Grammar 101: Subjects and Objects in English

Subjects and objects have the opposite functions in a sentence. The subject is the ‘doer’ of the action. For example, take the sentence “We are watching Netflix.” Here, the subject is the pronoun ‘we’. Objects are the opposite; instead of doing something (like watching Netflix), they are acted upon. Now, let’s look at the sentence “The police gave him a warning.” In this case the pronoun “him” is receiving something (a warning), so that’s the object of a sentence.  

• Subject pronouns include I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who, and whoever. 

• Object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom, and whomever.

Definition of subjects in English language 

In English grammar, we use the word ‘subject’ to talk about the person or thing (a noun or pronoun) that does the ‘action.’ Usually, that means that the subject comes before the verb (what are verbs? Grammar 101: Understanding verb tenses). So, the subject of a sentence is the person, place, thing, or idea that is performing the action.

Examples of subjects in the English language 

Simple sentences 

Very simple sentences in English have one verb and one subject. For example: 

• Jason works. Here, the subject is “Jason.” The verb is “works.” In this example, Jason is the subject, because he is the person doing the action, “working” in this case. 

• Nick sleeps. Nick is the subject, because he’s doing the action of “sleeping”. 

The subject doesn’t always have to be a person/name. Very often it is not - it is a pronoun (for example, he/she/it, etc), or a group of people (we/they). Have a look at the following sentences. 

• I sleep. (The subject is ‘I’ because it’s doing the action of sleeping.) 

• We are watching Netflix. (The subject is ‘we’ because it’s doing the action of watching) 

• They play football. (The subject is ‘they’ because it’s doing the action of playing) 

More complicated sentences 

Sometimes a sentence is a bit more complicated and it gets a bit harder to find the subject. Have a look at the following sentences: 

• I am thirsty. (The subject is ‘I’) 

• Mike appears busy. (The subject is ‘Mike’) 

• The employees are in a meeting. (The subject is ‘the employees’)  

• The girl from my class presented an excellent speech at our graduation. (The subject is ‘the girl from my class’ because she’s doing the action) 

• Gemma, Gillian and Mike are having lunch. (The subject is ‘Gemma, Gillian and Mike’ because they're doing the action of having lunch) 

Definition of objects in English language 

Now that you know what subjects are, let’s have a look at objects. Generally, we use the word ‘object’ to talk about the thing/person that the action is done to. Or, the one who receives the action.  

A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb in a sentence. Usually, it answers the questions what? or whom? about the verb. Choose the direct object(s) in each sentence. 

Examples of direct objects in English language 

The direct object of a verb is the thing being acted upon. So, it means it is the receiver of the action. Usually, you can find the direct object by finding the verb and asking “what?” or “whom?”. For example: 

• Mike loves doughnuts. (Mike loves what? The object is ‘doughnuts’.) 

• James got his IELTS scores yesterday. (James got what? The object is ‘his IELTS scores’.) 

• I put the orange cat out in the garden. (I put what (out in the garden)? The object is ‘the orange cat’.) 

Examples of indirect objects in English language 

Apart from direct objects, there are also indirect objects. An indirect object is the recipient of the direct object. How do you find an indirect object in a sentence? You can do this by first finding the direct object. Then, ask “who” or “what” received it. The indirect object will chronologically exist before the direct object in a sentence. Have a look at the example sentences below. We have put the direct objects in bold and underlined the indirect objects. 

Can you give Tomoko the keys? 

1. Find the direct object: Give what? the keys 

2. Find the indirect object: Who (or what) received the keys? Tomoko 

The bartender made Gracie an ice-cold drink. 

1. Find the direct object: The bartender made what? An ice-cold drink 

2. The bartender made a cold drink for whom? Gracie 

Examples of the object of a preposition in English language 

It gets a little trickier now. We call the noun or pronoun after a preposition the object of a preposition. When you know the direct object, finding an indirect object is fairly simple. Remember, you find a direct object by asking “what?” or “whom?” the verb is doing. Then, to find an indirect object, ask “to whom/what?” or “for whom/what” the direct object is intended. Have a look at the example sentences below. We have put the prepositions in bold and underlined the objects of prepositions. 

• Emily is from Ireland. 

• You can tell from her accent that Emily is from Ireland. 

Now that you’ve had a look at the grammar rules and some examples - it’s time to try it for yourself. Have a look at the following sentences, and try to find the subject and the object. The answers are given below, so you can check them for yourself.

Quiz: find the subject 

Q1: All the children in the class study maths. 

a) study 

b) maths 

c) all the children in the class 

Q2: They took the General Training IELTS test for migration purposes. 

a) General Training IELTS test 

b) They 

c) migration purposes 

Q3: For lunch, Mike and Gemma ordered burgers and chips. 

a) For lunch 

b) Mike and Gemma 

c) burgers and chips 

Q4: Gagan and Daniel received an award for players of the year. 

a) Gagan 

b) Daniel 

c) Gagan and Daniel 

d) players of the year 

Q5: Next year, I want to go to university in Sydney. 

a) Next year 

b) I 

c) university in Sydney 

Quiz: find the object 

Q6: Josh painted a flower for his school project. 

a) Josh 

b) flower 

c) school project 

Q7: The cafe baked their own pies. 

a) The cafe 

b) their 

c) their own pies 

Q8: Janet has to practise football every single day if she wants to become a professional. 

a) Janet 

b) practice 

c) football 

d) professional 

Q9: The kids built a castle with Lego. 

a) The kids 

b) built 

c) a castle 

d) Lego 

Q10: I will come over after I do the dishes and finish my homework. 

a) I 

b) the dishes 

c) my homework 

d) the dishes + my homework

• Q1: c

• Q2: b

• Q3: b

• Q4: c

• Q5: b

• Q6: b

• Q7: c

• Q8: c

• Q9: c

• Q10: d

In written English, it is important to know the correct spelling of a word you want to use. You don’t want to write “weak” when you mean “week” even though they sound the same. In spoken English, spelling is less important, but pronunciation is. Think about the word “lead” which can be pronounced as “led” or “leed.” Because these words cause a lot of confusion, it’s well worth spending a few minutes to understand the difference: homophones vs homographs vs homonyms. 

People often use elude when they mean allude, or write allude when they should really write elude. There are other commonly confused words too: Do you know the difference between advice or advise? That is the question in another article where we explain the difference between these two commonly misused words. Read it here.