Only noun phrases can be direct objects. "Teach" is a catenative verb so this is a catenative construction where the infinitival clause "to drive" is catenative complement of "taught". The NP "me" is the syntactic direct object of "taught" and the semantic (understood) subject of the infinitival clause.
Full Answer
What is a direct object?
Jan 19, 2020 · A Grammar Lesson: Direct and Indirect Objects An object is the part of a sentence that gives meaning to the subject's action of the verb. For example: Alice caught the baseball. A direct object answers the question of who(m) or what.
What is an indirect object?
There is no direct object in the above sentences because linking verbs do not perform any action. (In the above sentences, my teacher, strange and cold are "subject complements".) How to find the Direct Object. To check whether a direct object (D.O.) exists in a sentence, and to identify it, ask "what?" or "whom?" about the verb.
What is the direct object in the sentence the students eat cake?
Active and Passive Clauses. " Direct objects are always noun phrases (or their equivalents, e.g., nominal clauses ). The direct object of an active clause can typically become the subject of a passive clause: Everybody hated the teacher. (active: the teacher is direct object) The teacher was hated by everybody.
Why aren’t verbs direct objects?
The direct object of a sentence is the thing being acted on by the verb. In the sentence, 'Lee eats cakes,', the word 'cakes' is the direct object. It is the thing being acted on by 'eats.' This page includes lots of examples, a video explaining how to spot direct objects, and …
Can a direct object be a noun?
As indicated above, a direct object doesn't have to be a single noun or pronoun. It can also be a complete noun phrase, a phrase or a clause. Look at these examples:
What is the direct object in a sentence?
In the above sentence, the action or verb is "kicked". The subject (He) performed the action (kicked). And the object (the ball) received the action. Strictly speaking, "the ball" is the direct object, and the direct object directly received ...
What is the normal order of sentences?
The normal order of an English sentence is subject-verb-object, like this: the ball. In the above sentence, the action or verb is "kicked". The subject (He) performed the action (kicked). And the object (the ball) received the action. Strictly speaking, "the ball" is the direct object, and the direct object directly received the action of the verb. ...
Glossary of Grammatical and Rhetorical Terms
Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks.
Examples and Observations
"She closed the carton carefully. First, she kissed her father, then she kissed her mother. Then she opened the lid again, lifted the pig out, and held it against her cheek."#N#(E.B. White, Charlotte's Web. Harper & Brothers, 1952)
What Is a Direct Object? (with Examples)
The direct object of a verb is the thing being acted upon (i.e., the receiver of the action).
How to Find the Direct Object of a Sentence
You can find the direct object by finding the verb and asking what? (or whom? ). For example:
Phrases and Clauses Can Be Direct Objects
The tip above also works when the direct object is a phrase or a clause. For example:
Only Transitive Verbs Have Direct Objects
When a verb has a direct object, it is called a transitive verb. Some verbs do not have a direct object. They are known as intransitive verbs. For example:
Do Not Confuse Complements with Direct Objects
If you ask what? with a linking verb (e.g., to be, to hear, to look, to seem), you will find a verb complement not a direct object. For example:
Why Should I Care about Direct Objects?
Most sentences will have a direct object. In general, direct objects do not cause native English speakers to make mistakes because native English speakers are great at changing subjective-case pronouns (e.g., I, he, she) to objective-case ones (e.g., me, him, her ), even if they've never heard those terms.
Key Point
Who is to he as whom is to him. Use whom for an object. Use who for a subject.
What is a direct object?
A direct object is a noun that receives the action of the verb. Don’t get the direct object confused with the subject—the noun that performs the actions—or the verb itself.
Transitive vs. intransitive verbs
Not all verbs use a direct object. Some verbs, like laugh and sit, can’t use direct objects because it doesn’t make sense—you can’t laugh something or sit someone; that’s gibberish.
Direct object phrases and clauses
Direct objects aren’t always just one word; sometimes they are entire phrases or even clauses. These phrases always act collectively as nouns, so aside from standard noun phrases, they’re often relative clauses (clauses that begin with a relative pronoun like “what”) or gerund phrases (noun phrases that start with gerunds).
Direct object pronouns
English uses two different pronouns to refer to the same person, depending on whether the pronoun is used as a subject or an object. For example, if you were talking about yourself as the subject of a sentence, you would use I, but if you were talking about yourself as the object, you would use me.
Direct objects vs. indirect objects
One of the most confusing topics in English is understanding the difference between direct objects vs. indirect objects. While direct objects answer the questions “what?” or “whom?” about the action of the verb, indirect objects answer questions like “to whom?” or “for what?”
Direct objects and linking verbs
One last rule about direct objects involves linking verbs like be, seem, and feel. Linking verbs seem to use direct objects, but the word following the linking verb is really called a complement, which is something a little different. A complement is often an adjective, but when it’s a noun, it’s easy to confuse it for a direct object.
Direct object examples
Let’s look at some direct object examples from literature and pop culture, so you can see how they work. The direct objects are underlined.
What is direct object?
What is a Direct Object? A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of the sentence. The direct object answers “whom?” or “what?” in regards to the verb.
Is a direct object a noun?
The direct object in a sentence is always a noun. Although, it may be a form of a noun such as a prono un, noun clause, or noun phrase. However, a direct object will always function as a noun. A direct object also always follows a transitive verb.
What is the direct object of a sentence?
What is the direct object? Coffee is the direct object. The direct object in a sentence is always a noun. Although, it may be a form of a noun such as a pronoun, noun clause, or noun phrase. However, a direct object will always function as a noun. A direct object also always follows a transitive verb.
What is the difference between subject and object pronoun?
A subject pronoun (see list below) must be used as a subject. A subject pronoun will always complete the action in the sentence. An object pronoun (see list below) must be used as a direct object. An object pronoun will always receive the action in the sentence.
Can transitive verbs have direct objects?
Only Transitive Verbs Can Have Direct Objects. Only transitive verbs can have direct objects. That is, a direct object will only follow a transitive verb. Intransitive verbs do not take objects, so they will never have direct objects. See more on intransitive verbs here.
Is a linking verb an action verb?
Linking verbs, however, are not action verbs, so there is no action taking place. Linking verbs connect a subject to its predicate without taking any action; they simply re-identify or describe the subject in a different way. For more information on linking verbs, see here.
What is direct object?
A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb. An indirect object is a noun or pronoun that receives the direct object. Indirect objects are only found in sentences that also have direct objects. Sentence structure is important to finding direct and indirect objects. Sentences have two parts:
What is the difference between direct and indirect objects?
Direct and indirect objects are used to add information to action verbs. A verb is an action word. A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb . An indirect object is a noun or pronoun that receives the direct object. Indirect objects are only found in sentences that also have direct objects.
What are the two types of verbs?
There are two main types of verbs: action verbs and linking verbs. Only action verbs can have direct objects and indirect objects. Linking verbs connect the subject of a sentence with a subject complement, and will not be discussed further in this lesson.
What is the basic sentence structure?
An understanding of basic sentence structure provides a way to identify direct and indirect objects. All sentences can be divided into two parts: The subject part: The sentence's subject part contains the simple subject - a noun or pronoun that indicates who or what is the topic of the sentence.
What is the subject of a sentence?
The subject part: The sentence's subject part contains the simple subject - a noun or pronoun that indicates who or what is the topic of the sentence. The simple subject tells who or what performs the action of the verb. The subject part of the sentence can also contain articles, modifiers, and prepositional phrases.
Is "dog" a subject or object?
The first use of ''dog'' is as a subject , and the second is as a direct object. Similarly, modifiers such as adjectives and adverbs and prepositional phrases that act as adjectives and adverbs can be found in either part of the sentence and do not need to change form. Look at the following sentences.
Is transitive a verb?
Transitive verbs have a direct object. They may have an indirect object also, but it is not required for a verb to be transitive. Intransitive verbs do not have (or require) an object, direct or indirect. One way to distinguish between transitive and intransitive verbs is to use the verbs in a sentence.
Direct Object Definition
Direct Object Pronouns
- Now you have a better understanding of direct objects and how they differ from indirect objects. However, we have yet to address direct object pronouns. So, what is a direct object pronoun? In short, it is a pronoun that takes the place of the person or thing being affected by the action. Fortunately, it’s easy to learn object pronouns because they are the same for both direct and indi…
Direct Objects and Asking Questions
- One of the easiest ways to identify the object of a sentence is to ask questions. More specifically, if you want to find the direct object, first look at the verb. Then, in relation to the action, ask: who or what is the recipient of the action? If you want to find the indirect object, ask: To whom/what or for whom/what is the action being done? Let’s look at a few examples: 1. My father sent his frien…
Conclusion
- So, what is a direct object?It is simply the primary recipient of an action. Once you learn how to identify direct objects, it’s easy to find them in all sorts of sentences! Not only will this help you understand sentences better, but it will also help improve your knowledge of English grammar! If you’d like to hear a native English speaker using direct objects in everyday conversation, be sure …