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By Shailendra Singh
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Updated on 28 Oct 2025, 11:17 IST
The subject in a sentence is the person, animal, or thing that performs the action or is being talked about. It typically appears before the verb and answers the question "Who/What is doing the action?"
Example: In "John runs," "John" is the subject.
The object is the person, animal, or thing that receives the action of the verb or is affected by it. It usually follows the verb and answers "Whom/What is receiving the action?" There are two kinds: direct and indirect object.
An indirect object tells to whom or for whom the action is done. It appears before the direct object and often refers to a person.
| Feature | Subject | Object |
| Definition | The person/thing doing the action or being described | The person/thing receiving the action or affected |
| Examples | John runs. "John" is the subject. She is a teacher. "She" is the subject. The cat chased the mouse. "The cat" is the subject. | John kicked the ball. "The ball" is the object. Mary drew a picture for her mother. "A picture" and "her mother" are objects. The cat chased the mouse. "The mouse" is the object. |
| Formula | Subject + Verb + (Object) S + V + O English sentences commonly follow Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order. | Only transitive verbs take objects. Object follows the verb in active voice. |
| Subject Pronouns | I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who, whoever. | Me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom, whomever. |
| Types | Simple subject: "John runs". Compound subject: "Tom and Jerry are friends". | Direct object: "He reads a book". Indirect object: "She gave him a gift". |
| How to Identify | Ask “Who or what is doing the action?” Before the verb in active sentences. | Ask “Whom or what receives the action?” Follows the verb in active sentences. |
| Grammar Function | Subject completes or initiates an action. | Object receives or is affected by the action. |
| Aspect | Subject | Object |
| Role | Does or initiates the verb's action | Receives or is affected by the action |
| Usual Position | Before the verb | After the verb |
| Pronoun List | I, he, she, we, they, etc. | Me, him, her, us, them, etc. |
| Example | “They play football.” (Subject: they) | “He gave her flowers.” (Object: her, flowers) |
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A subject in English grammar is the person, animal, or thing performing the action or being described in a sentence. It usually appears before the verb.
An object is the person, animal, or thing that receives the action of the verb or is affected by it. It comes after the verb in a sentence.
The subject answers "Who/What is doing the action?" and is placed before the verb. The object answers "Whom/What is receiving the action?" and follows the verb.
Examples:
The subject carries out the action, while the object receives the action or is affected by it. Subjects are usually placed before the verb objects after.
Subject pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
Object pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, them.
Yes. Some verbs (called intransitive verbs) do not require an object, e.g., "She sleeps."
Yes. Some sentences have both a direct and an indirect object, e.g., "She gave him a book." ("Book" is the direct object, "him" is the indirect object).
A compound subject has two or more subjects doing the action, e.g., "Tom and Jerry run." A compound object has two or more objects receiving the action, e.g., "She bought apples and oranges.".
SVO is the most common sentence structure in English where the subject comes first, followed by the verb, and then the object, e.g., "The cat (subject) chased (verb) the mouse (object).