Download subject + verb + what? or who? = direct object

Recognize a direct object when you see one.
A direct object will follow a transitive verb [a type of action verb]. Direct objects can be nouns,
pronouns, phrases, or clauses. If you can identify the subject and verb in a sentence, then
finding the direct object—if one exists—is easy. Just remember this simple formula:
SUBJECT
+ V E R B + what? or who? = D I R E C T O B J E C T
Here are examples of the formula in action:
Zippy and Maurice played soccer with a grapefruit pulled from a backyard
tree.
Zippy, Maurice = subjects; played = verb. Zippy and Maurice played what? Soccer = direct
object.
Zippy accidentally kicked Maurice in the shin.
Zippy = subject; kicked = verb. Zippy kicked who? Maurice = direct object.
Recognize an indirect object when you see one.
Indirect objects are rare. You can read for pages before you encounter one. For an indirect
object to appear, a sentence must first have a direct object.
Direct objects follow transitive verbs [a type of action verb]. If you can identify the subject
and verb in a sentence, then finding the direct object—if one exists—is easy. Just remember
this simple formula:
SUBJECT
+ V E R B + what? or who? = D I R E C T O B J E C T
Here are examples of the formula in action:
Jim built a sandcastle on the beach.
Jim = subject; built = verb. Jim built what? Sandcastle = direct object.
Sammy and Maria brought Billie Lou to the party.
Sammy, Maria = subject; brought = verb. Sammy and Maria brought who? Billie Lou = direct
object.
To explain the broken lamp, we told a lie.
We = subject; told = verb. We told what? Lie = direct object.
When someone [or something] gets the direct object, that word is the indirect object. Look at
these new versions of the sentences above:
Jim built his granddaughter a sandcastle on the beach.
Jim = subject; built = verb. Jim built what? Sandcastle = direct object. Who got the
sandcastle? Granddaughter = indirect object.
So that Darren would have company at the party, Sammy and Maria
brought him a blind date.
Sammy, Maria = subjects; brought = verb. Sammy and Maria brought who? Blind date =
direct object. Who got the blind date? Him = indirect object.
To explain the broken lamp, we told Mom a lie.
We = subject; told = verb. We told what? Lie = direct object. Who got the lie? Mom = indirect
object.
Sometimes, the indirect object will occur in a prepositional phrase beginning with to or for.
Read these two sentences:
Tomas paid the mechanic 200 dollars to fix the squeaky brakes.
Tomas paid 200 dollars to the mechanic to fix the squeaky brakes.
In both versions, the mechanic [the indirect object] gets the 200 dollars [the direct object].
When the indirect object is a pronoun rather than a noun, putting it in a prepositional phrase
becomes a necessary modification. The preposition smoothes out the sentence so that it
sounds natural. Check out these examples:
Leslie didn't have any money for a sandwich, so Smitty purchased her it.
Blech! That version sounds awful!
Leslie didn't have any money for a sandwich, so Smitty purchased it for
her.
Recognize an appositive when you see one.
An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right
beside it. The appositive can be a short or long combination of words. Look
at these examples:
The insect, a cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table.
The insect, a large cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table.
The insect, a large cockroach with hairy legs, is crawling across
the kitchen table.
The insect, a large, hairy-legged cockroach that has spied my
bowl of oatmeal, is crawling across the kitchen table.
Here are more examples:
During the dinner conversation, Clifford, the messiest eater at the
table, spewed mashed potatoes like an erupting volcano.
My 286 computer, a modern-day dinosaur, chews floppy disks as
noisily as my brother does peanut brittle.
Genette's bedroom desk, the biggest disaster area in the house ,
is a collection of overdue library books, dirty plates, co mputer
components, old mail, cat hair, and empty potato chip bags.
Reliable, Diane's eleven-year-old beagle, chews holes in the
living room carpeting as if he were still a puppy.
Punctuate the appositive correctly.
The important point to remember is that a nonessential appositive is always
separated from the rest of the sentence with comma(s).
When the appositive begins the sentence, it looks like this:
A hot-tempered tennis player, Robbie charged the umpire and
tried to crack the poor man's skull with a ra cket.
When the appositive interrupts the sentence, it looks like this:
Robbie, a hot-tempered tennis player, charged the umpire and
tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket.
And when the appositive ends the sentence, it looks like this:
Upset by the bad call, the crowd cheered Robbie , a hot-tempered
tennis player who charged the umpire and tried to crack the
poor man's skull with a racket.