Noun vs. Subject — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 20, 2024
A noun is a part of speech that names a person, place, thing, or idea, whereas a subject usually refers to the noun or pronoun that performs the action of the verb in a sentence.
Difference Between Noun and Subject
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Nouns are one of the fundamental building blocks of sentences, categorizing the entities involved. They can be concrete, like 'car' and 'dog,' or abstract, like 'freedom' and 'love.' Whereas subjects are specifically the nouns or pronouns that take the central role in a sentence by performing the action of the verb or being described by it. For example, in the sentence "The dog barks," 'dog' is both a noun and the subject.
While a noun can exist in a sentence without necessarily being a subject, every subject is inherently a noun or pronoun. For instance, 'table' in "The table is old" is both a noun and the subject, but in "She placed the book on the table," 'table' is a noun but not the subject.
Nouns have several forms, including proper nouns, common nouns, countable nouns, and uncountable nouns, each serving different roles in communication. On the other hand, subjects are identified based on their function in a sentence, highlighting their relationship with the verb to denote who or what is performing the action.
In terms of grammar, nouns are defined by their ability to be preceded by articles and to be modified by adjectives. Whereas, subjects are determined by their syntactic position, usually preceding the verb, and their semantic role, as the doer of the action or the topic of the sentence.
Understanding the difference between a noun and a subject enhances clarity in writing and speaking. Recognizing a noun's potential to be a subject or an object in a sentence aids in constructing grammatically correct and meaningful sentences.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
The noun or pronoun that performs the action in a sentence.
Role in a Sentence
Can be a subject, object, or complement.
Serves as the performer of the verb's action.
Types
Proper, common, countable, uncountable, etc.
Always a noun or pronoun, no sub-types.
Position in Sentence
Variable, depending on its function.
Typically precedes the verb.
Relation to Verbs
Can be unrelated, the subject of, or the object of a verb.
Always directly linked to the verb as the doer of the action.
Compare with Definitions
Noun
A noun that can be counted.
She bought three books yesterday.
Subject
Consists of two or more subjects that share the same verb.
The teacher and the students are ready for the lesson.
Noun
Names a specific person, place, or organization.
London is beautiful in autumn.
Subject
The subject is understood rather than explicitly stated, common in imperative sentences.
(You) Close the door.
Noun
A noun that cannot be counted.
Happiness is key to a fulfilling life.
Subject
The main noun or pronoun in a sentence.
The cat sleeps on the sofa.
Noun
General name for a person, place, thing, or idea.
A dog is a loyal animal.
Subject
A word or group of words that follows a linking verb and renames or describes the subject.
My brother is a doctor.
Noun
Names an idea, quality, or state rather than a concrete object.
Freedom is priceless.
Subject
The simple subject along with all its modifiers.
The small, hungry cat sleeps on the sofa.
Noun
A noun (from Latin nōmen 'name') is a word that functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas. However, noun is not a semantic category, so it cannot be characterized in terms of its meaning.
Subject
A person or thing that is being discussed, described, or dealt with
I've said all there is to be said on the subject
He's the subject of a major new biography
Noun
A word (other than a pronoun) used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things (common noun), or to name a particular one of these (proper noun).
Subject
A branch of knowledge studied or taught in a school, college, or university
Maths is not my best subject
Noun
The part of speech that is used to name a person, place, thing, quality, or action and can function as the subject or object of a verb, the object of a preposition, or an appositive.
Subject
A member of a state other than its ruler, especially one owing allegiance to a monarch or other supreme ruler
The legislation is applicable only to British subjects
Noun
Any of the words belonging to this part of speech, such as neighbor, window, happiness, or negotiation.
Subject
A noun or noun phrase functioning as one of the main components of a clause, being the element about which the rest of the clause is predicated.
Noun
A word that functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as person, animal, place, thing, phenomenon, substance, quality, or idea; one of the basic parts of speech in many languages, including English.
Subject
A thinking or feeling entity; the conscious mind; the ego, especially as opposed to anything external to the mind.
Noun
Either a word that can be used to refer to a person, animal, place, thing, phenomenon, substance, quality or idea, or a word that modifies or describes a previous word or its referent; a substantive or adjective, sometimes also including other parts of speech such as numeral or pronoun.
Subject
Likely or prone to be affected by (a particular condition or occurrence, typically an unwelcome or unpleasant one)
He was subject to bouts of manic depression
Noun
(computing) An object within a user interface to which a certain action or transformation (i.e., verb) is applied.
Subject
Dependent or conditional upon
The proposed merger is subject to the approval of the shareholders
Noun
(transitive) To convert a word to a noun.
Subject
Under the authority of
Ministers are subject to the laws of the land
Noun
A word used as the designation or appellation of a creature or thing, existing in fact or in thought; a substantive.
Subject
Conditionally upon
Subject to the EC's agreement, we intend to set up an enterprise zone in the area
Noun
A word that can be used to refer to a person or place or thing
Subject
Cause or force someone or something to undergo (a particular experience or form of treatment, typically an unwelcome or unpleasant one)
He'd subjected her to a terrifying ordeal
Noun
A word that can serve as the subject or object of a verb
Subject
Bring (a person or country) under one's control or jurisdiction, typically by using force
The city had been subjected to Macedonian rule
Subject
Being in a position or in circumstances that place one under the power or authority of another or others
Subject to the law.
Subject
Prone; disposed
A child who is subject to colds.
Subject
Likely to incur or receive; exposed
A directive subject to misinterpretation.
Subject
Contingent or dependent
A vacation subject to changing weather.
Subject
One who is under the rule of another or others, especially one who owes allegiance to a government or ruler.
Subject
One concerning which something is said or done; a person or thing being discussed or dealt with
A subject of gossip.
Subject
Something that is treated or indicated in a work of art.
Subject
(Music) A theme of a composition, especially a fugue.
Subject
A course or area of study
Math is her best subject.
Subject
A basis for action; a cause.
Subject
One that experiences or is subjected to something
The subject of ridicule.
Subject
A person or animal that is the object of medical or scientific study
The experiment involved 12 subjects.
Subject
A corpse intended for anatomical study and dissection.
Subject
One who is under surveillance
The subject was observed leaving the scene of the murder.
Subject
(Grammar) The noun, noun phrase, or pronoun in a sentence or clause that denotes the doer of the action or what is described by the predicate.
Subject
(Logic) The term of a proposition about which something is affirmed or denied.
Subject
The mind or thinking part as distinguished from the object of thought.
Subject
A being that undergoes personal conscious or unconscious experience of itself and of the world.
Subject
The essential nature or substance of something as distinguished from its attributes.
Subject
To cause to experience, undergo, or be acted upon
Suspects subjected to interrogation.
Rocks subjected to intense pressure.
Subject
To subjugate; subdue.
Subject
To submit to the authority of
Peoples that subjected themselves to the emperor.
Subject
Likely to be affected by or to experience something.
A country subject to extreme heat
Menu listings and prices are subject to change.
He's subject to sneezing fits.
Subject
Conditional upon something; used with to.
The local board sets local policy, subject to approval from the State Board.
Subject
Placed or situated under; lying below, or in a lower situation.
Subject
Placed under the power of another; owing allegiance to a particular sovereign or state.
Subject
(grammar) In a clause: the word or word group (usually a noun phrase) about whom the statement is made. In active clauses with verbs denoting an action, the subject and the actor are usually the same.
In the sentence ‘The cat ate the mouse’, ‘the cat’ is the subject, ‘the mouse’ being the object.
Subject
An actor; one who takes action.
The subjects and objects of power.
Subject
The main topic of a paper, work of art, discussion, field of study, etc.
Subject
A particular area of study.
Her favorite subject is physics.
Subject
A citizen in a monarchy.
I am a British subject.
Subject
A person ruled over by another, especially a monarch or state authority.
Subject
(music) The main theme or melody, especially in a fugue.
Subject
A human, animal or an inanimate object that is being examined, treated, analysed, etc.
Subject
(philosophy) A being that has subjective experiences, subjective consciousness, or a relationship with another entity.
Subject
(logic) That of which something is stated.
Subject
(math) The variable in terms of which an expression is defined.
0, we have x
Subject
To cause (someone or something) to undergo a particular experience, especially one that is unpleasant or unwanted.
I came here to buy souvenirs, not to be subjected to a tirade of abuse!
Subject
(transitive) To make subordinate or subservient; to subdue or enslave.
Subject
Placed or situated under; lying below, or in a lower situation.
Subject
Placed under the power of another; specifically (International Law), owing allegiance to a particular sovereign or state; as, Jamaica is subject to Great Britain.
Esau was never subject to Jacob.
Subject
Exposed; liable; prone; disposed; as, a country subject to extreme heat; men subject to temptation.
All human things are subject to decay.
Subject
Obedient; submissive.
Put them in mind to be subject to principalities.
Subject
That which is placed under the authority, dominion, control, or influence of something else.
Subject
Specifically: One who is under the authority of a ruler and is governed by his laws; one who owes allegiance to a sovereign or a sovereign state; as, a subject of Queen Victoria; a British subject; a subject of the United States.
Was never subject longed to be a king,As I do long and wish to be a subject.
The subject must obey his prince, because God commands it, human laws require it.
Subject
That which is brought under thought or examination; that which is taken up for discussion, or concerning which anything is said or done.
Make choice of a subject, beautiful and noble, which . . . shall afford an ample field of matter wherein to expatiate.
The unhappy subject of these quarrels.
Subject
The person who is treated of; the hero of a piece; the chief character.
Writers of particular lives . . . are apt to be prejudiced in favor of their subject.
Subject
That of which anything is affirmed or predicated; the theme of a proposition or discourse; that which is spoken of; as, the nominative case is the subject of the verb.
The subject of a proposition is that concerning which anything is affirmed or denied.
Subject
That in which any quality, attribute, or relation, whether spiritual or material, inheres, or to which any of these appertain; substance; substratum.
That which manifests its qualities - in other words, that in which the appearing causes inhere, that to which they belong - is called their subject or substance, or substratum.
Subject
The principal theme, or leading thought or phrase, on which a composition or a movement is based.
The earliest known form of subject is the ecclesiastical cantus firmus, or plain song.
Subject
The incident, scene, figure, group, etc., which it is the aim of the artist to represent.
Subject
To bring under control, power, or dominion; to make subject; to subordinate; to subdue.
Firmness of mind that subjects every gratification of sense to the rule of right reason.
In one short view subjected to our eye,Gods, emperors, heroes, sages, beauties, lie.
He is the most subjected, the most nslaved, who is so in his understanding.
Subject
To expose; to make obnoxious or liable; as, credulity subjects a person to impositions.
Subject
To submit; to make accountable.
God is not bound to subject his ways of operation to the scrutiny of our thoughts.
Subject
To make subservient.
Subjected to his service angel wings.
Subject
To cause to undergo; as, to subject a substance to a white heat; to subject a person to a rigid test.
Subject
The subject matter of a conversation or discussion;
He didn't want to discuss that subject
It was a very sensitive topic
His letters were always on the theme of love
Subject
Some situation or event that is thought about;
He kept drifting off the topic
He had been thinking about the subject for several years
It is a matter for the police
Subject
A branch of knowledge;
In what discipline is his doctorate?
Teachers should be well trained in their subject
Anthropology is the study of human beings
Subject
Something (a person or object or scene) selected by an artist or photographer for graphic representation;
A moving picture of a train is more dramatic than a still picture of the same subject
Subject
A person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures; someone who is an object of investigation;
The subjects for this investigation were selected randomly
The cases that we studied were drawn from two different communities
Subject
A person who owes allegiance to that nation;
A monarch has a duty to his subjects
Subject
(grammar) one of the two main constituents of a sentence; the grammatical constituent about which something is predicated
Subject
(logic) the first term of a proposition
Subject
Cause to experience or suffer or make liable or vulnerable to;
He subjected me to his awful poetry
The sergeant subjected the new recruits to many drills
People in Chernobyl were subjected to radiation
Subject
Make accountable for;
He did not want to subject himself to the judgments of his superiors
Subject
Make subservient; force to submit or subdue
Subject
Refer for judgment or consideration;
She submitted a proposal to the agency
Subject
Not exempt from tax;
The gift will be subject to taxation
Subject
Possibly accepting or permitting;
A passage capable of misinterpretation
Open to interpretation
An issue open to question
The time is fixed by the director and players and therefore subject to much variation
Subject
Being under the power or sovereignty of another or others;
Subject peoples
A dependent prince
Common Curiosities
Can any noun be a subject?
Yes, any noun can be a subject if it performs the action of the verb in a sentence.
How do I identify the subject in a sentence?
The subject is usually the noun or pronoun that comes before the verb and performs the action.
What is a subject?
A subject is the noun, pronoun, or set of words that performs the action of the verb in a sentence.
What is a noun?
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
Are subjects always at the beginning of a sentence?
Subjects typically come before the verb, but not always at the very beginning, especially in questions or inverted sentences.
What are common nouns?
Common nouns are general names for people, places, things, or ideas, not specific.
What is the difference between a simple subject and a complete subject?
A simple subject is just the main noun or pronoun, while the complete subject includes the simple subject and all its modifiers.
Is the subject always a noun?
The subject is usually a noun or pronoun, but it can also be a noun phrase.
Can a sentence have more than one subject?
Yes, sentences with compound subjects have two or more nouns or pronouns that share the same verb.
What are proper nouns?
Proper nouns name specific people, places, or organizations and are always capitalized.
How do uncountable nouns differ from countable nouns?
Uncountable nouns cannot be counted and do not have a plural form, unlike countable nouns which can be counted and have both singular and plural forms.
What is a subject complement?
A subject complement is a noun, pronoun, or adjective that follows a linking verb and describes or renames the subject.
Can a noun serve as an object in a sentence?
Yes, a noun can also be the object of a verb or preposition, receiving the action rather than performing it.
Can a sentence exist without a noun?
Yes, sentences can exist without explicit nouns, especially if pronouns are used or in imperative constructions.
How does understanding nouns and subjects improve writing?
Recognizing the role of nouns and subjects helps in constructing clear, grammatically correct sentences, enhancing communication effectiveness.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
