Photo by Adrià Crehuet Cano on Unsplash

Subject and object questions

Lead-in. Look at the picture. Who do you see

there? What happened?

Grammar Elementary / Pre-intermediate

Read the dialogue. What are the auxiliary verbs
in each question? Do all the questions have
auxiliary verbs?

Lucy: What happened?

Jill: I don’t know.
Lucy: What did you see?
Jill: Nothing. I just heard a strange noise.
Lucy: Someone told me that you saw something.
Jill: What does it mean? Who told you?
Lucy: It doesn’t matter. Just tell me the truth.

Grammar Elementary / Pre-intermediate

Mind the rules.

Subject questions Object questions

If the question word is the subject, we In questions beginning with who or

don’t use the auxiliary verb do, does or what and using the auxiliary verb do,
did. does or did, the question word is the
object.
A: Who discovered penicillin? A: Who did John Lennon marry in
B: Alexander Fleming discovered 1969?
penicillin. (Who / Alexander Fleming = B: He married Yoko Ono. (Who / Yoko
subject) Ono = object)

A: What happens in November in the A: What does she want?

USA? (What / Thanksgiving = subject) B: She wants a new car. (What / a new
B: Thanksgiving. car = object)

In a subject question, the verb after

the question word is in the third
person singular, even when the answer
is plural.
A: Who lives at number 42?
B: Elena and Chris.

Grammar Elementary / Pre-intermediate

Follow the LINK. Put the questions into the
correct categories.
● What does it mean?
● What happened to his car?
● Who said “I’m going crazy”?
● Who gave you that money?
● What instrument did Beethoven play?
● What team won the match?
● What films do you usually watch?
● Who knocks at the door?

Subject questions:
Object questions:

Make questions beginning with Who or What.

Example:
Eric met somebody. → Who did Eric meet?
Somebody ate the last piece of cake. → Who ate the last piece of cake?

1. Somebody wants some more coffee.

2. Something happened at the end of the story.
3. Somebody is going to pay the bill.
4. He had something for breakfast.
5. Their letter said something.
6. Somebody knows the answer to my question.
7. They saw something.
8. She is phoning somebody.

Grammar Elementary / Pre-intermediate

Make questions using the words in brackets.
Then match answers A-G to the questions.
1. (Scarlett O’Hara, love) → Who did Scarlett O’Hara love? E
2. (on 4 April 1968, happen ) → What …? ___
3. (Around the World in 80 Days, write) → Who …? ___
4. (on Mars, in 1976, land) → What …? ___
5. (Will Smith, marry, in 1967) → Who … ? ___
6. (Frank Whittle, invent) → What … ? ___
7. (Neil Armstrong, do, in 1969) → What …? ___
8. (you, watch on TV, last night) → What …? ___

A. Jules Verne
B. He walked on the moon.
C. Viking 1
D. Jada Pinkett
E. Rhett Butler
F. The jet engine
G. The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
H. A new comedy programme.

Grammar Elementary / Pre-intermediate

Read the texts and make a question for each
answer.

There was an accident on our road yesterday. A driver was coming down the
road too fast. A bird hit the car roof and surprised the driver. The driver came
off the road and hit a tree.

1. What did the car hit? — A tree.

2. What hit the car? — A bird.
3. _____________________________? — A driver.

Matt likes cats but Kelly likes birds.

4. _____________________________? — Birds.
5. _____________________________? — Matt.

My mum told my neighbour that I didn’t like school. And my neighbour told
my teacher!

6. _____________________________? — My mum.
7. _____________________________? — My teacher.
8. _____________________________? — That I didn’t like school.

Grammar Elementary / Pre-intermediate

Ask your partner questions and answer their
questions. Use What or Who and the ideas
below.
Example: Who cooks dinner for you every day?

Ideas:
● someone who cooks for you every day
● someone you usually ask for help
● people you live with
● something you bought last week
● films you enjoy watching
● something that helps you relax
● something you want to do
● something that makes you happy

Grammar Elementary / Pre-intermediate

Write the questions using the present simple or
the past simple of the verbs in the box.

● destroy ● live ● paint ● write

● invent ● love ● sing about ● be

1. What / Miguel de Cervantes?

What did Miguel de Cervantes write? — Don Quixote.
2. Who / at 10 Downing Street? — The British Prime Minister.
3. What / most of San Francisco in 1906? — An earthquake.
4. Who / Mary Jane Watson? — Spider-Man.
5. Who / Sunflowers? — Vincent Van Gogh.
6. What / Tim Berners-Lee? — The World Wide Web.
7. Who / Elton John / in his song Candle in the Wind? — Marilyn Monroe.
8. What / the result of the game? — 2-0 to Italy.

Make 2 questions for each sentence.

1. Julie loves ice cream.
2. The food was on the table.
3. The student is from Colombia.
4. David has lost his wallet.
5. The teacher is living in Istanbul.

Grammar Elementary / Pre-intermediate

Feedback time!
1. Can you make 1 object question and 1 subject question?
2. If you want to check your progress, follow the LINK and do the test.

Grammar Elementary / Pre-intermediate

 Answer Key
Follow the LINK. Put the questions into the correct
categories.
Subject questions:
Who knocks at the door?
Who gave you that money?
What team won the match?
Who said “I’m going crazy”?
What happened to his car?

Object questions:
What films do you usually watch?
What instrument did Beethoven play?
What does it mean?

Make questions beginning with Who or What.

1. Who wants more coffee?
2. What happened at the end of the story?
3. Who is going to pay the bill?
4. What did he have for breakfast?
5. What did their letter say?
6. Who knows the answer to my question?
7. What did they see?
8. Who is she phoning to?

Make questions by putting the words in the correct

order. Then match answers A-G to the questions.
2. What happened on 4 April 1968? G
3. Who wrote Around the World in 80 Days? A
4. What landed on Mars in 1976? C
5. Who did Will Smith marry / in 1967? D
6. What did Frank Whittle invent? F
7. What did Neil Armstrong do in 1969? B
Grammar Elementary / Pre-intermediate
 8. What did you watch on TV last night? H

Read the texts and write a question for each answer.

1. Who was coming down the road too fast? / Who came off the road and
hit the tree?
2. What does Kelly like?
3. Who likes cats?
4. Who told your neighbour that I didn’t like school?
5. Who did your neighbour tell?
6. What did your mum tell your neighbour?

Extra task: for more practice or homework. Write the

questions using the present simple of the past simple
of the verbs in the box.
2. Who lives at 10 Downing Street? — The British Prime Minister.
3. What destroyed most of San Francisco in 1906? — An earthquake.
4. Who does Mary Jane Watson love? — Spider-Man.
5. Who painted Sunflowers? — Vincent Van Gogh.
6. What did Tim Berners-Lee invent? — The World Wide Web.
7. Who did Elton John sing about in his song Candle in the Wind? —
Marilyn Monroe.
8. What was the result of the game? — 2-0 to Italy.

Make 2 questions for each sentence.

1. Julie loves ice cream. (What does Julie love? / Who loves ice cream?)
2. The food was on the table. (Where was the food? / What was on the
table? )
3. The student is from Colombia. (Where is the student from? / Who is
from Colombia?)
4. David lost his wallet. (What did David lose? / Who lost his wallet?)
5. The teacher is living in Istanbul. (Where is the teacher living? / Who is
living in Istanbul?)

Grammar Elementary / Pre-intermediate