2017-11-01
6870
THE OBJECT
The Object is a secondary part of the sentence which completes or restricts the meaning of a verb or sometimes an adjective, a word denoting state, or a noun.
There are three kinds of objects in English: the direct object, the indirect object, and the cognate object.
THE DIRECT OBJECT is used after transitive verbs with which it is closely connected as it denotes a person or thing directly affected by the action of the verb. It is used without any preposition.
I moved my head negatively.
If a transitive verb takes only one object expressed by a noun or a pronoun without a preposition, it is always a direct object.
I helped him.
There are a few English verbs, which can have two direct objects.
I asked him his name.
Forgive me this question.
She taught them French.
THE INDIRECT OBJECT denotes a living being to whom the action of the verb is directed. There are also cases when it denotes a thing. There are two types of indirect object:
1. The indirect object of the first type expresses the addressee of the action. There can’t be an indirect object without a direct one in a sentence, if the predicate is expressed by a transitive verb.
She gave me an interesting book to read.
Note: There are three transitive verbs which may take an indirect object without any direct one: read, write, sing. In this case the indirect object is used with the preposition to:
Won’t you sing to me?
As a rule the indirect object comes before the direct object. In this case it is used without a preposition.
She sent Mike the telegram.
When the direct object precedes the indirect object, the latter is used chiefly with the preposition to and sometimes for.
She was giving an interview to a couple of journalists.
I’ve brought it for you.
When the direct object is expressed by a pronoun, it always precedes the indirect object.
|
|
|
Compare: I sent him a letter. I sent a letter to him.
I sent it to her. I sent him to my mother.
After a number of verbs such as explain, dictate, suggest, relate, announce, attribute, communicate, introduce, repeat, dedicate, disclose, interpret, point out the indirect object is always used with the preposition to even if it comes before the direct object.
Can you explain this rule to me?
I shall dictate to you the telephone number.
2. The indirect prepositional object doesn’t always express the addressee of the action and is more frequently used with intransitive verbs than with transitive ones. It can be used with any preposition.
The idea had occurred to Soams.
The prepositional indirect object is used not only with verbs but also with adjectives, words denoting state, and nouns of verbal origin.
She was not aware of his being there.
My daughter is afraid of dogs.
The direct and the prepositional indirect object may be simple and complex. THE COMPLEX OBJECT consists of two components; the second stands in predicate relation to the first. The two components form an indivisible unit and consequently must be regarded as one part of the sentence. The complex object can be non-prepositional and prepositional.
We have a complex object expressed by the Objective Participial construction, the Objective-with-the-Infinitive construction, the For-to-Infinitive construction and a gerundial construction.
The friends saw Tom approaching them.
We considered him to be a sincere person, but we were mistaken.
He didn’t mean for you to get hurt.
I insist on your learning this rule.
THE COGNATE OBJECT is a special kind of object that has some peculiarities:
1. It is used with intransitive verbs though it has no preposition.
2. It is expressed by a noun, which either has the same root as the verb or is similar to it in meaning.
3. It is almost regularly modified by an attribute with which it forms a phrase that is close in meaning to an adverbial modifier: to live a happy life - to live happily.
The cognate object is generally used in such combinations as: smile a sad smile, laugh a bitter laugh, die a violent death and others of the kind.
For the next four days he lived a simple and blameless life...
