Subject and object questions

Use:
Some questions ask about the object of a sentence.
Who did you see?

=>

I saw Helen.

Helen is the object of the sentence.

Some questions ask about the subject of a sentence.
Who saw you?=>

Nobody saw me.

Nobody is the subject of the sentence.

Subject and Object questions have different structures.
Form:
Object Questions
1) To be
Use to be before a subject + nouns, adjective or place.

to be

Subject

Is / Was

he / she / it / Tom

a teacher / a student?
happy / cold / tired / ready?
at the party / in the classroom?
here / there?

Are / Were

we / you / they / your parents

teachers / students?
happy / cold / tired / ready?
at the party / in the classroom?
here / there?

Is Tom a teacher? Is it cold? Was he at the party? Is she here?

Are you students? Were you tired? Are they in the classroom? Were your parents there?
2) Use Question word + to be before nouns, pronouns, places and this / that.
Question word

Be

Where

is / was

he / she / it / my bag?

Who

this / that?

What

at the party / in the classroom?

When

are / were

we / you / they / my keys?

these / those?
at the party / in the classroom?

Who is it? When was it? Where was my bag? Who was at the party?
Where are my keys? What are those?

3) Use (Question word) + auxiliary verb before a subject + verb

Question word

auxiliary verb

Subject

is / are
was / were

Where
Who

you
he

do / does

What
When
Why

did

she

can / could

we

it

will / would

they

should

doing

seeing

going

eating

do

see

go

eat

do

see

go

eat

have / has

done

saw

had

gone

eaten

Where are you going? Who did you see? What did you do? When will we go? Why have they
gone?
Subject Questions
1) Subject questions have no subject in the question. Any present / past simple verbs should go
in the past / present simple tense, not the infinitive form.
Only What and Who can be used in this kind of question.
Question word

Verb

object

Who

likes / needs / wants

me / you / him / her / us / them?

is following / calling

the film?

saw / called
What

happened (to

me / you / him / her / us / them?)

is happening (to
Which car will arrive first?

Who likes me? What happened to you?

In the present tense, always use the third person singular form of the verb.
NOT

What happens next?

What happen next?

Notice that this structure is like positive sentence structure without the question word.

Common mistakes:
1)

Some students use an auxiliary verb in an subject question.

What did happen?

=>

What happened?

Who did meet you at the station?=>

Who met you at the station?

1. Whats the missing word?

Where ___ it?
did
is
has
2. Whats the missing word?
What ____ you do?
are
did
have
3. Which word CANNOT go in the space?
Where ____ you go?
did
are
can
4. Which verb completes the sentence?
Where does he ____?
lives
living
live

5. Which verb completes the sentence?

When is he ____?
leaving
leave
leaves
6. Which question is correct?
Who did find your bag?
Who found your bag?
Who find your bag?

7. Which sentence is best for a sign?

Must not touch.
You dont touch.
Do not touch.

8. Which verb completes the sentence?

What have they ____?
do
did
done

9. Which question is correct?

What does happen to me?
Whats happen to me?
Whats happening to me?

10. Which CANNOT complete the sentence?

Are your parents ____
Are your parents ____?
live in London?
hungry?