Subject and Object in English Language: Ultimate Guide

When you write any SOP or any other document it is very important to understand the grammar behind english language. Lets start with the basics of subject and object in english language. We will also understand the common mistakes that you may encounter while writing.

Subject vs Object in English Grammar

Subject and object have two different objectives in a sentence. There are different types of subject and object in a sentence.

Subject in English Language

The word “subject” is used to define the person or things that performs the action. The subject is the doer or the thing or person that does the action. The subject can also be group of words in a sentence. In a sentence usually the subject is before the verb.

For example: 

Statement 1: They went to the cinema.

Explanation 

In the above-mentioned statement they went to cinema, the subject is the word “they”. Who does the action.

Statement 2: The scientist looked outside the window.

Explanation

In the above-mentioned statement the scientist looked outside the window, the subject is the word “the scientist” who performs the action of looking outside the window.

Linking Verbs

In sentences, some verbs are not action verbs. The verbs are linked to the subject where verb can be any phrase or adjective. And the verb gives more information about the subject. The verbs are called linking verbs. 

The examples of linking verbs are be, seem or become.

For example:

Statement 1: The children are playing in the park.

Explanation: In the statement, the children is the subject and are is the linking verb.

Statement 2: I am thirsty.

Explanation: In the statement, I is the subject and am is the linking verb.

Complex Subject

Sometimes the subject in the sentence is quite long. In a sentence there can be words that adds information to the noun or modify’s the noun.

For example:

Statement 1: The cup on the shelf is mine.

Explanation: The subject is the cup on the shelf and the main noun is cup and prepositional phrase is on the shelf which adds more information.

Objects in english language

The object in the sentence answers the questions like what? Or whom about the verb. Object in the sentence can be defined as the receiver of the action or the word that talks about the thing/person that the action is done to. It can be noun phrase, noun, pronoun or long complex subjects that can be modified.

In a sentence, object can be of two types direct object and indirect object.

Direct object

It means it is the receiver of the object.  

For example: Priya loves ice-cream. 

Explanation: The subject is priya, the verb is loves and object is ice-cream.

Indirect object

It means it is the recipient of the direct object.

For example: I passed rahul a plate of noodles.

Explanation:  The indirect object is Rahul, the direct object is plate of noodles and subject is I.

Exercise for subjects and objects in english 

Now, that we know about subject and object in english language and about its types. Let’s practice more to understand better.

Find the Subject:

Q1. I love coffee.

1. I
2. coffee
3. love

Q2. Rahul seemed tired.

1. seemed
2. Rahul
3. tired

Q3. The children are in the garden.

1. garden
2. The children
3. are in

Q4. Yash’s grey cat and Raj’s white cat went for a walk.

1. went
2. Yash’s grey cat and Raj’s white cat
3. walk

Q5. An brown dog was sitting on the grass. 

1. grass
2. sitting
3. An brown dog

Find the Object:

Q6. David met Lucy yesterday.

1. met
2. Lucy
3. David

Q7. The bakery baked their own cakes. 

1. baked
2. The bakery
3. their own cakes

Q8. I put the black cat into the garden.

1. the black cat
2. Into the garden
3. into

Q9. The scientists launched the rocket.

1. launched
2. The scientists
3. the rocket

Q10. The television show was watched by everyone.

1. everyone
2. watched
3. The television show

Answer key

Q1. 1: I

Q2. 2: Rahul

Q3. 2: The children

Q4. 2: Yash’s grey cat and Raj’s white cat

Q5. 3: An brown dog

Q6. 2: Lucy

Q7. 2: The bakery

Q8. 1: the black cat

Q9. 3: the rocket

Q10. 3: the television show

Common Mistakes and Challenges in Subject and Object Grammar

• Confusion between the subject and object for pronoun clarity is common in english language. Often when pronoun is not properly used then it is difficult to understand whether subject or object is being referenced.

For example: I am feeling cold.

Explanation: The subject is I who is doer of the action and cold is the direct object.

• Overusing of prepositional phrases confuses the reader. So, to overcome this issue you should use less number of prepositional phrases in one sentence to avoid confusion. You should always have subject in the sentence for better understanding. You should break the long sentences in the shorter sentences.

For example: The expanded shots in the movie, in the TV screen,the light of godfather,highlights the hardships by the sailors,in the pacific ocean.

Explanation: There too many prepositional phrases in the sentences such as: in the TV screen,the light of, hardships by the sailors.

Wrapping Up

Application of subject and object in a sentence is very important to understand sentence formation and for better understanding of the readers. There are different types of subject and object in english language which can be used according to the requirement of the sentence. 

You should try to avoid mistakes such as overuse of prepositional phrases and others. And practicing questions is the only key to clear the concept. 

If you want to get more guidance in your documents to study abroad then contact leap scholar.

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