Subject vs. Object: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Published on January 14, 2024
In grammar, the subject performs the action while the object receives it.
Key Differences
The subject in a sentence is who or what the sentence is about, typically performing the action. The object, on the other hand, receives the action of the verb. Both are essential for constructing meaningful sentences, yet they play distinct roles.
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Jan 14, 2024
Subjects initiate actions or states of being, and are often the focus of the sentence. Objects, in contrast, typically respond to the action of the subject. This distinction is crucial for understanding sentence dynamics.
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Generally, the subject appears before the verb in English sentences, while the object follows the verb. This positional difference is a key aspect of English syntax, helping to clarify who is doing what to whom.
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In languages with case systems, subjects often take the nominative case, while objects might take the accusative or dative cases. This grammatical distinction helps in identifying the roles of different nouns and pronouns in a sentence.
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English uses different pronouns for subjects (I, he, she, we, they) and objects (me, him, her, us, them). This change in form depending on function highlights the functional difference between subjects and objects.
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Comparison Chart
Role in Sentence
Performs the action or is in the state of being described by the verb
Receives the action of the verb
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Position in Sentence
Typically precedes the verb
Usually follows the verb or preposition
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Case in Grammar
Often in nominative case
Usually in accusative or dative case
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Example in Sentence
"She runs." (She = subject)
"Runs to her." (her = object)
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Subject and Object Definitions
Subject
The subject is the noun or pronoun performing the verb's action.
The cat slept.
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Subject
The subject can be a person, place, thing, or idea.
Happiness is important.
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Object
Objects can be direct (receiving the action directly) or indirect (receiving the action indirectly).
I gave him a gift.
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Object
In some sentences, the object can become the subject in a passive voice.
The ball was thrown.
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Subject
Being in a position or in circumstances that place one under the power or authority of another or others
Subject to the law.
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Object
A specific, individual, material entity, especially one that is not living or not sentient.
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Object
A focus of attention, feeling, thought, or action
A product that was so bad it became an object of derision.
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Subject
Likely to incur or receive; exposed
A directive subject to misinterpretation.
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Object
A limiting factor that must be considered
Since money is no object, let's eat at that fancy place.
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Object
The purpose, aim, or goal of a specific action or effort
The object of the game.
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Subject
One who is under the rule of another or others, especially one who owes allegiance to a government or ruler.
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Object
A noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that receives or is affected by the action of a verb within a sentence.
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Subject
One concerning which something is said or done; a person or thing being discussed or dealt with
A subject of gossip.
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Object
A noun or substantive governed by a preposition and typically following it.
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Object
A discrete item than can be selected and maneuvered, such as an onscreen graphic.
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Object
In object-oriented programming, a structure that combines data and the procedures necessary to operate on that data.
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Object
To present a dissenting or opposing argument; raise an objection
Objected to the testimony of the witness.
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Subject
One that experiences or is subjected to something
The subject of ridicule.
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Object
To be averse to or express disapproval of something
Objects to modern materialism.
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Subject
A person or animal that is the object of medical or scientific study
The experiment involved 12 subjects.
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Object
To put forward in or as a reason for opposition; offer as criticism
They objected that discipline was lacking.
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Subject
One who is under surveillance
The subject was observed leaving the scene of the murder.
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Subject
(Grammar) The noun, noun phrase, or pronoun in a sentence or clause that denotes the doer of the action or what is described by the predicate.
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Object
(grammar) The noun phrase which is an internal complement of a verb phrase or a prepositional phrase. In a verb phrase with a transitive action verb, it is typically the receiver of the action.
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Subject
(Logic) The term of a proposition about which something is affirmed or denied.
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Object
A person or thing toward which an emotion is directed.
Mary Jane had been the object of Peter's affection for years.
The convertible, once the object of his desire, was now the object of his hatred.
Where's your object of ridicule now?
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Subject
The mind or thinking part as distinguished from the object of thought.
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Object
(object-oriented programming) An instantiation of a class or structure.
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Subject
A being that undergoes personal conscious or unconscious experience of itself and of the world.
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Object
(category theory) An instance of one of the two kinds of entities that form a category, the other kind being the arrows (also called morphisms).
Similarly, there is a category whose objects are groups and whose arrows are the homomorphisms from one group to another.
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Subject
The essential nature or substance of something as distinguished from its attributes.
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Subject
To cause to experience, undergo, or be acted upon
Suspects subjected to interrogation.
Rocks subjected to intense pressure.
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Object
(intransitive) To disagree with or oppose something or someone; (especially in a Court of Law) to raise an objection.
I object to the proposal to build a new airport terminal.
We strongly object to sending her to jail for ten years.
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Object
To offer in opposition as a criminal charge or by way of accusation or reproach; to adduce as an objection or adverse reason.
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Subject
To submit to the authority of
Peoples that subjected themselves to the emperor.
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Subject
Likely to be affected by or to experience something.
A country subject to extreme heat
Menu listings and prices are subject to change.
He's subject to sneezing fits.
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Object
To set before or against; to bring into opposition; to oppose.
Of less account some knight thereto object,Whose loss so great and harmful can not prove.
Some strong impediment or other objecting itself.
Pallas to their eyesThe mist objected, and condensed the skies.
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Subject
Conditional upon something; used with to.
The local board sets local policy, subject to approval from the State Board.
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Object
To offer in opposition as a criminal charge or by way of accusation or reproach; to adduce as an objection or adverse reason.
He gave to him to object his heinous crime.
Others object the poverty of the nation.
The book . . . giveth liberty to object any crime against such as are to be ordered.
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Object
To make opposition in words or argument; to express one's displeasure; - usually followed by to; as, she objected to his vulgar language.
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Subject
Placed under the power of another; owing allegiance to a particular sovereign or state.
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Object
That which is put, or which may be regarded as put, in the way of some of the senses; something visible or tangible and persists for an appreciable time; as, he observed an object in the distance; all the objects in sight; he touched a strange object in the dark.
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Subject
(grammar) In a clause: the word or word group (usually a noun phrase) about whom the statement is made. In active clauses with verbs denoting an action, the subject and the actor are usually the same.
In the sentence ‘The cat ate the mouse’, ‘the cat’ is the subject, ‘the mouse’ being the object.
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Object
Anything which is set, or which may be regarded as set, before the mind so as to be apprehended or known; that of which the mind by any of its activities takes cognizance, whether a thing external in space or a conception formed by the mind itself; as, an object of knowledge, wonder, fear, thought, study, etc.
Object is a term for that about which the knowing subject is conversant; what the schoolmen have styled the "materia circa quam."
The object of their bitterest hatred.
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Object
That toward which the mind, or any of its activities, is directed; that on which the purpose are fixed as the end of action or effort; that which is sought for; goal; end; aim; motive; final cause.
Object, beside its proper signification, came to be abusively applied to denote motive, end, final cause . . . . This innovation was probably borrowed from the French.
Let our object be, our country, our whole country, and nothing but our country.
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Subject
The main topic of a paper, work of art, discussion, field of study, etc.
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Object
Sight; show; appearance; aspect.
He, advancing closeUp to the lake, past all the rest, aroseIn glorious object.
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Object
A word, phrase, or clause toward which an action is directed, or is considered to be directed; as, the object of a transitive verb.
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Object
Any set of data that is or can be manipulated or referenced by a computer program as a single entity; - the term may be used broadly, to include files, images (such as icons on the screen), or small data structures.
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Subject
A person ruled over by another, especially a monarch or state authority.
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Object
Anything which exists and which has attributes; distinguished from attributes, processes, and relations.
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Subject
A human, animal or an inanimate object that is being examined, treated, analysed, etc.
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Object
A tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow;
It was full of rackets, balls and other objects
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Subject
(philosophy) A being that has subjective experiences, subjective consciousness, or a relationship with another entity.
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Object
The goal intended to be attained (and which is believed to be attainable);
The sole object of her trip was to see her children
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Subject
(math) The variable in terms of which an expression is defined.
0, we have x
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Object
The focus of cognitions or feelings;
Objects of thought
The object of my affection
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Subject
To cause (someone or something) to undergo a particular experience, especially one that is unpleasant or unwanted.
I came here to buy souvenirs, not to be subjected to a tirade of abuse!
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Object
Express or raise an objection or protest or criticism or express dissent;
She never objected to the amount of work her boss charged her with
When asked to drive the truck, she objected that she did not have a driver's license
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Subject
(transitive) To make subordinate or subservient; to subdue or enslave.
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Object
Be averse to or express disapproval of;
My wife objects to modern furniture
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Object
An object can be a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase.
They watched the movie.
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Subject
Placed under the power of another; specifically (International Law), owing allegiance to a particular sovereign or state; as, Jamaica is subject to Great Britain.
Esau was never subject to Jacob.
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Object
Objects often follow prepositions to form prepositional phrases.
He walked towards the park.
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Subject
Exposed; liable; prone; disposed; as, a country subject to extreme heat; men subject to temptation.
All human things are subject to decay.
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Subject
Obedient; submissive.
Put them in mind to be subject to principalities.
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Subject
That which is placed under the authority, dominion, control, or influence of something else.
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Subject
Specifically: One who is under the authority of a ruler and is governed by his laws; one who owes allegiance to a sovereign or a sovereign state; as, a subject of Queen Victoria; a British subject; a subject of the United States.
Was never subject longed to be a king,As I do long and wish to be a subject.
The subject must obey his prince, because God commands it, human laws require it.
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Subject
That which is subjected, or submitted to, any physical operation or process; specifically (Anat.), a dead body used for the purpose of dissection.
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Subject
That which is brought under thought or examination; that which is taken up for discussion, or concerning which anything is said or done.
Make choice of a subject, beautiful and noble, which . . . shall afford an ample field of matter wherein to expatiate.
The unhappy subject of these quarrels.
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Subject
The person who is treated of; the hero of a piece; the chief character.
Writers of particular lives . . . are apt to be prejudiced in favor of their subject.
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Subject
That of which anything is affirmed or predicated; the theme of a proposition or discourse; that which is spoken of; as, the nominative case is the subject of the verb.
The subject of a proposition is that concerning which anything is affirmed or denied.
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Subject
That in which any quality, attribute, or relation, whether spiritual or material, inheres, or to which any of these appertain; substance; substratum.
That which manifests its qualities - in other words, that in which the appearing causes inhere, that to which they belong - is called their subject or substance, or substratum.
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Subject
The principal theme, or leading thought or phrase, on which a composition or a movement is based.
The earliest known form of subject is the ecclesiastical cantus firmus, or plain song.
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Subject
The incident, scene, figure, group, etc., which it is the aim of the artist to represent.
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Subject
To bring under control, power, or dominion; to make subject; to subordinate; to subdue.
Firmness of mind that subjects every gratification of sense to the rule of right reason.
In one short view subjected to our eye,Gods, emperors, heroes, sages, beauties, lie.
He is the most subjected, the most nslaved, who is so in his understanding.
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Subject
To expose; to make obnoxious or liable; as, credulity subjects a person to impositions.
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Subject
To submit; to make accountable.
God is not bound to subject his ways of operation to the scrutiny of our thoughts.
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Subject
To cause to undergo; as, to subject a substance to a white heat; to subject a person to a rigid test.
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Subject
The subject matter of a conversation or discussion;
He didn't want to discuss that subject
It was a very sensitive topic
His letters were always on the theme of love
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Subject
Some situation or event that is thought about;
He kept drifting off the topic
He had been thinking about the subject for several years
It is a matter for the police
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Subject
A branch of knowledge;
In what discipline is his doctorate?
Teachers should be well trained in their subject
Anthropology is the study of human beings
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Subject
Something (a person or object or scene) selected by an artist or photographer for graphic representation;
A moving picture of a train is more dramatic than a still picture of the same subject
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Subject
A person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures; someone who is an object of investigation;
The subjects for this investigation were selected randomly
The cases that we studied were drawn from two different communities
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Subject
A person who owes allegiance to that nation;
A monarch has a duty to his subjects
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Subject
(grammar) one of the two main constituents of a sentence; the grammatical constituent about which something is predicated
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Subject
Cause to experience or suffer or make liable or vulnerable to;
He subjected me to his awful poetry
The sergeant subjected the new recruits to many drills
People in Chernobyl were subjected to radiation
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Subject
Make accountable for;
He did not want to subject himself to the judgments of his superiors
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Subject
Refer for judgment or consideration;
She submitted a proposal to the agency
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Subject
Possibly accepting or permitting;
A passage capable of misinterpretation
Open to interpretation
An issue open to question
The time is fixed by the director and players and therefore subject to much variation
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Subject
Being under the power or sovereignty of another or others;
Subject peoples
A dependent prince
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Subject
In a passive sentence, the subject is acted upon.
The cake was eaten.
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Subject
The subject is sometimes implied, especially in commands.
(You) Go home.
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
What is an object in grammar?
An object in grammar is a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that receives the action of the verb.
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How do I identify the object in a sentence?
The object is usually the noun or pronoun that comes after the verb and is affected by it.
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Can a sentence have more than one subject?
Yes, sentences can have compound subjects, where two or more nouns or pronouns perform the action together.
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Are objects always necessary in sentences?
No, not all sentences require an object. Intransitive verbs do not take an object.
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What is a subject complement?
A subject complement is a word or phrase that follows a linking verb and describes or renames the subject.
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What is a subject in a sentence?
The subject is the noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that performs the action of the verb or is in the state of being described by the verb.
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How can I identify the subject in a sentence?
To find the subject, look for who or what is performing the action or is in the state described by the verb.
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What is the difference between a direct and indirect object?
A direct object directly receives the action of the verb, while an indirect object indirectly benefits from the action.
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Can prepositions have objects?
Yes, prepositions often have objects, forming prepositional phrases.
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What's the difference between an object and a complement?
An object receives the action of the verb, while a complement provides more information about the subject or object.
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Can a sentence have both a subject and an object?
Yes, many sentences have both a subject performing the action and an object receiving it.
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Is the subject always a noun?
The subject is often a noun or pronoun, but it can also be a noun phrase or a clause.
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Can the subject and object be the same in a sentence?
In reflexive sentences, the subject and object can refer to the same entity, as in "She prepared herself."
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Are subjects and objects always explicit in sentences?
No, sometimes subjects or objects are implied, especially in imperative sentences.
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How does verb agreement relate to subjects?
Verbs must agree in number and person with their subjects.
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How are subjects and objects identified in complex sentences?
In complex sentences, each clause has its own subject and object, which can be identified by examining each clause independently.
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Can there be multiple objects in a sentence?
Yes, sentences can have multiple objects, especially with verbs that take both direct and indirect objects.
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What happens to the subject and object in passive voice?
In passive voice, the object of an active sentence becomes the subject, and the subject may be omitted or included in a prepositional phrase.
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What are object pronouns?
Object pronouns are pronouns that serve as objects in a sentence, like me, him, her, us, and them.
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Can subjects and objects consist of multiple words?
Yes, subjects and objects can be single words or phrases, like noun phrases or clauses.
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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