Subject and Object
The subject of a sentence is the person or thing doing the action, while the object is the person or thing that the action is done to; for example, in 'The girl kicked the ball', 'the girl' is the subject and 'the ball' is the object. Understanding subject and object helps Year 6 pupils use pronouns correctly and understand active and passive voice.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Find the main verb in the sentence (the action word).
- Ask 'who or what is doing the verb?' - that noun or noun phrase is the subject.
- Ask 'who or what is the action being done to?' - that noun or noun phrase is the object, if there is one.
- Remember that not every sentence has an object; some verbs, like 'sleep' or 'arrive', do not take one.
- Check pronoun choice: subject pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we, they; object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, them.
- Use subject and object to work out active and passive voice, since the passive swaps the object into the subject position.
Worked example
Identify the subject and the object in this sentence: 'My sister borrowed my bike.'
- Find the main verb: 'borrowed'.
- Ask who is doing the borrowing - 'my sister' - this is the subject.
- Ask what is being borrowed - 'my bike' - this is the object.
- Final answer: subject = 'my sister', object = 'my bike'.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a English exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
In the sentence 'The storm damaged several houses', identify the subject and the object.
Write one sentence that contains a subject, a verb and an object, then label each part.
Explain, using an example, how understanding subject and object helps you change a sentence from active to passive voice.
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the subject and object worksheet pack - 10 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. No sign-up, no email wall - just the PDF, free for personal and classroom use.
Build a full practice pack.
This topic is one of hundreds in the library - pick the ones a student needs and generate a printable PDF in minutes.