Look at it this way. A sentence is made up of a group of individual parts, just like a village. Sometimes not all those parts are necessary to the village's survival, but they can add depth and quality of life, or if there's too many of them, they can make communication very complicated.
[Kratos is focussed enough that he doesn't quite notice Raine's attention from across the table, and Yuan's attention hasn't bothered him in a very long time. He uses the chalk to underline 'subject' and 'object'.]
Now imagine these are personages in the village who interact.
You mean like ... Raine and me, or Colette and her dad?
[Lloyd's tone is uncertain, but interested, and Kratos hums.]
More like a position. Let's say that the subject is the mayor, because they're the most important person in the village.
[Colette ducks her head, and Lloyd mutters something extremely uncomplimentary under his breath, along with 'Colette is the most important person in the village'. Kratos pauses again, glancing sidelong to Yuan. Not one of the most favoured of people, I take it?]
no subject
[Kratos is focussed enough that he doesn't quite notice Raine's attention from across the table, and Yuan's attention hasn't bothered him in a very long time. He uses the chalk to underline 'subject' and 'object'.]
Now imagine these are personages in the village who interact.
You mean like ... Raine and me, or Colette and her dad?
[Lloyd's tone is uncertain, but interested, and Kratos hums.]
More like a position. Let's say that the subject is the mayor, because they're the most important person in the village.
[Colette ducks her head, and Lloyd mutters something extremely uncomplimentary under his breath, along with 'Colette is the most important person in the village'. Kratos pauses again, glancing sidelong to Yuan. Not one of the most favoured of people, I take it?]