In many such cases, a cursory search for causes finds that some small group of people was wearing, promoting, or developing whatever it is before anyone else paid attention.

　　A cursory search 是主語，finds是賓語，that后是一個賓語從句，在賓語從句中，主語是small group of people, 謂語是帶ing的三個詞，這三個詞后要接賓語的，所以whatever又引導一個賓語從句，在從句中，it做主語，is是系動詞，whatever做表語。Before引導一個時間狀語從句。該句是說在很多情況下，對原因的粗略調(diào)查顯示，在其他人注意到這一潮流之前，一些小群體早就開始了引領或發(fā)展潮流的做法。

.