Object and subject questions

Object and Subject Questions

Differences between the subject and the object.

Subject

Object

• It is the person or thing that is acted upon, or receives the action:
• We want some fruit juice
• Karen likes Fred
• Smoking causes cancer

• It is the person or thing that performs the action:
• We want some fruit juice.
• Karen likes Fred
• Smoking causes cancer

01

subject questions

We don’t know the person or thing who performed the action, and we want to find out. Subject questions do not use the auxiliary verb do, does and did.

How to form subject questions:

subject questions in present simple

subject questions in past simple

Structure

• Who / what + verb in simple present or simple past + object ?

• Who made a sandwich?
• Daniel made a sandwich

• - Who wants some fruit juice?
• - We want some fruit juice

02

Object questions

We want to know about the receiver of the action.

How to form object questions

structure

question in past simple

question in present simple

- What did Daniel make?- Daniel made a sandwich

- What do you want to drink?- We want some fruit juice

Who / what + auxiliary verb + subject+ main verb ?

Present perfect

Subject q: Who has spent $1000 on a computer? Object q: How much have your parents spent on a computer? Answer: My parents have spent $1000 on a computer.

Future will

Subject q: What will help the students? Object q: Who will this book help? Answer: This textbook will help the students.

Future going to

Subject q: who is going to order dessert? Object q: what are you going to order? Answer: we are going to order dessert.

Past continuous

Subject q: Who was talking about the problem?Object q: What was the manager talking about? Answer: The manager was talking about the problem.

Present continuous

Subject q: Who is washing the car? Object q: What is Paul washing? Answer: Paul is washing the car.

Present perfect continuous

Subject q: Who has been working on this project? Object q: What have you been working on? Answer: I have been working on this project.

For subject/object questions

Ask yourself; “Am I asking about the doer of the action or the receiver of the action?”

1. If you’re asking about the receiver/object, then yes – use do/does/did:What do you want to drink?What did the earthquake damage?
2. If you’re asking about the doer/subject, then don’t use do/does/did: Who does want fruit juice? Who wants fruit juice? What did damage your house? What damaged your house?

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