🎯 Learning Objectives
- Distinguish between subject questions (who/what + verb) and object questions (who/what + auxiliary verb)
- Use correct word order to form both subject and object questions in business contexts
- Recognize the function of auxiliary verbs (do/does/did) in object questions
- Demonstrate understanding by asking questions about project roles, responsibilities, and tasks
📚 Grammar Explanation
In business, we ask questions to get information. The structure of our question changes depending on what information we need.
1. Subject Questions
We use subject questions when we want to know who or what did the action. The question word (Who or What) is the subject of the sentence.
Form:
Question Word (Who/What) + Main Verb + (Rest of sentence)?
Use:
To ask about the person or thing that performs the action.
- Example: Who manages the team? (Answer: Anna manages the team. Anna is the subject)
- Example: What caused the delay? (Answer: A technical problem caused the delay. A technical problem is the subject)
2. Object Questions
We use object questions when we know who did the action, but we want to know about the person or thing that receives the action.
Form:
Question Word (Who/What) + Auxiliary Verb (do/does/did) + Subject + Main Verb?
Use:
To ask about the person or thing that the action happened to.
- Example: Who did you call? (Answer: I called the client. The client is the object)
- Example: What does Anna manage? (Answer: Anna manages the project. The project is the object)
🔑 Key Learning Tip
"The No Auxiliary Rule." If the question word (Who/What) is the subject, you do not use an auxiliary verb like do, does, or did.
💼 Professional Contexts
📋 Subject vs. Object Questions in Professional Contexts
- Meetings: "Who will send the meeting summary?" vs "What did you decide in the meeting?"
- Projects: "Who designed the new company logo?" vs "Who did you show the designs to?"
- Reporting: "What caused the fall in sales last month?" vs "What does this chart show?"
- Technical Problems: "What happened to the server?" vs "Who did you contact in the IT department?"
📊 Subject vs. Object Questions in Daily Business
- Email Communication: "Who sent the email about the new policy?" vs "What did the client ask for?"
- Networking: "Who works for that company?" vs "Who do you know at this conference?"
- Planning Schedules: "Who is coming to the training on Friday?" vs "What will we need to prepare?"
- Team Updates: "Who finished their weekly report?" vs "What did you work on last week?"
✅ Examples & Analysis
✅ Correct Usage
- Who manages the marketing department?
(This is a subject question. We are asking for the person who does the action. No 'does' is needed.) - Who did you meet at the conference?
(This is an object question. 'You' is the subject. We are asking for the person you met. We need 'did'.) - What happened after the presentation?
(This is a subject question. We are asking for the event/thing that happened. No 'did'.) - What does this report say about our progress?
(This is an object question. 'This report' is the subject. We are asking for the information in the report. We need 'does'.) - Who will lead the new project?
(This is a subject question with 'will'. The structure is simple: Who + will + verb.) - What will the project leader do first?
(This is an object question with 'will'. The structure is: What + will + subject + verb.)
❌ Common Mistakes
✅ Correct: Who works in the finance team?
(Explanation: This is a subject question asking about the person. We do not use the auxiliary verb 'does'.)
✅ Correct: What happened to the computer?
(Explanation: 'What' is the subject of the question. We are asking for the thing that happened, so we don't need 'did'.)
✅ Correct: Who did you call for help?
(Explanation: This is an object question. 'You' is the subject who did the calling. We need the auxiliary verb 'did' before the subject.)
🎧 Listening Exercise
Maria: "Good morning, team. Welcome to our post-launch meeting for Project Apollo. Overall, it was a success, so well done everyone. But we need to review a few things. Let's start with the final client report. Who sent the final version to Ms. Evans? I have a copy, but I want to be sure she has the very latest one. Ah, David, you did? Perfect, thank you.
Now, let's talk about launch day. We had a small issue in the morning. What happened exactly with the website server? It was offline for about 10 minutes, which was a little stressful. I know the IT team responded fast. Who fixed the problem so quickly? Please pass on my thanks to them.
Now, for the best part: client feedback. It's mostly very positive. What did they like the most? I have some notes here. And who did their lead designer speak with on our team? I believe it was Sarah. The feedback on the user interface was excellent. Actually, what created the most positive buzz on social media? I think it was the new color scheme.
Looking ahead to Phase 2. We need to decide roles. Who will lead the next stage of development? We need a clear project manager for this. And what does that person need from the rest of the team? We should prepare a list of resources. One last thing before we finish. We need to schedule a follow-up call with the client. Who wants to prepare the meeting agenda? Okay, Liam, that's great. Thank you, everyone."
Maria asks: "______ the next stage of development?"
📝 Interactive Quiz
✏️ Practice Exercises
Instructions: Put the words in the correct order to make a business question.
1. the invoice / sent / ? / Who
2. do / What / you / need / ?
3. happened / to the files / ? / What
4. did / contact / Who / you / ?
5. the project / manages / ? / Who
Instructions: Match the questions (1-4) with the correct answers (A-D).
1. Who called the client this morning?
2. What caused the technical delay?
3. Who did you meet at the event?
4. What will you do next?
Instructions: Change the statement into a question about the underlined part. Use Who or What.
Someone broke the printer.
Question:
John needs a new company phone.
Question:
The manager interviewed Anna and Tom.
Question:
The new software created a problem for the team.
Question:
🗣️ Speaking Practice
Task 1: Asking About a Team (1 minute)
Instructions: Look at a simple team chart (or imagine one). Ask your teacher questions to understand who does what. Use both subject and object questions.
Preparation Tips:
- Use subject questions to ask about roles: Who manages...?, Who works...?, Who reports to...?
- Use object questions to ask about tasks: What does [person's name] do?, Who does [person's name] help?
Task 2: Investigating a Project Problem (2 minutes)
Instructions: Imagine a project delivery was late. You need to call a colleague to find out what happened. Prepare questions to ask.
Preparation Tips:
- Start with a broad question: What happened with the delivery? (Subject Q)
- Ask for more details: Who did you speak to at the warehouse? (Object Q)
- What did they say? (Object Q), Who solved the problem? (Subject Q)
Task 3: Onboarding a New Colleague (2 minutes)
Instructions: Imagine you are meeting a new team member for the first time. Your goal is to be friendly and find out about their role. Prepare a short conversation.
Preparation Tips:
- Mix different types of questions: "Welcome! It's great to have you here. So, who do you report to?"
- "What will you be working on this week?"
- "Who works on your immediate team?"