Subject and Object Questions
Subject questions ask about who does an action.
Object questions ask about who receives an action.
In this lesson, you’ll learn about the difference between these questions, plus questions with prepositions and practise using them.
How to use subject and object questions?
Subject Questions
- Used to ask about who/what does an action.
- Structure – who/what + verb + object?
- Do not use auxiliary verbs in subject questions (do/does/did).
- Use the same word order as the positive statement. E.g. Who called you? Someone called you.
Object Questions
- Used to ask about who/what receives an action. You already know who the subject is.
- Structure – Who/What + auxiliary verb + subject + verb?
- Use an auxiliary verb (do/does/did) in the question.
- E.g. Who did you call? You called someone.
Questions with Prepositions
- Prepositions go at the end of the question.
- Structure – Question word + auxiliary verb + subject + verb + preposition?
- E.g. Who are you waiting for? Where are you from? What is the film about?
Examples
Who speaks English?
What did you buy?
Who did you play tennis with?
Practise
Identify the question – subject, object or preposition.
Common mistakes learners make
- Using auxiliary verbs in subject questions
- Forgetting the preposition at the end of the questions
Common mistakes learners make
- Using auxiliary verbs in subject questions
- Forgetting the preposition at the end of the questions