CARROTTA
carrotta.net
❓ Compendium
Grammar
EN
English — Subject vs object questions
When who or what asks about the subject, the word order stays like a statement and no auxiliary appears: Who broke it? When it asks about the object, English uses the normal question pattern with do/does/did: Who did you see?
1
How it works
✓ Rule
A subject question replaces the subject with who/what and keeps the statement order, with no do/does/did: Who broke it?, What happened? An object question keeps the normal subject and adds the auxiliary do/does/did before it: Who did you see?, What did you buy?
2
Examples
| Question | Type / auxiliary |
|---|---|
| Who broke the window? | Subject — no auxiliary |
| What happened? | Subject — no auxiliary |
| Who lives here? | Subject — no auxiliary |
| Who did you see? | Object — auxiliary did |
| What did you buy? | Object — auxiliary did |
| Who does she love? | Object — auxiliary does |
3
Good to know
⚠ Note
A subject who/what takes a third-person singular verb: Who wants coffee?, not Who want coffee? A common mistake is adding an auxiliary to a subject question — say Who broke it?, not Who did break it? (unless you add did for emphasis).