question about water

[Idiomaticus]

I need to know, is water an object? It is not a subject, but is it an object? If I am instructed not to use any object, can I still use water, or I will break this rule? Thanks.

[boothling]

"Water" can be the subject or the object of a sentence, just like any other noun.

In the sentence:
Water flows downhill.
-- "water" is the subject.

In the sentence:
We drink water.
-- it's the object.

(I'm 99% sure of this, but grammar isn't my strong point. Perhaps a grammarian could confirm it?)

But perhaps you're asking if water is an object in the sense of:

object
• noun /objikt/ 1 a material thing that can be seen and touched.

Going by this definition, water is an object. But I'm not sure. Don't we tend to use "object" only to describe things that are solid?

[BobK]

Originally Posted by boothling

...
Going by this definition, water is an object. But I'm not sure. Don't we tend to use "object" only to describe things that are solid?

I think we do, but I'm not sure the people Idiomaticus is dealing with would agree.

b