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Learning Objectives

5 minutes reading
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Distinguish between subject questions and object questions
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Form subject questions correctly without auxiliary verbs
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Form object questions correctly with auxiliary verbs
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Apply this knowledge to ask clear questions about roles, responsibilities, and hierarchy
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Key Learning Tip

Ask yourself: "Am I asking about the person/thing doing the action (subject) or receiving the action (object)?" This determines whether you need an auxiliary verb!

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Grammar Explanation

10 minutes reading

The key difference between subject and object questions is whether we're asking about who/what does the action or who/what receives the action.

Subject Questions

Who/What DOES the action?

Who/What + verb (+ object)?
Who manages the project? (Who = subject)
What caused the delay? (What = subject)
Who called this morning? (Who = subject)
No auxiliary (do/does/did) needed!
Object Questions

Who/What RECEIVES the action?

Who/What + auxiliary + subject + verb?
Who do you manage? (Who = object)
What did she say? (What = object)
Who did you call? (Who = object)
Auxiliary (do/does/did) IS needed!

Visual Comparison

Subject Question:

Statement: Sarah manages the team.

Question: Who manages the team?

(We don't know the subject)

Object Question:

Statement: Sarah manages the team.

Question: Who does Sarah manage?

(We don't know the object)

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Quick Test

Try answering the question. If the answer is the subject of a sentence (the doer), it's a subject question. If the answer is the object (the receiver), it's an object question.

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Professional Contexts

5 minutes reading

Subject Questions (No auxiliary)

👤 Finding responsibility: "Who handles customer complaints?"
📋 Understanding process: "What happens next in the process?"
📞 Identifying callers: "Who called while I was out?"
⚠️ Problem solving: "What caused the system failure?"

Object Questions (With auxiliary)

👥 Reporting structure: "Who do you report to?"
💼 Task assignment: "What did the manager assign to you?"
📧 Communication: "Who did you email about the meeting?"
🤝 Client relations: "Which clients do you work with?"
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Examples - Correct & Incorrect Usage

5 minutes reading
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Correct Professional Usage

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"Who signed the contract?" (Subject)

Asking about WHO did the signing - no auxiliary needed

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"What did you sign?" (Object)

Asking about WHAT was signed - auxiliary "did" needed

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"Who leads the marketing team?" (Subject)

Asking about the person doing the leading

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"Who do you lead?" (Object)

Asking about the people being led

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"What happened at the meeting?" (Subject)

"What" is the subject of "happened"

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"What did they discuss at the meeting?" (Object)

"What" is the object of "discuss"

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

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"Who does manage the project?"

Incorrect: Don't use auxiliary for subject questions. Say: "Who manages the project?"

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"Who you report to?"

Incorrect: Object questions need auxiliary. Say: "Who do you report to?"

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"What did happen yesterday?"

Incorrect: "What" is the subject. Say: "What happened yesterday?"

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Listening Exercise

10 minutes

Scenario: Maria (Project Manager) is leading a team meeting to review Project Apollo after its launch.

🎙️ Audio: Post-Launch Review Meeting
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Audio Transcript: Post-Launch Review Meeting

Maria: Good morning, team. Welcome to our post-launch meeting for Project Apollo. Overall, it was a success, so well done everyone. But we need to review a few things.

Let's start with the final client report. Who sent the final version to Ms. Evans? I have a copy, but I want to be sure she has the very latest one. Ah, David, you did? Perfect, thank you.

Now, let's talk about launch day. We had a small issue in the morning. What happened exactly with the website server? It was offline for about 10 minutes, which was a little stressful. I know the IT team responded fast. Who fixed the problem so quickly? Please pass on my thanks to them.

Now, for the best part: client feedback. It's mostly very positive. What did they like the most? I have some notes here. And who did their lead designer speak with on our team? I believe it was Sarah. The feedback on the user interface was excellent. Actually, what created the most positive buzz on social media? I think it was the new color scheme.

Looking ahead to Phase 2. We need to decide roles. Who will lead the next stage of development? We need a clear project manager for this. And what does that person need from the rest of the team? We should prepare a list of resources.

One last thing before we finish. We need to schedule a follow-up call with the client. Who wants to prepare the meeting agenda? Okay, Liam, that's great. Thank you, everyone.

Question 1: Why does Maria ask, "Who fixed the problem so quickly?"

💡 Hint: This is a classic subject question. The question word 'Who' is the subject, so there is no auxiliary verb 'did'.

Question 2: What is the main purpose of this meeting?

💡 Hint: Maria says, "Welcome to our post-launch meeting," which means the launch is over and they are reviewing it.

Question 3: Complete the sentence from the audio: Maria asks: "_____ the next stage of development?"

💡 Hint: Maria is asking a subject question about the future leader of Phase 2.
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Interactive Quiz

10 minutes

Identify whether each question is a subject question or an object question:

1

"Who wrote this report?"

A Subject question
B Object question
2

"Who did you meet at the conference?"

A Subject question
B Object question
3

"What caused the delay?"

A Subject question
B Object question
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Practice Exercises

10 minutes

Exercise A - Identify the Question Type

Is each question a subject question or an object question?

1.

Who approved the budget?

💡 Hint: Is "who" doing the approving, or being approved?
2.

What do you need for the project?

💡 Hint: "You" is the subject. "What" is what you need (object).
3.

Who called you yesterday?

💡 Hint: Who did the calling? "Who" is the subject.
4.

Who do you supervise?

💡 Hint: "You" supervise "who" - who is being supervised (object).
5.

What happened at the meeting?

💡 Hint: "What" did the happening - it's the subject.

Exercise B - Form the Correct Question

Write the question. Pay attention to whether you need an auxiliary verb:

1.

Ask about who manages the IT department. (Subject question)

💡 Hint: Subject question = no auxiliary: Who + verb...
2.

Ask about what person Maria reports to. (Object question)

💡 Hint: Object question = auxiliary needed: Who does + subject + verb...
3.

Ask about what caused the problem. (Subject question)

💡 Hint: Subject question = no auxiliary: What + verb...
4.

Ask about what the team discussed at the meeting. (Object question)

💡 Hint: Object question = auxiliary needed: What did + subject + verb...

Exercise C - Choose the Correct Form

Select the grammatically correct question:

1.

Asking about the person who sent the email:

💡 Hint: "Who" is the subject (the sender). No auxiliary needed.
2.

Asking about the person you called:

💡 Hint: "Who" is the object (the person called). Auxiliary needed.
3.

Asking about what thing broke the machine:

💡 Hint: "What" is the subject (the thing that broke it). No auxiliary.
4.

Asking about what thing the manager decided:

💡 Hint: "What" is the object (the decision made). Auxiliary needed.
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Summary

2 minutes

🎓 Key Takeaways

  • Subject questions ask about WHO/WHAT does the action → No auxiliary verb needed.
  • Object questions ask about WHO/WHAT receives the action → Auxiliary verb (do/does/did) IS needed.
  • Test: Try answering the question. If the answer is the subject, it's a subject question.
  • Subject: "Who manages the team?" → "Sarah manages the team."
  • Object: "Who does Sarah manage?" → "Sarah manages the team."
  • This distinction is crucial for asking clear questions about roles, responsibilities, and hierarchy.
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Congratulations!

You've completed Lesson 4.2 on Subject vs Object Questions. You can now form both types of questions correctly! Continue to Lesson 4.3 to learn about Indirect Questions & Politeness.

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