subject_and_object

Subject and Object in English and Chinese
English and Chinese belong to different language families. They differ from each other in many aspects. However, because of many of similarities in human-being’s tools and ways to recognize and reform this world as well as the corresponding results, many similarities in human thinking or perspectives do exist. Languages, as one of the most important tools, also share some similarities in expressing this world of human being and the nature. So it is with English and Chinese. As two of the major sentence elements of these two languages, the subject, the doer or the described party in active sense, and the object, the doee in active sense, also demonstrate great differences as well as a great deal of commonness.
1.0Structures for Subject and Object
The greatest differences and similarities of the subject and object in English and Chinese exist in their forms.
1.1 Structures for Chinese Subject and Object
In Chinese, either of the structures can be subject or object:
1) Nominal structures, including nouns, clauses as well as S-V phrases. For examples,
我吃不吃不关你的事。

（---/English）()
……
2) Pronouns, f or instance,
…..
3) Primitive verbal or adjective structures used as nominal structure, e.g.
……
1.2 Structures for English Subject and Object
Similar to Chinese subject and object, English subject and object can also be acted by nominal structures, pronouns, verbal structures, as in the following examples:
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1.3 Double Objects
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2.0 The Forms of the Subject or Object Structures
For foreign language learners of English, the most frequent errors on subject and object, maybe, result from differences in the forms of corresponding structures, chiefly, because of the special changes in the forms of each structure in English.
1) When an English countable noun acts as the subject or object (as well as complement or appositive, in fact), the number is to be demonstrated by adding -s or –es to the root. However in Chinese, there isn’t any change on any noun in any case as in the Chinese version of the following examples.
……
2) When personal pronouns are used as the subject or object, the forms are different except for that of you. That is, personal pronouns display nominative case in subject and a ccusative case as demonstrated in
……
However, a Chinese objective pronoun has the same form as the subjective one, also, as in the respective Chinese versions.
3) When a verbal structure is used as subject or object in English, it must be in a form of infinitive or gerund which is taken as a nominal structure in fact. That is, no basic/primitive verbal structure is accepted at the position of subject or object. While in Chinese, this is standard. Or change the verb into its noun.
…
4) When a sentence, a subject clause as termed, acts as the subject, there must be a relative pronoun that leading the sentence as a whole except for a sentence led by what, where, who, when, or how in the narrative order. When a sentence acts as the object, as called an object clause, that can be omitted. But in Chinese, the equivalent of English that, 那（nà）,is not needed at the beginning of a subject clause or object clause as demonstrated by the Chinese version of all English sentences in the following examples.
…..
5) In English, no independent adjective or adjective structure can be the subject or object. The concept must be expressed by a corresponding nominal structure, for example, its noun, infinitive, or a clause. But in Chinese, an adjective without any change can have a place in subject or object.
……
However, a structure of “the + (adj.)” or “the + (v-ed)” (in which
the past participle is used adjective) can be the subject or object. In Chinese, the equivalent structures to this phenomenon，那个/些+(adj.)（nà gè/xiē + (adj.)）are also easy to find.
……
3.0 The Sequence of Subject or Object
In active sense, ……
Inverted order of S, V
Fronted or postponed object
Emphatic pattern
4.0 The Agreement of the Subject and Object
number
gender
demonstration
information equivalent
5.0 Omission of Subject or Object
6.0 Conclusion
The differences and similarities in the subject and object of English and Chinese act differently in EFL. The similarities help to establish positive transfer and allow EFL’s to grasp the similar aspects in English subject and object quickly. But the differences produce a great deal of troubles in EFL. The transfer of Chinese subject or object in these aspects will cause errors, as is called Negative Transfer. Therefore, to acknowledge these differences
are of great significance to EFL’s in China, in fact, in all the other countries.。