A transitive verb takes a
direct object (She bit me) as
opposed to an intransitive
verb, which doesn’t (He swam
home) or (He swam in the
pool).
In the dictionary, a transitive verb is indicated by vt,
and intransitive verb by vi.
The direct object is not
the subject of the
sentence, it’s the noun
receiving the action. The
object isn’t doing anything,
it’s having something done
to it. A sentence doesn’t
need a direct object to be
a sentence.
Example: Jenny threw the
flowers.
Explanation: Jenny is the
subject; she’s the one
doing the throwing.
Flowers is the object; they
aren’t doing anything, but
something is being done to
them—they are being
thrown.
Underline the subject, circle the verb, box-in the direct
object, and double underline the prepositional phrase.
Example: Russell and Amanda
feared the loss as friends.
In this sentence ask yourself,
“Feared what or who?” Answer:
the loss.So “loss” is the direct
object.
Remember: The noun doing the
action is the subject. The
noun receiving the action is the
direct object.
Underline the subject, circle the verb, box-in the direct
object, and double underline the prepositional phrase.
Example: 50 Cent
threw kisses to
Lindsay upon her
mother’s orders.
In this sentence ask yourself,
“Threw what?”
Answer: kisses. So “kisses” is
the direct object of the verb
threw.
To help you find the direct
object, first eliminate the
prepositional phrases.
50 Cent threw kisses to Lindsay
upon her mother’s orders.
Only nouns that are not the
subject can be direct objects.
By eliminating prepositonal
phrases (which always end in
a noun), it makes finding the
direct object much easier.
Underline the subject, circle the verb, box-in the direct
object, and double underline the prepositional phrase.
Example: Matt and Katie gagged
the principal then stole his car.
In this sentence ask yourself,
“Who did they gag?” Answer:
the principal. Also, ask yourself,
“What did they steal?” Answer:
his car.
Remember: The noun doing the
action is the subject. The
noun receiving the action is
the direct object.
Example: Tyler loves sushi.
Ask yourself: What did Tyler love?
Answer. Sushi. So, sushi is the
direct object because it is
receiving the action of being loved.
Here’s another one:
Example: Mallory and Jarred
robbed a store and stole an
O-Town CD.
Ask Yourself: What did they rob?
Answer: a store. So, store is the
direct object of rob because it is
receiving the action of being
robbed.
Ask yourself: What did they
steal?
Answer: an O-Town CD. So, an OTown CD is the direct object of
steal because it is receiving
the action of being stolen.
Example: Angie found the matches
and started a bonfire in the quad.
Ask yourself: What did Angie find?
Answer: matches. So, matches is
the direct object because it is
receiving the action of being found.
Ask yourself: What did Angie
start?
Answer: bonfire. So, bonfire is
the direct object because it is
receiving the action of being
started.
You need a direct object to have
an indirect object. An indirect
object is really an understood
prepositional phrase.
Example: Alex threw David the
flowers.
Answer: Flowers is the direct
object, and David is the indirect
object
Ask yourself: “What did the
subject throw?”
Answer: flowers
Ask yourself, “To whom did the
subject throw the flowers?”
Answer: to David
Explanation: By answering “to
David,” it is an understood
prepositional phrase because
the word “to” is not in the
sentence.
Remember, an indirect object is
really an understood prepositional
phrase. It names the person (or
thing) to whom (or to what) or for
whom (or for what) something is
done.
However: When the word naming
the indirect receiver of the action
is contained in a prepositional
phrase, it is no longer
considered an indirect object.
Example: Jason gave her a
diamond.
Ask yourself: “Gave what?”
Answer: a diamond. Therefore,
diamond is receiving the action of
being given and is the direct
object.
Ask yourself, “To whom or what
was the diamond given?”
Answer: to her. Her is the
indirect object.
Example: Jason put on an
expensive coat for her.
Ask yourself, “Put what?”
Answer: There is no logical
answer, so the verb is
intransitive and “her” is the
object of the preposition
“for.” Sorry, but it gets
tricky some times.