What is the Difference Between Subject and Object?

🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚

The main difference between a subject and an object in a sentence is their function: the subject is the 'doer' of the action, while the object is the receiver of the action. Here are the key distinctions between subjects and objects:

  • Subject: The subject is the person, place, thing, or idea that is performing the action in the sentence. It usually precedes the verb and can be a noun, pronoun, or a noun phrase. For example, in the sentence "We are watching Netflix," the subject is the pronoun "we".
  • Object: The object is the person, place, thing, or idea that is being acted upon by the subject in the sentence. It generally follows the verb and can be a noun, pronoun, or a noun phrase. For example, in the sentence "The police gave him a warning," the pronoun "him" is the object.

In English, subject pronouns include I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who, and whoever, while object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom, and whomever. Keep in mind that the order of subject and object in a sentence can vary depending on the language being used.

Comparative Table: Subject vs Object

Subject Object
A subject is the performer of the action in a sentence. An object is the receiver of the action in a sentence.
Subjects are active entities, usually human users or processes running in memory. Objects are passive entities, such as resources that can be manipulated by subjects.
In the sentence "Jake ate cereal," Jake is the subject. In the sentence "Jake ate cereal," cereal is the object.
A subject can be a noun or a pronoun that performs the verb in a sentence. A direct object is the main thing in the sentence that is being acted upon.
Every sentence has to have a subject. Not every sentence has an object.

In summary, the subject is the performer of the action in a sentence, while the object is the receiver of the action. Subjects are active entities, and objects are passive entities. The subject is typically a noun or pronoun, and the object can be a direct object, which is the main thing being acted upon, or an indirect object, which is the recipient of an action.