一般情况下，句子主语、宾语和句子中其他部分的名词可能因包含大量前置或后置定语成分而变得非常复杂，而整句的谓语动词，其前后最多有副词作修饰，所以相对容易判断。我们一旦找到整句谓语动词，它的施动者-主语、受动者-谓语以及主干也自然容易进一步识别。

例句1：

A desire to throw over reality a lightthat never was might give away abruptly to the desire on the part of what wemight consider a novelist-scientist to record exactly and concretely thestructure and texture of a flower.

这个句子里出现的动词有throw, was, might give, mightconsider和record等。

首先，动词不定式不能作谓语，去掉throw和record;

was 后不能紧跟情态动词，所以was和might give应属不同的句子，往前看我们发现that never was 形成S+V格式，且紧跟着名词light后，再根据句意判断可知that never was 为a light的后置定语从句;

稍作判断可知to throw over reality a light 为不定式做A desire的后置定语，此时吧它的不定式后置定语及a light的后置定语拿掉可得到简化结构：A desire might give awayabruptly to the desire…。Abruptly显然修饰动词短语give away。至此我们得到a desire(S)+might giveaway(V)+the desire(O), 经过这样的简化，整句主干已经得到;

至于might consider, 明显和它前面的we组成S+V格式，这个从句跟在on the part of 后面做整句宾语the desire的后置定语从句

纵观整句，主语谓语后都跟了较长的定语成分，造成我们判断它们终结位置的困难。而动词的修饰成分一般较短，由它们入手更容易理清句子的各个部分。

例句2：(提示：作语法分析前请排除生词)

Thus, what in contrast to the Puritancolonies appears to Davis to be peculiarly Southern- acquisitiveness, a stronginterest in politics and the law, and a tendency to cultivate metropolitancultural models- was not only more typically English than the cultural patternsexhibited by Puritan Massachusetts and Connecticut, but also almost certainlycharacteristic of most other early modern British colonies from Barbados northto Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

这个句子较长，但从动词入手可我们迅速提取到主干。

首先忽略不定式(tobe , to cultivate)，这个句子里出现的动词仅有appears,was, exhibited;

appears前的in contrast to the Puritan colonies是较易识别的比较状语，所以这部分可以还原成whatappears to be peculiarly Southern to Davis in contrast to the Puritan colonies,这样what appears 形成S+V结构;

was not only ...butalso可以看成是系表结构，其中两组表语并列;

exhibited 后面有介词by，而前面没有小级别be动词(稍作分析可知was非exhibited的be动词)，于是exhibitedby Massachusetts and Connecticut 为过去分词作thecultural patterns的后置定语。

这时我们可确定was为全句谓语动词。注意到butalso后的of most other early modernBritish colonies…and New Hampshire作characteristic的后置定语，其中fromBarbados north to Rhode Island and New Hampshire作colonies的后置定语;

最后，我们来看主语。whatin contrast to the Puritan colonies appears to Davis to be peculiarly Southern 中包含了S+V格式，为明显的主语从句。acquisitiveness,a strong interest in politics and the law, and a tendency to cultivatemetropolitan cultural models 三个并列的结构形成了主语从句的三个同位语。这一点很罕见，我们见到的大多数同位语跟在名词后。

这个句子稍繁杂之处在于我们的阅读过程被主语后的连续三个同位语打断，且表语部分有稍多的修饰成分。但只要我们从分析动词入手，挑出整句谓语动词，整句的主谓以及主干就会清晰显现。托福听力笔记