What is an object? Subject + verb + object

Short answer: Some verbs can have an object. The object is the person or thing that receives the action. Find it by asking What? or Who? after the verb: The boy kicks a ball. What does he kick? A ball, so a ball is the object. The word order is Subject + Verb + Object.

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At a glance

Pattern	Example	Object?
Subject + verb	Birds fly.	no object
Subject + verb + object	The boy kicks a ball.	a ball
Subject + be + adjective	The boy is happy.	no object (happy describes the boy)

In short

Some verbs can have an object.
Object = who or what gets the action.
Birds fly needs no object. The boy is happy has no object.

What is the rule for “Verbs can have an object”?

The rule

Some verbs can have an object. The object is the person or thing that gets the action.

How it looks

Subject + Verb + Object: The boy kicks a ball.

What it means

Ask: What does he kick? A ball. That is the object.

When to use it

With verbs like kick, eat, see, like and read.

How it works

Find the verb first. Then ask What? or Who? after it.
If there is an answer, that is the object: I eat an apple. What do I eat? An apple.
Put the object after the verb. Do not put it before.
Some verbs need no object (sleep, fly, arrive). Others usually need one (kick, eat, like).

Examples of “Verbs can have an object”

Birds/n fly/v.
No object. The sentence is complete.
The/art boy/n kicks/v a/art ball/n.
What does he kick? a ball = object.
I/pr eat/v an/art apple/n.
What do I eat? an apple = object.
The/art boy/n is/v happy/adj.
happy tells how the boy is. It is not an object.
She reads a book.
What does she read? a book = object.
We love our teacher.
Who do we love? our teacher = object.
The cat sleeps.
No object. sleep does not need one.
He opens the door.
What does he open? the door = object.

Common mistakes with “Verbs can have an object”

~~The boy a ball kicks.~~ → The boy kicks a ball.
The verb comes before the object.
~~Birds fly a sky.~~ → Birds fly in the sky.
fly does not need an object here. Add where with in: in the sky.
~~I a bike ride.~~ → I ride a bike.
The verb comes before the object.
~~She likes.~~ → She likes music.
Like needs an object: what does she like?

Exceptions: watch out

She sings. She sings a song.
Some verbs work both ways: sing, eat, read.

Verbs with an object and without one

Many verbs can be used in both ways. A few always need an object, and a few never take one.

Type	Verbs	Example
need an object	like, kick, make, see	I see a bird.
never take one	sleep, arrive, go	He arrives.
both ways	eat, read, sing	She sings. / She sings a song.

Check yourself

What is the object? “I eat an apple.”
Show the answer
an apple What do I eat? An apple.
Does “Birds fly.” have an object?
Show the answer
No. fly does not need an object here.
Fix this: “The boy a ball kicks.”
Show the answer
The boy kicks a ball. The verb comes before the object.

How to practice “Verbs can have an object”

The interactive version adds step-by-step help, spoken instructions and a quick check. One rule card, one sound lesson and the first lesson of every stone are free to try; the rest is part of Full Access. See Full Access.

Practice lesson: Sentence basics: who + does + what

Questions

How do I find the object?

Say the subject and the verb, then ask What? or Who?. The answer is the object.

Is “happy” an object?

No. In The boy is happy, happy describes the boy. It does not receive an action.

Can a sentence have two objects?

Yes. In She gives him a book, him is who gets the book and a book is what is given.

More Sentence Building rules

Subject + Verb: A sentence needs someone or something (the subject) and a verb: Birds fly.
Present simple: I, you, we, they: For things we do again and again, and for likes, use the plain action word with I, you, we and they.
Present simple: he, she, it + -s: With he, she, it or one name, the action word usually adds -s.
Negatives: not with be and can: To say no with am, is, are or can, add not: I am not, she isn't, they aren't, it can't.
Negatives: don't and doesn't: To say no with an action word, use don't or doesn't and then the plain action word.
Yes/No questions and short answers: A yes/no question starts with the helper: am, is, are, do, does or can.

Used in these writing topics

Part of the 📘 Grammar tool. Level G2: Sentence Building. Đọc bằng tiếng Việt.

Written for English learners by the English for Fun team. How we write our lessons · Last updated 2026-11-05.

Reviewed by Chinh Q. Hoang, PhD, founder, English for Fun · 2026-10-30

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