How to Find a Direct Object
Consider the purpose of the direct object., Find the subject of the sentence., Look for the direct object in sentences with “transitive” action verbs., Keep in mind that there can be more than one direct object., Recognize that some sentences will...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Consider the purpose of the direct object.
A direct object could be a noun or a pronoun, and always follows an action verb.
An action verb is a verb that requires something or someone to receive that action.Without a direct object, a sentence that contains an action verb may not make any sense.
For example, consider the sentence, “Dennis and Johanna ate omelettes for breakfast.” If you were to remove the direct object from the sentence, the verb’s action no longer makes much sense (“Dennis and Johanna ate for breakfast.”) The direct object gives us information about the action that was performed by telling us for whom or for what the action was performed.In the example of Dennis and Johanna, the eating was performed for the omelettes. -
Step 2: Find the subject of the sentence.
The subject of the sentence is the person/thing doing something in a sentence.
You can determine this by asking yourself “who” or “what” is performing the action in a sentence.For example, “Sam showed his mother the new museum.” Who performed an action in this sentence? Sam did.
What did he do? He showed his mother the new museum.
In this example, the direct object is “the new museum.” If you ask yourself, “What or whom was shown?” You can see that the museum is what was shown, and is the direct object. , If a sentence contains an action verb (cook, hug, show) there is a greater chance that a direct object will exist to receive the action of that verb.Action verbs that require a direct object are often called “transitive verbs”, while actions verbs that don’t require a direct object are often referred to as “intransitive verbs.” An example of a transitive action verb: “They gave Jeremy a big hug.” In this sentence, the verb is “gave.” Ask yourself what the subject (They) did.
The subject “gave.” This is the transitive verb.
You can tell it is transitive because if you left the sentence at, “They gave a big hug.” The sentence no longer makes complete sense.
You need the direct object; In this case, the direct object is Jeremy. , In some cases, a sentence may have more than one direct object, or the direct object may be a clause.
Clauses can be particularly misleading, so think carefully about who or what is receiving the action of the verb.For example, “John took his backpack and books to school.” In this case, both “backpack” and “books” are direct objects.An example of a direct object clause exists in this sentence: “John loves baking cakes.” In this case, the action verb is “loves,” and the direct object is “baking cakes.” If you ask yourself, “what does John love?”, you will see that the answer is, “baking cakes.”, Not all sentences will contain a direct object.
For example, if the sentence contains a “linking” verb (e.g. am, is, are), “state of being” verb (seem, remain, feel), or an intransitive action verb (e.g. sneezed, danced, cried) , then it may not contain a direct object.
An example of a linking verb is included in the following sentence: “They are stubborn children.” The linking verb here (“are”) links the subject (the children) with the adjective (“stubborn”).
An example of a state of being verb: “Sarah felt ill.” In this sentence, the verb “feels” simply explains the state of the subject (Sarah).
An example of an intransitive action verb: “Hannah sneezed repeatedly.” The verb here is, “sneezed”, but if you ask yourself, “Who or what did Hannah sneeze?” You will find that there is no answer in the sentence which explains that. -
Step 3: Look for the direct object in sentences with “transitive” action verbs.
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Step 4: Keep in mind that there can be more than one direct object.
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Step 5: Recognize that some sentences will not have a direct object.
Detailed Guide
A direct object could be a noun or a pronoun, and always follows an action verb.
An action verb is a verb that requires something or someone to receive that action.Without a direct object, a sentence that contains an action verb may not make any sense.
For example, consider the sentence, “Dennis and Johanna ate omelettes for breakfast.” If you were to remove the direct object from the sentence, the verb’s action no longer makes much sense (“Dennis and Johanna ate for breakfast.”) The direct object gives us information about the action that was performed by telling us for whom or for what the action was performed.In the example of Dennis and Johanna, the eating was performed for the omelettes.
The subject of the sentence is the person/thing doing something in a sentence.
You can determine this by asking yourself “who” or “what” is performing the action in a sentence.For example, “Sam showed his mother the new museum.” Who performed an action in this sentence? Sam did.
What did he do? He showed his mother the new museum.
In this example, the direct object is “the new museum.” If you ask yourself, “What or whom was shown?” You can see that the museum is what was shown, and is the direct object. , If a sentence contains an action verb (cook, hug, show) there is a greater chance that a direct object will exist to receive the action of that verb.Action verbs that require a direct object are often called “transitive verbs”, while actions verbs that don’t require a direct object are often referred to as “intransitive verbs.” An example of a transitive action verb: “They gave Jeremy a big hug.” In this sentence, the verb is “gave.” Ask yourself what the subject (They) did.
The subject “gave.” This is the transitive verb.
You can tell it is transitive because if you left the sentence at, “They gave a big hug.” The sentence no longer makes complete sense.
You need the direct object; In this case, the direct object is Jeremy. , In some cases, a sentence may have more than one direct object, or the direct object may be a clause.
Clauses can be particularly misleading, so think carefully about who or what is receiving the action of the verb.For example, “John took his backpack and books to school.” In this case, both “backpack” and “books” are direct objects.An example of a direct object clause exists in this sentence: “John loves baking cakes.” In this case, the action verb is “loves,” and the direct object is “baking cakes.” If you ask yourself, “what does John love?”, you will see that the answer is, “baking cakes.”, Not all sentences will contain a direct object.
For example, if the sentence contains a “linking” verb (e.g. am, is, are), “state of being” verb (seem, remain, feel), or an intransitive action verb (e.g. sneezed, danced, cried) , then it may not contain a direct object.
An example of a linking verb is included in the following sentence: “They are stubborn children.” The linking verb here (“are”) links the subject (the children) with the adjective (“stubborn”).
An example of a state of being verb: “Sarah felt ill.” In this sentence, the verb “feels” simply explains the state of the subject (Sarah).
An example of an intransitive action verb: “Hannah sneezed repeatedly.” The verb here is, “sneezed”, but if you ask yourself, “Who or what did Hannah sneeze?” You will find that there is no answer in the sentence which explains that.
About the Author
Emma Peterson
Experienced content creator specializing in DIY projects guides and tutorials.
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