Subject vs. Object
The main difference between Subject and Object is that a Subject is a person or thing that does something or that is something, whereas the Object is the person or thing receiving the action from the subject.
Key Differences
The question words “what/who” are used to identify a subject; on the flip side, the question words “what/whom” are used to identify an object.
A subject is a person or thing that does something, or that is being something; on the other hand, the object is the person or thing receiving the action from the subject.
The subject has three types “simple, compound, and complete subjects.” While an object is also classified into two types, these types are direct and indirect objects.
Aimie Carlson
Mar 06, 2022
The subject refers to the noun in a sentence, which is doing something, whereas an object is the receiver of action in a sentence.
The subject comes before the verb; conversely, the object comes after the verb.
In an active voice, sentence the noun or pronoun is a subject; inversely, the same noun or pronoun becomes the object in a sentence of the passive voice.
Harlon Moss
Mar 06, 2022
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In simple words, the subject is the doer of the action; on the contrary, the object is the receiver of the action.
Harlon Moss
Mar 06, 2022
In a sentence, the nominative case represents the subject; on the flip side, in case of an object, an accusative case represents it.
Janet White
Mar 06, 2022
Comparison Chart
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The doer of the action in a sentence
The receiver of the action in a sentence
Question Words
What or who
What or whom
Order
Precedes the verb
Follows the verb
Classification
Simple, compound, and complete subject
Direct and indirect object
Samantha Walker
Mar 06, 2022
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Subject and Object Definitions
Subject
Being in a position or in circumstances that place one under the power or authority of another or others
Subject to the law.
Object
A specific, individual, material entity, especially one that is not living or not sentient.
Subject
Prone; disposed
A child who is subject to colds.
Object
A focus of attention, feeling, thought, or action
A product that was so bad it became an object of derision.
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Subject
Likely to incur or receive; exposed
A directive subject to misinterpretation.
Object
A limiting factor that must be considered
Since money is no object, let's eat at that fancy place.
Subject
Contingent or dependent
A vacation subject to changing weather.
Object
The purpose, aim, or goal of a specific action or effort
The object of the game.
Subject
One who is under the rule of another or others, especially one who owes allegiance to a government or ruler.
Object
A noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that receives or is affected by the action of a verb within a sentence.
Subject
One concerning which something is said or done; a person or thing being discussed or dealt with
A subject of gossip.
Object
A noun or substantive governed by a preposition and typically following it.
Subject
Something that is treated or indicated in a work of art.
Object
(Philosophy) Something intelligible to or perceptible by the mind.
Subject
(Music) A theme of a composition, especially a fugue.
Object
A discrete item than can be selected and maneuvered, such as an onscreen graphic.
Subject
A course or area of study
Math is her best subject.
Object
In object-oriented programming, a structure that combines data and the procedures necessary to operate on that data.
Subject
A basis for action; a cause.
Object
To present a dissenting or opposing argument; raise an objection
Objected to the testimony of the witness.
Subject
One that experiences or is subjected to something
The subject of ridicule.
Object
To be averse to or express disapproval of something
Objects to modern materialism.
Subject
A person or animal that is the object of medical or scientific study
The experiment involved 12 subjects.
Object
To put forward in or as a reason for opposition; offer as criticism
They objected that discipline was lacking.
Subject
A corpse intended for anatomical study and dissection.
Object
A thing that has physical existence but is not alive.
Subject
One who is under surveillance
The subject was observed leaving the scene of the murder.
Object
; goal, end or purpose of something.
Subject
(Grammar) The noun, noun phrase, or pronoun in a sentence or clause that denotes the doer of the action or what is described by the predicate.
Object
(grammar) The noun phrase which is an internal complement of a verb phrase or a prepositional phrase. In a verb phrase with a transitive action verb, it is typically the receiver of the action.
Subject
(Logic) The term of a proposition about which something is affirmed or denied.
Object
A person or thing toward which an emotion is directed.
Mary Jane had been the object of Peter's affection for years.
The convertible, once the object of his desire, was now the object of his hatred.
Where's your object of ridicule now?
Subject
The mind or thinking part as distinguished from the object of thought.
Object
(object-oriented programming) An instantiation of a class or structure.
Subject
A being that undergoes personal conscious or unconscious experience of itself and of the world.
Object
(category theory) An instance of one of the two kinds of entities that form a category, the other kind being the arrows (also called morphisms).
Similarly, there is a category whose objects are groups and whose arrows are the homomorphisms from one group to another.
Subject
The essential nature or substance of something as distinguished from its attributes.
Object
(obsolete) Sight; show; appearance; aspect.
Subject
To cause to experience, undergo, or be acted upon
Suspects subjected to interrogation.
Rocks subjected to intense pressure.
Object
(intransitive) To disagree with or oppose something or someone; (especially in a Court of Law) to raise an objection.
I object to the proposal to build a new airport terminal.
We strongly object to sending her to jail for ten years.
Subject
To subjugate; subdue.
Object
To offer in opposition as a criminal charge or by way of accusation or reproach; to adduce as an objection or adverse reason.
Subject
To submit to the authority of
Peoples that subjected themselves to the emperor.
Object
To set before or against; to bring into opposition; to oppose.
Subject
Likely to be affected by or to experience something.
A country subject to extreme heat
Menu listings and prices are subject to change.
He's subject to sneezing fits.
Object
To set before or against; to bring into opposition; to oppose.
Of less account some knight thereto object,Whose loss so great and harmful can not prove.
Some strong impediment or other objecting itself.
Pallas to their eyesThe mist objected, and condensed the skies.
Subject
Conditional upon something; used with to.
The local board sets local policy, subject to approval from the State Board.
Object
To offer in opposition as a criminal charge or by way of accusation or reproach; to adduce as an objection or adverse reason.
He gave to him to object his heinous crime.
Others object the poverty of the nation.
The book . . . giveth liberty to object any crime against such as are to be ordered.
Subject
Placed or situated under; lying below, or in a lower situation.
Object
To make opposition in words or argument; to express one's displeasure; - usually followed by to; as, she objected to his vulgar language.
Subject
Placed under the power of another; owing allegiance to a particular sovereign or state.
Object
That which is put, or which may be regarded as put, in the way of some of the senses; something visible or tangible and persists for an appreciable time; as, he observed an object in the distance; all the objects in sight; he touched a strange object in the dark.
Subject
(grammar) In a clause: the word or word group (usually a noun phrase) about whom the statement is made. In active clauses with verbs denoting an action, the subject and the actor are usually the same.
In the sentence ‘The cat ate the mouse’, ‘the cat’ is the subject, ‘the mouse’ being the object.
Object
Anything which is set, or which may be regarded as set, before the mind so as to be apprehended or known; that of which the mind by any of its activities takes cognizance, whether a thing external in space or a conception formed by the mind itself; as, an object of knowledge, wonder, fear, thought, study, etc.
Object is a term for that about which the knowing subject is conversant; what the schoolmen have styled the "materia circa quam."
The object of their bitterest hatred.
Subject
An actor; one who takes action.
The subjects and objects of power.
Object
That toward which the mind, or any of its activities, is directed; that on which the purpose are fixed as the end of action or effort; that which is sought for; goal; end; aim; motive; final cause.
Object, beside its proper signification, came to be abusively applied to denote motive, end, final cause . . . . This innovation was probably borrowed from the French.
Let our object be, our country, our whole country, and nothing but our country.
Subject
The main topic of a paper, work of art, discussion, field of study, etc.
Object
Sight; show; appearance; aspect.
He, advancing closeUp to the lake, past all the rest, aroseIn glorious object.
Subject
A particular area of study.
Her favorite subject is physics.
Object
A word, phrase, or clause toward which an action is directed, or is considered to be directed; as, the object of a transitive verb.
Subject
A citizen in a monarchy.
I am a British subject.
Object
Any set of data that is or can be manipulated or referenced by a computer program as a single entity; - the term may be used broadly, to include files, images (such as icons on the screen), or small data structures.
Subject
A person ruled over by another, especially a monarch or state authority.
Object
Anything which exists and which has attributes; distinguished from attributes, processes, and relations.
Subject
(music) The main theme or melody, especially in a fugue.
Object
Opposed; presented in opposition; also, exposed.
Subject
A human, animal or an inanimate object that is being examined, treated, analysed, etc.
Object
A tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow;
It was full of rackets, balls and other objects
Subject
(philosophy) A being that has subjective experiences, subjective consciousness, or a relationship with another entity.
Object
The goal intended to be attained (and which is believed to be attainable);
The sole object of her trip was to see her children
Subject
(logic) That of which something is stated.
Object
(grammar) a constituent that is acted upon;
The object of the verb
Subject
(math) The variable in terms of which an expression is defined.
0, we have x
Object
The focus of cognitions or feelings;
Objects of thought
The object of my affection
Subject
To cause (someone or something) to undergo a particular experience, especially one that is unpleasant or unwanted.
I came here to buy souvenirs, not to be subjected to a tirade of abuse!
Object
Express or raise an objection or protest or criticism or express dissent;
She never objected to the amount of work her boss charged her with
When asked to drive the truck, she objected that she did not have a driver's license
Subject
(transitive) To make subordinate or subservient; to subdue or enslave.
Object
Be averse to or express disapproval of;
My wife objects to modern furniture
Subject
Placed or situated under; lying below, or in a lower situation.
Subject
Placed under the power of another; specifically (International Law), owing allegiance to a particular sovereign or state; as, Jamaica is subject to Great Britain.
Esau was never subject to Jacob.
Subject
Exposed; liable; prone; disposed; as, a country subject to extreme heat; men subject to temptation.
All human things are subject to decay.
Subject
Obedient; submissive.
Put them in mind to be subject to principalities.
Subject
That which is placed under the authority, dominion, control, or influence of something else.
Subject
Specifically: One who is under the authority of a ruler and is governed by his laws; one who owes allegiance to a sovereign or a sovereign state; as, a subject of Queen Victoria; a British subject; a subject of the United States.
Was never subject longed to be a king,As I do long and wish to be a subject.
The subject must obey his prince, because God commands it, human laws require it.
Subject
That which is subjected, or submitted to, any physical operation or process; specifically (Anat.), a dead body used for the purpose of dissection.
Subject
That which is brought under thought or examination; that which is taken up for discussion, or concerning which anything is said or done.
Make choice of a subject, beautiful and noble, which . . . shall afford an ample field of matter wherein to expatiate.
The unhappy subject of these quarrels.
Subject
The person who is treated of; the hero of a piece; the chief character.
Writers of particular lives . . . are apt to be prejudiced in favor of their subject.
Subject
That of which anything is affirmed or predicated; the theme of a proposition or discourse; that which is spoken of; as, the nominative case is the subject of the verb.
The subject of a proposition is that concerning which anything is affirmed or denied.
Subject
That in which any quality, attribute, or relation, whether spiritual or material, inheres, or to which any of these appertain; substance; substratum.
That which manifests its qualities - in other words, that in which the appearing causes inhere, that to which they belong - is called their subject or substance, or substratum.
Subject
The principal theme, or leading thought or phrase, on which a composition or a movement is based.
The earliest known form of subject is the ecclesiastical cantus firmus, or plain song.
Subject
The incident, scene, figure, group, etc., which it is the aim of the artist to represent.
Subject
To bring under control, power, or dominion; to make subject; to subordinate; to subdue.
Firmness of mind that subjects every gratification of sense to the rule of right reason.
In one short view subjected to our eye,Gods, emperors, heroes, sages, beauties, lie.
He is the most subjected, the most nslaved, who is so in his understanding.
Subject
To expose; to make obnoxious or liable; as, credulity subjects a person to impositions.
Subject
To submit; to make accountable.
God is not bound to subject his ways of operation to the scrutiny of our thoughts.
Subject
To make subservient.
Subjected to his service angel wings.
Subject
To cause to undergo; as, to subject a substance to a white heat; to subject a person to a rigid test.
Subject
The subject matter of a conversation or discussion;
He didn't want to discuss that subject
It was a very sensitive topic
His letters were always on the theme of love
Subject
Some situation or event that is thought about;
He kept drifting off the topic
He had been thinking about the subject for several years
It is a matter for the police
Subject
A branch of knowledge;
In what discipline is his doctorate?
Teachers should be well trained in their subject
Anthropology is the study of human beings
Subject
Something (a person or object or scene) selected by an artist or photographer for graphic representation;
A moving picture of a train is more dramatic than a still picture of the same subject
Subject
A person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures; someone who is an object of investigation;
The subjects for this investigation were selected randomly
The cases that we studied were drawn from two different communities
Subject
A person who owes allegiance to that nation;
A monarch has a duty to his subjects
Subject
(grammar) one of the two main constituents of a sentence; the grammatical constituent about which something is predicated
Subject
(logic) the first term of a proposition
Subject
Cause to experience or suffer or make liable or vulnerable to;
He subjected me to his awful poetry
The sergeant subjected the new recruits to many drills
People in Chernobyl were subjected to radiation
Subject
Make accountable for;
He did not want to subject himself to the judgments of his superiors
Subject
Make subservient; force to submit or subdue
Subject
Refer for judgment or consideration;
She submitted a proposal to the agency
Subject
Not exempt from tax;
The gift will be subject to taxation
Subject
Possibly accepting or permitting;
A passage capable of misinterpretation
Open to interpretation
An issue open to question
The time is fixed by the director and players and therefore subject to much variation
Subject
Being under the power or sovereignty of another or others;
Subject peoples
A dependent prince
Subject vs. Object
A subject is a person or thing that does something, or that is being something; on the other hand, the object is the person or thing receiving the action from the subject. The subject refers to the noun in a sentence that is doing something; on the flip side, an object is the ‘recipient of action or activity” in a sentence.
In simple words, the subject is ‘the doer of the action’ while the object is ‘receiving the action.’ Generally, the subject comes before the verb; on the contrary, the object comes after the verb. The question words “what/who” are used to identify a subject; on the other hand, the question words “what/whom” are used to identify an object.
The subject has three types. These types are “simple subjects, compound subjects, and complete subjects.” On the flip side of the coin, the object is also categorized into two types. These types are “direct objects and an indirect object.” In a sentence, the nominative case represents the subject. In the case of the object, the accusative case represents it. In an active voice, a sentence with the same noun or pronoun, which is a subject that becomes the object in a passive voice sentence.
What is the Subject?
A subject is a person or thing that does something, or that is being something. The subject refers to the noun in a sentence that is doing something. A subject is also a place person or thing which is being described in a sentence. In simple words, the subject is the ‘doer of the action.’ The question words “what/who” are used to identify a subject. In a sentence, the nominative case represents the subject.
The subject has three types. These types are “simple subjects, compound subjects, and complete subjects.” If the subject is a pronoun or a noun without any modifiers, it is a simple subject. If the subject includes all its modifiers, it is the complete subject. If the subject includes two simple subjects or two compound subjects or one of the two, then it is a compound subject.
In an active voice sentence, the same noun or pronoun, which is a subject, becomes the object in a sentence of the passive voice. Subject nouns can be any of “personal noun, proper noun, pronouns, or noun phrases.” The subject in a sentence agrees with the verb. For instance, the predicate verb must also be plural in a sentence if the subject is plural.
Moreover, the subject is an essential component of any sentence. It precedes the predicate or main verb, but sometimes it also comes after the verb. It happens in such cases when the sentence is a question or starts with “here or there.” The simplest sentences in English contains only a subject and a verb. The subject is not only a word but can also be a group of words.
Examples
- “The lion chewed the bone.” (Lion is the subject)
- “She broke her left arm.” (She is the subject)
- “The oldest lady in the town died today.” (Man is the subject)
- There were three mangoes on the shelf. (Mangoes is the subject.)
What is Object?
The object is the person or thing receiving the action from the subject. An object can be a “noun, a noun phrase, a pronoun, or a longer complex object (modified).” An object is the ‘recipient of work’ in a sentence. The object comes after the verb in the sequence of a sentence.
In the case of an object, the accusative case represents it. In a sentence of the active voice, the same noun or pronoun, which is a subject becomes the object in a sentence of the passive voice. An indirect object is known to be receiving the direct object. The identification of the direct object can find indirect objects. The question words “what/whom” are used to identify an object.
An object is also categorized into two types. These types are direct objects and indirect objects. The direct object is a noun/pronoun/noun phrase that is receiving the activity or showing the result of the activity. The indirect object is known as the recipient or receiver of the direct object. The verb having an object is a transitive verb, whereas the verb with no object is an intransitive verb. The object belongs only to a transitive verb. Intransitive verbs usually represent indirect objects. Transitive verbs usually represent direct objects.
Examples
- “I love chocolate cake.” (Chocolate cake is an object)
- Henry met David last Sunday. (David is an object)
- She hit the ball. (Ball is an object)
- I passed John the bowl of snacks. (‘Bowl of snacks is the direct object, John is the indirect object)
- My sister put the cat into the garden. (Cat is the object)
