Kudos:
536
 [2]
Given Kudos: 37
GMAT 1: 760 Q49 V47
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 1: 760 Q49 V47
Posts: 521
Kudos: 536
 [2]
Can a phrase be the subject of a sentence? 14 Apr 2022, 05:28
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
dokg740
Just around the corner is/ are a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket.

The correct answer is are because of the compound subject "a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket". Can someone help me understand why "Just around the corner" cannot be the singular subject of this sentence? Also why can't a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket be the object and this sentence be in passive voice?
Show more

Subjects must be nouns: people/places/things. "Just around the corner" is a modifier describing where something is.

"fantastic bakery and a small supermarket" could be the object of a sentence, but not this sentence (e.g. "She opened a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket just around the corner.")

Passive voice is when something is *done* to the subject (but notice here, the verb isn't a 'doing' verb but a 'being' verb).

The ball *was kicked* into the net. The cake *was baked* in the oven. (Passive voice uses 'to be' verbs, but has help from the --ed word (officially called a past participle); the whole construction makes the verb passive).

But "is" or "are," on their own, can't be passive voice--they are just 'to be' verbs.

The tricky thing about this sentence is that it's structure is reversed--the subjects come after the verb. This is unusual, but permissible, and definitely shows up on harder GMAT problems.

"Into the store walked a man with a suspicious look on his face."

"Out in the harbor stands one of the most famous statues in the world."

"Near the theatre district is my favorite restaurant in the city."

"With a powerful swing did the batter hit the ball."

Notice these sentences start with description.
User avatar
EducationAisle
User avatar
Joined: 27 Mar 2010
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 3,891
Own Kudos:
3,579
 [1]
Given Kudos: 159
Location: India
Schools: ISB
GPA: 3.31
Expert
Expert reply
Schools: ISB
Posts: 3,891
Kudos: 3,579
 [1]
Can a phrase be the subject of a sentence? 17 Apr 2022, 02:47
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
dokg740
Just around the corner is/ are a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket.
Show more
Generally, a subject comes before the verb.

However, the sentence under consideration is (what's called) an inverted sentence, wherein the subject comes after the verb.

The trick to solving this, is to come up a normal non-inverted sentence:

A fantastic bakery and a small supermarket is/are just around the corner.

Now, it is easy to identify that "A fantastic bakery and a small supermarket" is the compound subject and hence, the correct verb is are.

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses inverted sentences. Have attached the corresponding section of the book, for your reference.
Attachments

Inverted Sentences_v5.pdf [15.13 KiB]
Downloaded 53 times

User avatar
GmatKnightTutor
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 31 Jan 2020
Last visit: 01 Nov 2025
Posts: 5,228
Own Kudos:
1,568
Given Kudos: 18
Posts: 5,228
Kudos: 1,568
Can a phrase be the subject of a sentence? 19 Apr 2022, 00:37
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Just around the corner is/ are a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket.

The correct answer is are because of the compound subject "a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket". Can someone help me understand why "Just around the corner" cannot be the singular subject of this sentence? Also why can't a fantastic bakery and a small supermarket be the object and this sentence be in passive voice?

One way to check this is by changing what comes after.

Just around the corner (is/are) a cow.
Just around the corner (is/are) cows.

How to get a V40 or higher on the GMAT? What about a V51?

Archived Topic
Hi there,
This topic has been closed and archived due to inactivity or violation of community quality standards. No more replies are possible here.
Where to now? Join ongoing discussions on thousands of quality questions in our Verbal Questions Forum
Still interested in this question? Check out the "Best Topics" block above for a better discussion on this exact question, as well as several more related questions.
Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!
Moderators:
miag
189 posts
u1983
Current Student
710 posts
MikeScarn
Current Student
275 posts