Where is the subject in "as was traditional for unmarried women"?

Question

My senior English teacher was a tad bit confused where the subject for *was* is in this sentence: > As was traditional for unmarried women, Jane lived at home her entire life.

Answer 1

A verb by itself cannot be the subject of a sentence. A subject must be a noun. But Sam is on the right track. "Jane lived at home..." is a noun clause that represents a situation (i.e. a noun). I don't think your English teacher is very well-versed in some of the fine points about the language.

Answer 2

The subject for *was* in the sentence, is the verb "lived." The adjective, "traditional" attached to the verb, "was" is used to describe the subject of how Jane "lived" her entire life.