LESSON 18: TRANSITIVE ACTIVE VERBS & INDIRECT OBJECTS · Indirect objects are nouns and pronouns that receive the direct object. They answer For whom? and To whom? about the direct

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LESSON 18: TRANSITIVE ACTIVE VERBS & INDIRECT OBJECTS

Relevant Review

• Transitive active verbs transfer their action to a receiver.

• The receiver of the action is called the direct object.

Lesson

You remember direct objects, right? They are only found with transitive active verbs, and they receive the action of the verb. In this lesson you’ll learn about indirect objects.

But first, see if you can find the direct objects in the following sentences.

Carla baked a cake.

Tim sent a package.

I hope you were able to say that cake and package are direct objects.

Both of them are receiving the action of the verb. The cake was baked, and the package was sent.

Now look at these sentences. I added a prepositional phrase to both of them.

Carla baked a cake for Shannon.

Tim sent a package to Henry.

In those sentences, Shannon and Henry are objects of the preposition. The English language has another way of expressing the same idea. Look at these sentences.

Carla baked Shannon a cake.

Tim sent Henry a package.

Now, there is no prepositional phrase.

If you had to describe what the words Shannon and Henry were doing in this sentence, you would probably point out that both of them are getting the direct object.

Shannon is getting the cake. It was baked for Shannon. Henry is getting the package. It was sent to Henry.

So, we can express the idea with a prepositional phrase or with an indirect object.

* Noun job alert! * Indirect objects are another noun job! *

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Indirect objects are nouns and pronouns that receive the direct object.

They answer For whom? and To whom? about the direct object without explicitly using a preposition.

You MUST have a direct object in order to have an indirect object. However, you don’t need an indirect object to have a direct object.

Diagramming Indirect Objects

Let’s look at a diagram of one of those sentences with a prepositional phrase.

Tim sent a package to Henry.

To diagram Henry when it is not in a prepositional phrase (when it is an indirect object), put an (x) where the "missing preposition" is.

Tim sent Henry a package.

You can see that an indirect object is basically just the object of an implied preposition. Nouns Jobs: subject, object of the preposition, direct object, & indirect object


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Lesson 18 Sentence Diagramming Exercises

1. Mary handed me the towel and the sunscreen.

Key

Mary handed me the towel and sunscreen. sentence - statement

Mary subject (noun)

handed verb (transitive active)

towel, sunscreen compound direct objects (nouns)

the adjective

the adjective

and coordinating conjunction

me indirect object (pronoun)


2. The happy little girl sent her grandmother a letter.

Key

The happy little girl sent her grandmother a letter.

sentence – statement

girl subject (noun)

The, happy, little adjectives

sent verb (transitive active)

letter direct object (noun)

a adjective

grandmother indirect object (noun)

her adjective


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3. Did Chad give you his keys?

Key

Did Chad give you his keys? sentence - question

Chad did give you his keys. sentence – statement

Chad subject (noun)

Did give verb phrase

Did helping verb

give main verb (transitive active)

keys direct object (noun)

his adjective

you indirect object (pronoun)


4. Will you buy me a movie ticket?

Key

Will you buy me a movie ticket. sentence – question

You will buy me a movie ticket. sentence - statement

you subject (pronoun)

Will buy verb phrase

Will helping verb

buy main verb (transitive active)

ticket direct object (noun)

a, movie adjective

me indirect object (pronoun)


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5. Sharon and Paul bought their cat a new collar and some catnip.

Key

Sharon and Paul bought their cat a new collar and some catnip.

sentence – statement

Sharon, Paul compound subjects (nouns)


bought verb (transitive active)

collar, catnip compound direct objects (nouns)


a, new adjectives

some adjective

cat indirect object (noun)

their adjective

Documents

LESSON 18: TRANSITIVE ACTIVE VERBS & INDIRECT OBJECTS · Indirect objects are nouns and pronouns that receive the direct object. They answer For whom? and To whom? about the direct