Identify Subjects, Verbs and Objects

This lesson helps you practise finding the subject, verb and object in everyday English sentences.

You will begin with simple examples, then work through sentences that contain verb phrases, extra information and sentences with no object.

Goal: identify the main sentence parts by looking at what each part does, not only where a word appears.

Before you start

Read The Basic Parts of an English Sentence before completing this lesson.

You may use paper or a private note to write your answers.

Remember the three main parts

For many beginner sentences, start by looking for these parts.

• Subject: who or what the clause is about.
• Verb: the action, event or state.
• Object: a person or thing affected by certain verbs.

Not every sentence has an object.

Step 1: Find the verb first

Finding the verb often makes the other parts easier to identify.

Look at:

The children opened the gate.

What happened?

opened

That is the verb.

Now ask who opened something.

The children

That is the subject.

Finally ask what they opened.

the gate

That is the object.

Step 2: Find the whole subject

A subject can contain several words.

The tall boy near the window waved.

The verb is waved.

Who waved?

The tall boy near the window

That complete group of words is the subject.

Do not choose only the nearest noun.

Step 3: Look for the whole verb phrase

A verb can contain more than one word.

The students are reading their books.

The verb phrase is:

are reading

The subject is:

The students

The object is:

their books

Step 4: Decide whether an object exists

Do not force every sentence into a subject, verb, object pattern.

The baby laughed.

Subject:

The baby

Verb:

laughed

Object:

none

The sentence already makes sense without an object.

Step 5: Do not confuse extra information with an object

Look at:

Leo ran quickly.

Leo is the subject.

ran is the verb.

quickly tells us how Leo ran.

It is not an object.

Now compare:

Leo carried the box.

the box is an object because it is the thing Leo carried.

Practice round 1: Find the subject and verb

For each sentence, identify the subject and verb.

1. The cat slept.
2. My younger sister smiled.
3. The old bus stopped.
4. Our teacher is speaking.
5. The birds were singing.

Answers

1. Subject: The cat. Verb: slept.
2. Subject: My younger sister. Verb: smiled.
3. Subject: The old bus. Verb: stopped.
4. Subject: Our teacher. Verb phrase: is speaking.
5. Subject: The birds. Verb phrase: were singing.

Practice round 2: Find the object

Identify the subject, verb and object.

1. Maya opened the door.
2. The dog chased the ball.
3. Arun washed the plates.
4. My friend borrowed a book.
5. The students completed the activity.

Answers

1. Subject: Maya. Verb: opened. Object: the door.
2. Subject: The dog. Verb: chased. Object: the ball.
3. Subject: Arun. Verb: washed. Object: the plates.
4. Subject: My friend. Verb: borrowed. Object: a book.
5. Subject: The students. Verb: completed. Object: the activity.

Practice round 3: Object or no object?

Decide whether each sentence has an object.

1. The audience laughed loudly.
2. Mina closed the window.
3. The horse ran quickly.
4. Daniel repaired the bicycle.
5. The baby slept peacefully.

Answers

1. No object. loudly tells us how the audience laughed.
2. Object: the window.
3. No object. quickly tells us how the horse ran.
4. Object: the bicycle.
5. No object. peacefully tells us how the baby slept.

Practice round 4: Find all the main parts

Write S for subject, V for verb or verb phrase, and O for object.

Sentence 1

The new student answered the question.

Answer:

• S: The new student
• V: answered
• O: the question

Sentence 2

My parents are preparing dinner.

Answer:

• S: My parents
• V: are preparing
• O: dinner

Sentence 3

The children played outside.

Answer:

• S: The children
• V: played
• O: none

outside tells us where the children played.

A slightly harder example

The box of books is heavy.

First find the verb:

is

What is heavy?

The box of books

That complete phrase is the subject.

The word books is inside the subject, but it is not the subject by itself.

heavy gives information about the subject. It is not an object.

What about questions?

Questions can change the usual word order.

Statement:

You are ready.

Question:

Are you ready?

The subject is still you.

The verb is built from are and the rest of the sentence pattern.

This shows why meaning is more useful than simply assuming the first word must be the subject.

What about commands?

A command often has an understood subject.

Open the book.

The sentence is speaking to you, although the word is not written.

Verb:

open

Object:

the book

Challenge activity

Identify the main parts in these sentences before checking the answers.

1. The small brown dog carried the stick.
2. Our neighbours are planting flowers.
3. The children laughed after lunch.
4. My uncle has repaired the chair.
5. The red bicycle looks new.
6. The students finished their work quietly.

Challenge answers

1. Subject: The small brown dog. Verb: carried. Object: the stick.
2. Subject: Our neighbours. Verb phrase: are planting. Object: flowers.
3. Subject: The children. Verb: laughed. No object. after lunch adds time information.
4. Subject: My uncle. Verb phrase: has repaired. Object: the chair.
5. Subject: The red bicycle. Verb: looks. No object. new gives information about the subject.
6. Subject: The students. Verb: finished. Object: their work. quietly adds information about how they finished.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Do not assume the subject is always one word.
• Do not assume every sentence needs an object.
• Do not treat every word after a verb as an object.
• Look for the whole verb phrase when several words work together.
• Use meaning as well as word order.

Self check

1. What question can help you find the subject after you find the verb?
2. Does every English sentence need an object?
3. Can a verb contain more than one word?
4. In the sentence The children opened the gate, what is the object?
5. In the sentence The children laughed loudly, is loudly an object?

Suggested answers

1. Ask who or what is connected to the verb.
2. No. Some verbs form complete sentences without an object.
3. Yes. Several words can work together as a verb phrase.
4. the gate
5. No. It tells us how the children laughed.

Lesson summary

Start by finding the verb or verb phrase.

Then identify who or what is connected to that verb. That is usually the subject.

Next decide whether the verb affects a person or thing. If it does, that person or thing may be the object.

Remember that some sentences have no object, and words that describe time, place or manner are not automatically objects.

Continue learning

Review The Basic Parts of an English Sentence if you want to revisit the explanation.

You can also read A Practical Guide to Clear Everyday English to see how sentence structure supports clearer communication.

Sources and further reading

• British Council, Clause structure and verb patterns
• Cambridge Dictionary, Objects
• Cambridge Dictionary, Word order and focus