ENGLISH GRAMMAR 4º ESO (May, 7th) -

SUBJECT  AND OBJECT  QUESTIONS

 

Copy the next chart in your notebook

-One of the classifications of questions in English is that between subject and object questions.

-Both types of questions star with a WH- word.

-The difference between them is the  function the WH- word has in the question.

-In the subject questions, the WH- word is the subject.

-In the object questions, the WH- word is the object. 

                                                                          

-When do we use each type?

-When we don’t know who or what makes an action, we make a subject question to ask for it, that is, to discover the subject of the action.

For example, imagine that you see a broken window when you arrive home, but you don’t have any idea of the person who did it. You make a subject question to find it out: Who broke the window?

-When we don’t know any other information about an action, like the direct / indirect object, the time, the place, the manner, the reason …, we make an object question to discover it.                     

For example, imagine that you know that Bobby broke the window but you don’t know why or when he broke it. You make object questions to find out: When did Bobby break the window? Why did he break the window?

-What are the formal differences between them?

-Object questions follow the general structure of an interrogative sentence with WH- word, so you are going to find a WH- (when/where/why/how/which/who/what) + auxiliary (depending of the tense you are going to find do/did/have/had/will…) + subject + verb?

 -Subject questions have a specific structure :WHO / WHAT (only them can be the wh- word in subject questions) + verb? (in the tense we are making the interrogation and always is 3^rd person singular)

EXAMPLE: Mary studies in the garage.

Is ‘the garage’ the subject of the sentence? No, it isn’t.

So you need an object question. Which wh- do you need to answer ‘in the garage’? WHERE.          

Therefore, Where does Mary study? 

ACTIVITIES

1.-Read the following paragraph and write a subject/object question to get the following answers.

-Ron found a coin on the road while he was crossing the street.

________________? A coin.

________________? While he was crossing the street.

________________? On the road.

________________? Ron.

-We feel sad because we can’t meet our friends.

________________? Sad.

________________? We.

________________? Because we can’t mee tour friends.

-My parents will buy a new car next month.

________________? A new car.

________________? Next month.

________________? My parents.

-The wind is blowing strong.

________________? The wind.

________________? Strong.

2.-Click on the link to practice more.

SUBJECT QUESTIONS